---
title: "What is NANP (North American Numbering Plan)?"
url: "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/nanp.md"
canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/nanp"
last_updated: "2026-10-17"
type: "conceptual"
summary: "The North American Numbering Plan is the shared telephone numbering system for the United States."
related: ["https://lookvalid.com/glossary/area-code.md", "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/e164.md", "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/toll-free-number.md", "https://lookvalid.com/glossary/lrn.md", "https://lookvalid.com/products/phone.md"]
---

# What is NANP (North American Numbering Plan)?

The North American Numbering Plan is the shared telephone numbering system for the United States.

The North American Numbering Plan is the shared telephone numbering system for the United States, Canada and a group of Caribbean and Pacific countries and territories, all under country code +1.

Every NANP number has ten digits: a three-digit area code, a three-digit exchange and a four-digit line number. The plan is administered centrally, and new area codes are assigned several times a year.

Because +1 covers more than the US and Canada, a number's area code, not its country code, says which country it belongs to.

## Related

- [What is Area code?](https://lookvalid.com/glossary/area-code.md)
- [What is E.164?](https://lookvalid.com/glossary/e164.md)
- [What is Toll-free number?](https://lookvalid.com/glossary/toll-free-number.md)
- [What is LRN (Location Routing Number)?](https://lookvalid.com/glossary/lrn.md)
- [Phone Numbering-Plan Validation API](https://lookvalid.com/products/phone.md)