Area Code 438

About Area Code 438

Area code 438 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Montreal, Quebec. It operates in the Eastern time zone and was first introduced in 2006. Overlay for 514. Montreal.

Within Quebec, area code 438 operates alongside 11 other area codes. The province's 2023 population estimate is 9,029,933. Quebec's capital is Quebec City and its largest city is Montreal.

When you receive a call from a 438 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 438 area code — but be aware that Local Number Portability (in effect since 2003) means the caller could be physically located anywhere in the US or Canada. Area code 438 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 438 area code located?

Area code 438 is assigned to Montreal, Quebec, in the Eastern time zone. The state of Quebec uses 12 active area codes, and 438 is one of them. Calls placed from the 438 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 438 prefix appears on Caller ID for both landline and wireless calls placed from this region.

The Eastern time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, shifting from UTC-5 to UTC-4 in summer. The local time shown above is always current, so you can quickly check whether it's a reasonable hour to call back.

What cities and counties use the 438 area code?

The 438 area code serves 8 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 438 territory is Montreal (1,762,949 residents in Montreal County).

• Montreal, QC — 1,762,949 residents (52.9% of 438 numbers)
• Quebec City, QC — 549,459 residents (16.5% of 438 numbers)
• Gatineau, QC — 291,041 residents (8.7% of 438 numbers)
• Sherbrooke, QC — 172,950 residents (5.2% of 438 numbers)
• Saguenay, QC — 144,723 residents (4.3% of 438 numbers)
• Lévis, QC — 149,683 residents (4.5% of 438 numbers)
• Trois-Rivières, QC — 139,163 residents (4.2% of 438 numbers)
• Terrebonne, QC — 119,944 residents (3.6% of 438 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 438

All phone numbers within area code 438 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(438) NXX-XXXX. The NXX is the central office prefix (also called an "exchange") and XXXX is the subscriber line number. For long-distance calls within the NANP, dial 1 + 438 + NXX + XXXX. From outside North America, dial your country's international access code, then 1 (the NANP country code), then the 10-digit number.

If you need to verify whether a specific 438 number is wireless, landline, or VoIP, you can use our reverse phone lookup tool. Be aware that number portability means the area code no longer guarantees the caller's physical location — only where the number was first assigned.

History of area code 438

Overlay for 514. Montreal.

The original 86 area codes were assigned by AT&T and Bell Labs in 1947 as part of the North American Numbering Plan. At the time, rotary-dial phones meant codes with lower digits (like 212 for NYC, 213 for LA, 312 for Chicago) were given to the largest cities because they took less time to dial. Today's area code assignments still reflect those early choices, even though touch-tone and cell phones made the original reason obsolete.

Is the 438 area code safe to answer?

Area code 438 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 438 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.