UK Phone Number Regex for Go
/^(?:\+44|0)(?:\s|-)?(?:[1-9][0-9]{1,4})(?:\s|-)?(?:[0-9]{3,4})(?:\s|-)?(?:[0-9]{3,4})$/What this pattern does
This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching uk phone number, ported and verified for Go. A rigorously tested regex reduces debugging time and protects your application from edge-case failures. The snippet below is ready to drop into your Go project — whether you're validating in a Gin handler, a gRPC service, or a command-line tool.
Go Implementation
// UK Phone Number
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Localization > Phone Numbers
package validation
import "regexp"
var ukPhoneNumberRe = regexp.MustCompile(`^(?:\+44|0)(?:\s|-)?(?:[1-9][0-9]{1,4})(?:\s|-)?(?:[0-9]{3,4})(?:\s|-)?(?:[0-9]{3,4})$`)
func ValidateUkPhoneNumber(s string) bool {
return ukPhoneNumberRe.MatchString(s)
}
// Example
// fmt.Println(ValidateUkPhoneNumber("+44 20 7946 0958")) // trueTest Cases
Matches (Valid) | Rejects (Invalid) |
|---|---|
+44 20 7946 0958 | +1 20 7946 0958 |
020 7946 0958 | 44 20 7946 0958 |
+447911123456 | +44 (0) 20 7946 |
07911 123456 | — |
0800 123 456 | — |
020-7946-095 | — |
When to use this pattern
This pattern is drawn from the Localization > Phone Numbers category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for Go developers because Go's RE2 engine is inherently safe from catastrophic backtracking, but this pattern has been additionally verified for correctness. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.
Common Pitfalls
UK numbers vary in length depending on area code — London has an 8-digit local number, while rural areas may have 7 or even 6. This variability makes regex validation approximate at best.
Technical Notes
UK uses a complex numbering plan. 020 = London, 0161 = Manchester, 07xxx = mobile, 0800 = freephone, 01xxx/02xxx = geographic. The (0) is sometimes shown in international format (+44 (0)20...) but not dialed.
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