Area Code 263 – Leova

Overview of Area Code +373 263

Area code 263 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the Leova District in the Republic of Moldova. It serves the administrative center of Leova and the surrounding localities within the district, including villages such as Iargara, Tomai, and Filipeni. The code is part of Moldova's national numbering plan under ITU-T E.164, which designates geographic codes for fixed-line PSTN services. Calls to this code connect to subscribers on the fixed telephone network operated by the national incumbent and licensed alternative operators.

Geographic Coverage and Administration

Leova District is located in the southern part of Moldova, bordering the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia and the Cahul District. The district's administrative center, the city of Leova, lies on the left bank of the Prut River, near the Romanian border. The area is primarily rural, with agriculture and food processing as key economic activities. The +373 263 code covers the entire district, and no overlay codes have been introduced; all fixed-line numbers within the district share this single NDC.

Dialing Formats

For callers within Moldova, the national trunk prefix 0 is used before the area code. The local number length is typically 5 to 6 digits, resulting in a total national significant number (NSN) of 8 digits (excluding the trunk prefix). The international format for calling from abroad is +373 263 XXX XXX, where the leading trunk prefix is omitted. For example, a local number might be dialed as 0 263 2 34 56 from within Moldova, while international callers would dial +373 263 2 34 56.

Caller Instructions

• Local callers (within Moldova): Dial 0 263 [subscriber number]. The subscriber number may vary in length; always check the full number as provided by the called party.
• International callers: Dial your country's international access code (e.g., 00 from most European countries, 011 from North America), followed by 373 (Moldova's country code), then 263 and the subscriber number. Do not include the leading '0'.
• Callers from Romania: Since Romania and Moldova share a similar numbering plan, international dialing is still required: dial 00 373 263 [subscriber number].

Regulatory and Technical Notes

The National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (ANRCETI) administers Moldova's numbering resources. Geographic codes like 263 are allocated to fixed-line services and are not portable to mobile networks. However, number portability within the fixed network is available, meaning a subscriber may retain the number when switching operators, but the geographic association remains tied to the Leova area. VoIP services may also be assigned numbers from this range, but they are still considered geographic and are subject to the same dialing rules.