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🇻🇦 How to Fax the Vatican

📅 Updated September 2026 · 🌍 Worldwide delivery
✦ Quick Answer

Vatican City has its own country code, +379, but it is not used for public numbers. Vatican offices sit on the Italian network at +39, Rome area code 06, exchange 698. So you select Italy, keep the leading zero, and enter the number beginning 06698. It is $2.99 for up to 3 pages with no account, and a fax that cannot be delivered is refunded automatically.

Send a fax to the Vatican, $2.99

📋 In This Guide

  1. Why +379 Does Not Work
  2. Keep the Leading Zero
  3. Papal Audience Tickets
  4. Busy Lines and Early Closing
  5. Other Vatican Offices
  6. What It Costs
  7. Frequently Asked Questions

Why +379 Does Not Work

Vatican City was assigned the country code +379, and you will see it in country code tables everywhere. It is real, but it is almost never used. The Vatican runs its public telephone service inside the Italian network instead, on Rome's 06 area code with the 698 exchange.

If you have a number containing 06 698, it is an Italian number and you reach it on +39. Putting +379 in front of it will not connect. This is the most common reason a fax to the Vatican fails before it starts.

Keep the Leading Zero

Almost every country asks you to drop the leading zero from an area code when dialling from abroad. Italy is the exception, and has been since 1998. Italian landline numbers are dialled exactly as written, zero and all.

Rome stays 06. A Vatican fax number written as 06 6988 5863 is entered as 0669885863. Since every fax machine sits on a landline, this applies to every Vatican number you will use. Our Italy guide covers the rule in full.

Send a fax to the Vatican, $2.99

Papal Audience Tickets

General audiences with the Pope are usually held on Wednesday mornings and tickets are free. Requests go to the Prefecture of the Papal Household, and that office asks for them by fax. There is no online booking form, which is why people who have not sent a fax in twenty years suddenly need one.

Include the date you want to attend, the number of people in your group, your full name, and an email or phone number for the reply. Send some weeks ahead. Take the fax number from the Prefecture's own current page, not from a travel forum, because old numbers circulate online for years.

Busy Lines and Early Closing

Two things catch people out. The lines are genuinely congested. Travellers report trying for several days and getting a busy signal each time. That is volume, not a wrong number, and a failed fax is refunded automatically here, so retrying costs nothing.

Vatican offices close early, often by 1pm or 2pm Rome time. Rome is six hours ahead of US Eastern for most of the year. From the Americas, send first thing in your morning to land inside their working day.

Send a fax to the Vatican, $2.99

Other Vatican Offices

The 06 698 exchange covers far more than audience tickets. The Vatican Museums take booking enquiries, and the congregations, the Governorate and Vatican News all sit on the same exchange. Whichever office you are writing to, the mechanics are identical: Italy, keep the zero, enter the full 06 698 number.

What It Costs

Italy is in our lowest tier, so a fax to any Vatican number is $2.99 for up to 3 pages, with extra pages at $0.99. An audience request is normally one page. There is no account and nothing that renews, and given how often those lines are busy, the automatic refund on failure matters here more than most places.

