Area code 604 — British Columbia
Greater Vancouver and Lower Mainland. Original assignment, in service since 1947.
At a glance
- Country
- Canada
- Province / territory
- British Columbia
- Service area
- Greater Vancouver and Lower Mainland
- Time zone
- Pacific Time (PST/PDT, UTC-8/-7) · current offset -07:00
- Type
- Original
- In service since
- 1947
- Country code
- +1 (NANP)
Map
Cities served by 604
Related & overlay area codes
Area code 604 shares geography with 3 other codes serving the same region. A call placed inside this overlay must dial all 10 digits regardless of which code your own line uses.
Carriers operating in 604
The following national and regional telecommunications carriers hold central office (CO) code assignments within numbering plan area 604. Number portability means a phone number originally issued by one carrier may now ride on another carrier's network.
About area code 604
Area code 604 is a Canadian numbering plan area covering Greater Vancouver and Lower Mainland. It was placed into service in 1947 as one of the original Canadian assignments, and today operates under the Pacific Time (PST/PDT, UTC-8/-7) time zone.
Numbers in the 604 NPA are issued in central office (CO) blocks of 10,000 to local exchange carriers, who then assign them to subscribers. Because Canada uses a competitive carrier model under CRTC oversight, multiple carriers — both incumbent and competitive — hold blocks within 604. The current carrier of record for any specific number can be looked up via the Canadian Local Number Portability Consortium, but the originally issued carrier is no longer a reliable signal of who actually serves that line.
If you receive a call from a number beginning with 604, the caller is either physically located in or has historically been associated with Greater Vancouver and Lower Mainland. The same applies to overlay codes 778, 236, 672: any of these area codes can correspond to a phone in the same geography, and many households carry numbers from two or three different overlays simultaneously across landlines and mobile devices.
To call a number in 604 from outside Canada and the United States, dial your country's international access prefix, then +1 604 followed by the 7-digit local number. Within the NANP, simply dial 1 followed by all 10 digits — or just the 10 digits if you are also located in an overlay region where 7-digit local dialling is no longer permitted.
Frequently asked questions
Where is area code 604?
Area code 604 serves Greater Vancouver and Lower Mainland in British Columbia, Canada.
What time zone is 604?
Numbers in 604 are in the Pacific Time (PST/PDT, UTC-8/-7) time zone.
Is 604 a toll-free or mobile-only code?
No. Canadian area codes are geographic — they apply to both landline and mobile numbers in Greater Vancouver and Lower Mainland. Toll-free codes in the NANP (800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888) are a separate category.
Why do I see calls from 604 if I do not know anyone there?
Two reasons. First, mobile portability: someone who moved away from British Columbia can keep their 604 number anywhere in the world. Second, scam callers frequently spoof Canadian area codes to appear local. If you do not recognise the number, it is generally safe to let it go to voicemail.