Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands: Area Codes of US Territories
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are US territories with their own dedicated area codes. Here's what you need to know about calling 787, 939, and 340.
US Territories in the NANP
The North American Numbering Plan includes two US territories in the Caribbean: Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Unlike the independent Caribbean nations that are also part of the NANP, calls to these territories are treated as domestic by most US phone plans — no international calling required.
Puerto Rico: 787 and 939
Puerto Rico uses two area codes: 787 and overlay 939. The island has a population of about 3.2 million, making it comparable in size to Connecticut or Iowa in terms of telephone number demand.
Area code 787 was assigned to Puerto Rico in 1996, replacing the previous 809 code that Puerto Rico had shared with the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean nations. When 787 approached exhaustion, the overlay 939 was added in 2001.
US Virgin Islands: 340
Area code 340 serves the US Virgin Islands — the three main islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John, along with several smaller islands. The territory has a population of about 100,000.
Like Puerto Rico, the USVI previously used 809. In 1997, 340 was created to give the territory its own dedicated code as part of the restructuring of Caribbean NANP codes.
Calling Puerto Rico and the USVI From the US
From a dialing perspective, calling Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands is identical to calling any other US number — dial 1 + area code + 7-digit number. Most US cell phone and landline plans include these territories as domestic calls. The 1 country code applies, and no international rates should apply unless your specific plan excludes territories.
The 809 Era
Before the 1997 restructuring of Caribbean NANP codes, 809 served virtually all of the Caribbean — Puerto Rico, the USVI, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and others. As the region grew and needed more numbers, the various Caribbean nations and territories received their own dedicated codes, freeing up 809 to serve the Dominican Republic alone.
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