Why send it here

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If it cannot be delivered, the money goes back to your card without you asking.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Cost and what you get
What does it cost to fax the Vatican?
$2.99 for up to 3 pages, with extra pages at $0.99. Italy is our lowest tier and Vatican numbers are priced as Italy. No account and no subscription.
Is there a catch at $2.99 for a Vatican fax?
No catch and no upsell. Three pages, no account, no card kept on file, nothing that renews. If the fax cannot be delivered, which happens often on Vatican lines, the money goes back to your card automatically.
Can I fax the Vatican for free?
Free services almost never reach Italian numbers. Most limit you to US and Canada, cap you at three pages, and several print their own advertising across your cover page. On a request going to the Papal Household, that is not the impression to make.
Sending a fax
Do I select Italy or Vatican City when sending?
Italy. Vatican numbers are Italian numbers, so +39 routes them. Choose Italy from the list and enter the full number beginning 06698. There is no separate Vatican option because there does not need to be one.
How do I request papal audience tickets?
Requests go to the Prefecture of the Papal Household, and that office asks for them by fax. Include your requested date, group size, full name and a way to reply to you. Send some weeks ahead. Take the fax number from the Prefecture’s own current page.
Why do I keep getting a busy signal?
Because the lines genuinely are busy. Visitors report trying for several days and getting a busy signal each time. A failed fax is refunded automatically here, so trying again later costs nothing.
What time should I send a fax to the Vatican?
During Rome’s morning. Vatican offices often close by 1pm or 2pm local time, and Rome is six hours ahead of US Eastern for most of the year. From the Americas, send first thing in your morning.
Do I need an account to fax the Vatican?
No. Upload a PDF, select Italy, type the number beginning 06698, and pay. There is no sign-up, no password and no card kept on file.
Do I need a fax machine to do this?
No. Everything happens in your browser. Nothing to install, no phone line, and no account to create.
How far in advance should I send it?
Some weeks ahead. The Prefecture handles a very large volume and audiences fill up around Easter, Christmas and summer. Sending early also leaves room to retry if the line is busy.
Fax numbers and format
Why does the +379 country code not work for the Vatican?
Because although +379 is assigned to Vatican City, it is not used for public numbers. Vatican offices sit on the Italian network at +39 with Rome’s 06 area code and the 698 exchange. Dialling +379 in front of an 06 698 number will not connect.
Do I keep or drop the leading zero for a Vatican number?
Keep it. Italy is the one country in the world where the trunk zero stays when dialling from abroad, and that has been true since 1998. A number written 06 6988 5863 is entered as 0669885863.
What if the number I have is old?
Very likely, if you found it on a forum. Vatican contact details have changed over the years and old numbers circulate online indefinitely. Always take the number from the office’s own current official page.
Receiving a reply
Will I get a reply by fax?
Not necessarily. Give an email address and a phone number so the office can reach you the easiest way. If you specifically need a reply by fax, you need a number of your own, which our sister service GetAFax.com provides for $5 for 24 hours.
Is a fax confirmation proof my request was received?
It is proof the fax was transmitted and accepted by the receiving machine, with the destination, page count and exact time. It is not confirmation that the Prefecture has processed your request or allocated tickets. Keep it as a record of sending.
More questions
Is there an online form for papal audience tickets?
The Prefecture asks for requests by fax, which is why visitors end up needing a fax service for the first time in years. Check the Prefecture’s own page before assuming, since procedures can change, but fax has been the route for a long time.
What should I put in an audience request?
Your full name, the date you would like to attend, the number of people in your group, and an email or telephone number for the reply. Keep it to one page and write the month as a word so the date cannot be misread.
Can I fax the Vatican Museums?
Yes, and they sit on the same 06 698 exchange. Booking enquiries, group visits and press matters run through numbers in that range. The dialling rules are identical: Italy, keep the zero.
What if my fax to the Vatican does not go through?
You are refunded automatically and you get an email explaining what happened. Given how congested Vatican lines are, a first attempt failing is common. Wait an hour or two and send again.
Can I fax the Vatican from outside the United States?
Yes. OverseasFax runs entirely in a browser, so your own location makes no difference, and international payment cards work normally. The rules are the same wherever you send from.
What language should I write in?
Italian or English are both widely understood in Vatican offices, and English is routine with international visitors. Keep the wording simple and make the dates and numbers easy to pick out.
Is this an official Vatican service?
No. OverseasFax is an independent fax service with no connection to the Holy See. We explain how to reach Vatican fax numbers and we send the fax. Ticket allocation and procedures are entirely a matter for the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

Related Guides

📖 How to Fax to Italy Online, and the leading zero rule

📖 Faxing From or To a Hotel Abroad

📖 What an International Fax Costs

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