Pattern

Regex for UK phone number

UK phone in various common formats.

The UK phone number regex is ^(\+44\s?|0)(\d{2,5}\s?)(\d{3,4}\s?\d{3,4})$ — copy it below, or open it in the explainer for a token-by-token breakdown.

The pattern

^(\+44\s?|0)(\d{2,5}\s?)(\d{3,4}\s?\d{3,4})$

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What it matches

+44 20 7946 0958
020 7946 0958
+447911123456
07911 123456

What it doesn't match

+1 555 1234
020 7946
UK 020 7946 0958

Notes & gotchas

UK numbers have variable lengths and area code structures. This is a permissive pattern; for strict validation use libphonenumber.

Code in your language

Use the explainer's Code tab to generate ready-to-paste snippets in JavaScript, Python, Java, .NET, Go, Ruby, and PHP for this pattern.

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Token-by-token breakdown

Every part of the pattern, left to right:

Token	Meaning
`^`	start of string (or line in multiline mode)
`(`	start of a capturing group
`\+`	literal “+”
`44`	literal text “44”
`\s?`	optional (zero or one): whitespace
`\|`	OR — try the alternative
`0`	literal text “0”
`)`	end of group
`(`	start of a capturing group
`\d{2,5}`	between 2 and 5 times: digit (0–9)
`\s?`	optional (zero or one): whitespace
`)`	end of group
`(`	start of a capturing group
`\d{3,4}`	between 3 and 4 times: digit (0–9)
`\s?`	optional (zero or one): whitespace
`\d{3,4}`	between 3 and 4 times: digit (0–9)
`)`	end of group
`$`	end of string (or line in multiline mode)

About this pattern

UK identifier formats are set by HMRC, Royal Mail, and the BACS payments scheme. The regex here matches the format; full validation may need an additional checksum or lookup.

Quick usage in different languages

This exact pattern — with the correct escaping and idioms for each language:

JavaScript: /^(\+44\s?|0)(\d{2,5}\s?)(\d{3,4}\s?\d{3,4})$/.test(value)
Python: re.match(r"^(\+44\s?|0)(\d{2,5}\s?)(\d{3,4}\s?\d{3,4})$", value)
Java: Pattern.compile("^(\\+44\\s?|0)(\\d{2,5}\\s?)(\\d{3,4}\\s?\\d{3,4})$").matcher(value).matches()
C# / .NET: Regex.IsMatch(value, @"^(\+44\s?|0)(\d{2,5}\s?)(\d{3,4}\s?\d{3,4})$")
Go: regexp.MustCompile(`^(\+44\s?|0)(\d{2,5}\s?)(\d{3,4}\s?\d{3,4})$`).MatchString(value)
Ruby: /^(\+44\s?|0)(\d{2,5}\s?)(\d{3,4}\s?\d{3,4})$/.match?(value)
PHP: preg_match('~^(\+44\s?|0)(\d{2,5}\s?)(\d{3,4}\s?\d{3,4})$~', $value)

The explainer’s Code tab regenerates these for any pattern you paste, and the downloadable cheat sheet bundles the breakdown, all seven snippets, and the pitfalls below onto one printable page.

Common pitfalls

Anchored to the whole string. This pattern uses ^ and $, so it requires the entire input to match. To find it inside a longer text, drop the anchors and use the global (g) flag.
Escape it correctly per language. In Java and JavaScript strings each backslash must be doubled (\\d); in Python, Go, and C# use raw/verbatim strings so the backslashes survive.
Validate beyond format. Matching the format doesn't guarantee the value is real. Confirm the uk phone number against a source of truth (database, API, or checksum) where it matters.

Standards & sources

This pattern is based on the following authoritative specification(s) and issuing authorities. Formats can change — always confirm against the primary source.

Ofcom — UK telephone numbering

Related patterns

More patterns in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 category: