Every year, people fax over 17 billion documents both domestically and internationally. While faxing internationally via a fax machine was a fairly expensive process, online faxing has made it affordable. Now, many Australian businesses send international faxes every day.
But if you find yourself in the position of needing to send a fax internationally for the first time, it can be tricky to know how to do it right. We can help. This guide will cover the process of sending a fax internationally online to the USA, UK, EU, Canada and other common faxing destinations.
How does online fax work internationally?
Online faxing (sometimes called ‘internet faxing‘, ‘web faxing’ or ‘digital faxing’) transmits faxes through the internet. Online faxing uses the same technology to send faxes both domestically and internationally.
→ Send And Receive Faxes Online, Anytime, Anywhere. Start Your 30 Day eFax Trial Now
Common International Faxing Questions
When people first start faxing internationally, they ask a few simple questions. We’ve answered the most popular three questions below.
-
How long does international fax take?
It only takes a few minutes to transmit an international fax. There are two factors that determine the speed at which your fax transmits: your internet speed and your faxing provider’s processing speed. Online fax providers like eFax process documents very quickly as 90% of faxes sent with eFax arrive in less than 60 seconds.
-
Can you receive an international fax?
You can receive an international fax if you have an online faxing account. You do not need to follow any special process to view your international faxes as they will appear in your inbox or message centre like normal.
-
Why do some international fax codes include an X?
Some international fax codes include an ‘X’ to indicate that you need to replace the ‘X’ with your recipient’s carrier selection code (i.e. ’00X’). A carrier selection code indicates which network provider your recipient uses. Many countries currently use carrier selection codes, including South Korea, Finland, Israel and Hong Kong.
International vs Domestic Fax Numbers
All fax numbers have 8 – 15 digits, depending on their country and area. A fax number consists of three key components:
-
The country code = the country code denotes the number’s country of origin (i.e. ’61’ for Australia).
-
The area code = the area code denotes the number’s city or area of origin (i.e. ‘2’ for Sydney).
-
The fax number = your recipient’s number (i.e. ‘98371922’).
If you send international faxes to recipients in a single country regularly, basing your fax number in that country could save you time and money long term. For example, if you are an eFax customer, you can choose a number in 46 countries and 3,500 cities worldwide.
Process Of Sending An Online Fax Internationally
The process of sending a fax is relatively standard. For example, to send a fax using eFax, simply:
-
Open eFax and click ‘New Fax’.
-
Type in one of Australia’s dialling prefixes (0011 or 015), followed by your recipient’s fax number (according to their country-specific guidelines).
-
Click ‘Attach’ and attach up to 10 fax files.
-
Fill in your cover sheet (optional).
-
Click ‘Send’.
When sending a fax internationally, make sure to adhere to the guidelines for your recipient’s country. We have included the guidelines for common faxing destinations below.
Sending Online Fax To The USA
Fax numbers in the USA have 11 digits. This includes the country code ‘1’, a three-digit area code and a seven-digit local number. If your recipient gives you an area code with only one number (i.e. ‘2’), add two zeros (i.e. ‘002’) to make a complete area code.
With eFax, it costs $0.10 per page to send faxes to the USA.
Sending Online Fax To The UK
Fax numbers in the UK have 8 – 11 digits. This includes the country code ’44’, an area code, and the local number. Common area codes in the UK include:
-
151 = Liverpool
-
44 = London
-
28 = Belfast City
-
1223 = Cambridge
-
121 = Birmingham
-
141 = Glasgow
-
131 = Edinburgh
-
1452 = Gloucester
With eFax, it costs $0.10 (local and mobile), $0.48 (national) or $0.49 – $1.02 premium) per page to send faxes to the UK.
Sending Online Fax To China
Fax numbers in China are usually 6 – 8 digits. This includes the country code ’86’, a 2 – 4 digit area code and a 6 – 8 digit local number. Common area codes in China include:
-
21 = Shanghai
-
25 – Nanjing
-
28 = Chengdu
-
24 = Shenyang
-
27 = Wuhan
-
536 = Weifang
-
10 = Beijing
-
710 = Xiangfan
With eFax, it costs $0.10 (local) or $1.02 (mobile) per page to send faxes to China.
Sending Online Fax To South Africa
Fax numbers in South Africa are 11 digits. That includes the country code ’27’, a 2-digit area code and a 7-digit local number. Common area codes in South Africa include:
-
21 = Cape Town
-
34 = Newcastle
-
43 = King Williams Town
-
51 = Vaalkraal
-
43 = East London
-
11 = Johannesburg
-
41 = Port Elizabeth
-
31 = Durban
With eFax, it costs $0.10 (local) or $0.49 (mobile) per page to send faxes to South Africa.
→ Send And Receive Faxes Online, Anytime, Anywhere. Start Your 30 Day eFax Trial Now
Sending Online Fax To Canada
Fax numbers in Canada have 11 digits. This includes the country code ‘1’ (same as the USA), a 3-digit area code and a 7-digit local number. Common area codes include:
-
613 = Ottawa
-
416/ 647 = Toronto
-
807 = Thunder Bay
-
709 = Newfoundland
-
514/ 438 = Montreal
-
705 = North Bay
-
905 / 289 = Hamilton
-
450 = Laval
With eFax, it costs $0.10 (local) per page to send faxes to Canada.
Do International Faxes Cost More?
While online faxes sent internationally cost more than domestic online faxes, international online faxing is still significantly cheaper than international faxing through a machine.
Fees for international faxing are charged on a per-page basis that changes slightly between countries. These fees are calculated by considering your location and whether you are sending the fax locally, by mobile, or via a premium plan.
Local faxes are sent from your computer through eFax’s web portal, email or desktop app. Mobile faxes are sent from eFax’s Android or iOS app, and premium charges apply to fax users with a premium plan.
Click here to view eFax’s complete list of international rates.
Why eFax?
If you need to send a fax internationally, eFax is your best choice. eFax helps over 11 million people fax globally. eFax’s international rates are very competitive, and its system is full of features that make faxing easy. That includes digital signatures, large file transfer up to 3GB, free cloud-based storage and a PDF converter.
While many businesses lose their fax lines when connecting to the NBN, eFax’s faxing system is NBN compatible. This means you won’t lose your fax connection when joining the NBN.
eFax is currently offering a free 30-day trial to their service. This trial includes full access to the eFax system, a free fax number and up to 400 free faxes.
To get started with eFax, Start a 30 Day Free Trial here or call 1800 283 361.
