Phone home

Calling within St. Petersburg

To call any number within St. Petersburg from a private fixed line, just dial the local seven-digit number as it is, without any codes. Normally, all calls from fixed lines in St. Petersburg are free – it doesn’t matter if you’re calling to another fixed line or to a mobile phone (the owner of the mobile has to pay), a hangover from the good old days of the Soviet Union. Some hotels or business centres will charge you, but bars and coffee shops usually let you phone for free as long as you call within the city.

Calling within Russia

For a call to Moscow, Vladivostok or any other city in Russia, simply dial 8, wait for the tone (not necessary if you have a digital line), then dial the Russian city code that you need.

Calling internationally

To phone home from St. Petersburg, dial 8, wait for the tone (not necessary if you have a digital line), then dial 10 and the country code, city code and the number as usual (without the first 00).

Mobile phones

Thinking about getting a Russian number? Unless you’re planning to stick around long enough to make signing a contract with a local network worthwhile, the best way to get a number is to purchase a starter kit which gives you a pre-paid card account. Bee Line for example is a good option, but also Megafon, MTS and Tele2 have prepaid SIM cards. For circa 150Rbl you receive a Russian number, SIM card and 100Rbl deposit to make calls. For purchasing a Russian number you need to show your passport, visa and registration. (so that they can assign you another SIM card with the same number if you happen to lose it.)

Topping up your Russian mobile phone
You can top-up your Russian pay-as-you-go SIM card at any of the top-up machines that you will find in most shops, supermarkets and train stations. Just choose the provider you need on the machine's touch screen, type in your phone number (without the +7) and then insert the amount of money you want to top-up by.