Will it dial without asking?

No. Every phone shows the number and waits for a tap. That behaviour is deliberate and cannot be overridden by a code.

Do I need the country code?

Include it whenever someone from another country might scan it. It costs three characters and prevents a call that never connects.

Can I include an extension?

Support for extensions is unreliable across phones. Encode the main number and print the extension next to the code.

Does it work without internet?

Yes. Decoding is local and calling needs only mobile signal, not data.

What if my number changes?

A printed code is permanent, so it will keep offering the old number. Generate a new one and reprint.

Phone number QR code generator

Point a camera at it and the phone offers to call you. No typing, no misdialled digits.

What happens when it is scanned

The code holds a tel: link. The camera shows the number and asks whether to call it — no phone will dial straight from a scan, which is exactly the safety behaviour you want on something printed in public.

It removes the most common failure in printed contact details: transcription. Nobody mistypes a digit, nobody drops a country code, and nobody has to hold a leaflet in one hand while dialling with the other.

Write the number for strangers

Include the country code, in the international form, for anything that might be scanned by someone from elsewhere — a hotel, a station, a tourist area, packaging that ships. +34600123456 works from any country; 600123456 works only from inside Spain.

Formatting is up to you: spaces, dashes and brackets are stripped automatically, and a leading plus is kept. Extensions are the one thing to avoid, since support for pauses and ;ext= is inconsistent enough that a main number plus a printed instruction is more reliable.

Where a call code beats the alternatives

Use it on trade signage, delivery notices, taxi and workshop stickers, machine faceplates, real-estate boards and anywhere someone is standing outdoors with one free hand. It also works offline in the sense that matters: no data connection is needed, only signal.

If you would rather receive a message than a call, an SMS or WhatsApp code is often better for the same surface — they let people write to you outside opening hours instead of hanging up.

What goes inside the code

The simplest payload on the site:

tel:+34600123456

the + is kept; spaces, dashes and brackets are removed
phones always ask before dialling, so a scan can never place a call by itself

Before you print it

Use the international format with the country code on anything a visitor might scan.
Print the number as text next to the code. It is short, and people trust digits they can see.
Label the code "Call us" — a bare square gives no reason to raise a camera.
On outdoor signage, print it large and keep the quiet zone; scanning distance scales with size.

Why these codes cannot expire