International Faxing Made Simple
Sending a fax to another country used to require an international phone plan and careful dialing. With online fax services, it's as simple as selecting a country and entering the number. Here's everything you need to know to send a fax internationally, from formatting the number correctly to troubleshooting delivery issues.
Step 1: Prepare Your Document
Before sending, make sure your document is in a supported format. PDF works best for fax because it preserves layout and is universally compatible. If you have a Word document, you can convert it to PDF first. Check our supported file formats guide for the full list.
For the best results, use black text on a white background, standard fonts at 11pt or larger, and simple single-column layouts. If you're sending a scanned document, make sure the scan is at least 300 DPI. See our full guide on preparing documents for fax quality for detailed tips.
Step 2: Enter the Fax Number
International fax numbers need to include the country code. For example:
- United States: +1 followed by the 10-digit number. See our USA fax guide
- United Kingdom: +44 followed by the number (drop the leading 0). See our UK fax guide
- Japan: +81 followed by the number. See our Japan fax guide
- Germany: +49 followed by the number. See our Germany fax guide
- Australia: +61 followed by the number (drop the leading 0). See our Australia fax guide
- France: +33 followed by the number (drop the leading 0). See our France fax guide
- South Korea: +82 followed by the number (drop the leading 0). See our South Korea fax guide
With unofax, you select the country from a dropdown and the country code is added automatically. No need to remember dialing prefixes. We support faxing to dozens of countries. Check our pricing page for the full list of destinations and per-page rates.
Step 3: Add a Cover Sheet (Optional)
A fax cover sheet identifies the sender, recipient, and purpose of the fax. It's standard practice in business and legal contexts, and helps the recipient route your document correctly. If you're sending to a large organization, a cover sheet with the recipient's name and department can prevent your fax from getting lost.
Sending to a non-English-speaking country? Consider using our multilingual cover sheet to include recipient details in the local language.
Step 4: Send and Track
After uploading your document and entering the number, hit send. Online fax services handle the dialing, transmission, and retry logic automatically. You'll receive a confirmation once the fax is delivered. You can also check your delivery status at any time to see whether the fax was successfully received.
Need to send at a specific time? You can schedule your fax to go out during the recipient's business hours, particularly useful when sending across time zones.
Common Mistakes When Sending International Faxes
Even with online tools that simplify the process, a few common errors can cause delivery failures:
- Forgetting to drop the leading 0: In many countries, local numbers start with a 0 (e.g., 020 7946 0958 in the UK). When dialing internationally, this leading 0 must be dropped. The correct international format is +44 20 7946 0958, not +44 020 7946 0958. This applies to Australia, France, South Korea, and most other countries.
- Using the wrong country code: Double-check the country code before sending. For example, +61 is Australia, not Austria (+43). +81 is Japan, not India (+91).
- Including trunk prefixes or carrier codes: Some countries use trunk prefixes (like 0 for domestic calls) or carrier selection codes that should not be included when dialing from abroad.
- Area code confusion: In some countries, the area code is required even for local calls. In others, it is optional. When sending an international fax, always include the full area code.
What to Do If Delivery Fails
If your fax doesn't go through, don't panic. International fax delivery can fail for several reasons, most of which are temporary or easily corrected:
- Busy line: The receiving machine may be in use. Online fax services typically retry automatically. Check your delivery status to see if retries are in progress.
- Machine off or disconnected: If the receiving fax machine is powered off, unplugged, or out of paper, the call will fail. Try contacting the recipient to confirm their fax line is active.
- Wrong number: Verify the number carefully. Even one wrong digit will route your fax to the wrong machine or result in a "no answer" failure. Check the country-specific guide for the correct format.
- Voice line, not fax: If the number connects to a voice line rather than a fax machine, transmission will fail. Confirm with the recipient that the number is a dedicated fax line.
- International routing issues: In rare cases, international telephone routing can cause temporary failures. Waiting a few hours and resending usually resolves this.
If repeated attempts fail, reach out to the recipient to confirm the number and machine status, or contact our support team for help.
Tips for Reliable International Delivery
- Double-check the number: International number formats vary. Make sure you have the correct country code and local number.
- Use high-contrast documents: Fax works best with black text on white backgrounds. Avoid light colors and complex graphics.
- Consider time zones: The receiving fax machine needs to be on. If faxing to a business, send during their business hours or schedule your fax accordingly.
- Keep file sizes reasonable: Large files with many pages take longer to transmit. Split very long documents if needed.
- Ask for confirmation: For critical documents, ask the recipient to confirm receipt by email or phone. This provides a secondary verification alongside the fax transmission receipt.