Area Code 250 – British Columbia
The phone area code for British Columbia is 250 (international format +1250). Browse local exchange codes (NXX) and carrier assignments below.
📍 Geographic Location of British Columbia
Geographic Coverage and Administration
Area code 250 is a geographic North American Numbering Plan (NANP) code serving the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC). It was introduced in 1996 as a split from area code 604, which had served the entire province. Today, 250 covers the vast majority of BC outside the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island's southern tip. Specifically, it includes Vancouver Island (excluding Greater Victoria, which uses 250/778/236 overlays), the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast, the Central Coast, the Kootenay region, the Okanagan Valley, the Thompson-Nicola region, the Cariboo, the Peace River area, and northern BC communities such as Prince George, Kelowna, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Victoria (partially), and Fort St. John. The code is administered by the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) under the oversight of the CRTC.
Dialing Formats and Overlay
In 2007, area code 778 was introduced as an overlay for the entire 250 region, and in 2021, area code 236 was added as a second overlay. This means that multiple area codes serve the same geographic area, and ten-digit dialing (area code + seven-digit local number) is mandatory for all local calls within the province. For international callers, the format is +1 250 XXX XXXX (or +1 778/236 for numbers in the same region). For local callers within BC, dial 250 XXX XXXX (or 778/236) without the leading 1. For long-distance calls within Canada and the US, dial 1 250 XXX XXXX.
Caller Instructions
Local callers: When calling a 250 number from another 250 number, simply dial the ten-digit number (250 + local number). No trunk prefix is needed. Long-distance callers within North America: Dial 1 (the NANP trunk prefix) followed by 250 and the seven-digit number. International callers: Dial the international access code (e.g., 011 from the US) or the plus sign (+) on mobile devices, then 1, then 250, then the seven-digit number. For example, a caller in London would dial 00 1 250 555 0123.
Numbering Resources and Portability
Area code 250 is assigned to both wireline (PSTN) and wireless (mobile) services, as well as VoIP providers. Because of number portability, a 250 number may be served by a provider outside the traditional geographic area, but the number remains associated with BC for routing purposes. The 250 code is not expected to exhaust soon due to the 236 overlay, but new numbers in the region may be assigned from any of the three codes.