Area Code 61 – Ucayali

Overview of Peru Area Code 61

Area code 61 is the National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the Ucayali region in Peru, a geographic area located in the central-eastern part of the country, within the Amazon rainforest. The region is administratively centered on the city of Pucallpa, which is the capital and the largest urban center in Ucayali. Other significant towns served by this code include Contamana, Atalaya, and Coronel Portillo province. This code is used for fixed-line (PSTN) services, including traditional landlines and some fixed wireless and VoIP services that are geographically tied to the region.

Dialing Formats

When calling a fixed-line number in Ucayali from within Peru, the national trunk prefix 0 is used, followed by the area code and the subscriber number. The complete national format is (01) 61 XXX XXX? Actually, the correct national dialing format is 0 61 XXX XXX, where the leading 0 is the national trunk prefix, 61 is the area code, and the subscriber number consists of 6 or 7 digits, depending on the specific line. For example, a local number in Pucallpa might be 61 572 345 (when dialed locally, the area code is often omitted). For international callers, the format is +51 61 XXX XXX (or +51 61 XXXX XXX if the subscriber number is 7 digits). The country code for Peru is +51.

Geographic Coverage and Administration

The Ucayali region is one of the 24 departments of Peru. Its location in the Amazon basin means that telecommunications infrastructure is less dense than in coastal areas, but the region is served by major telecom operators such as Telefónica del Perú (Movistar), Claro, and Entel. The area code 61 is exclusively assigned to the Ucayali region, and there are currently no overlay codes or additional area codes for this region. This means that the area code is not optional when dialing from outside the local calling area, but within the same area code, callers may dial only the subscriber number if they are in the same local exchange area.

Caller Instructions

• Local callers (within Ucayali): If you are calling a number in the same city or exchange, you may dial only the subscriber number (e.g., 572 345). However, if you are calling from a different exchange within the same area code, you must dial the area code (e.g., 61 572 345).
• National callers (from other regions of Peru): Dial 0 61 XXX XXX. For example, to call a Pucallpa number from Lima, dial 0 61 572 345.
• International callers: Dial your country's exit code, then 51 61 XXX XXX. For example, from the US or UK, dial 011 51 61 572 345 or 00 51 61 572 345 respectively.

It is important to note that as of recent years, Peru has implemented number portability for fixed lines, so a number with area code 61 may be served by a different operator than originally assigned. However, the geographic significance of the code remains unchanged for routing purposes.