How do I set up call forwarding on Cosmote, Vodafone and Nova?
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With one code from your phone’s keypad. The codes are part of the GSM standard and work on every Greek network: *21*number# for all calls, *61* when you don’t answer, *67* when you’re on a call, *62* when the phone is off — and ##002# to clear them all at once. Vodafone and Nova publish them word for word on their support pages.
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Four kinds of forwarding, not one
Call forwarding sends the call somewhere else before you get the chance to answer it. But it is not one setting — it is four.
- Permanent (unconditional). Every call leaves immediately; your phone does not ring at all.
- When you don’t answer. It rings you first and leaves only once the time runs out.
- When you’re busy. You are already on a call and the second call is sent on.
- When the phone is off or out of coverage.
The last three are called “conditional”; they work at the same time, and each can point somewhere different. For a business, the useful ones are the two in the middle. You can set them to point at an AI call center for your business.
The codes: a GSM standard, the same everywhere
The codes are not each carrier’s own invention — they are part of the GSM standard, which is why they work the same on Cosmote, Vodafone and Nova. You type them on the dialling screen and press call: you are not calling anyone, you are sending a command to the network.
| What you want | Switch on | Switch off | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| All calls | *21*number# | #21# | *#21# |
| When you don’t answer | *61*number# | #61# | *#61# |
| When you’re busy | *67*number# | #67# | *#67# |
| Off or out of coverage | *62*number# | #62# | *#62# |
| All forwarding at once | — | ##002# | — |
You will also see them written with two asterisks: Vodafone writes *21*forwarding number#, Nova **21*Forwarding number#. Both forms work.
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What each carrier says
Vodafone
Vodafone’s support page publishes exactly these four codes, with #21#, #61#, #67# and #62# to switch off, and notes that ##002# clears them all at once. In detail, with the full table: call forwarding on Vodafone.
Nova
Nova publishes the same codes and adds two things. First, a check code for each type: *#62#, *#61#, *#67#, *#21#. Second, the timing: “when you don’t answer” forwarding kicks in at 20 seconds, and you set it yourself with **61*number*11*seconds# — in multiples of 5, up to 30. For landlines it writes that there is no monthly fee, but the call to the forwarding number may be charged. In detail, with the timings and the check codes: call forwarding on Nova.
Cosmote
COSMOTE — which is being renamed Telekom — has official articles on call forwarding from a mobile and from a landline in its help centre, which has moved to help.telekom.gr. The codes in the table are the GSM standard and apply here too. In detail, together with the voicemail trap: call forwarding on COSMOTE.
It does say two things itself, though. In its COSMOTE Mobile voicemail guide (COSMOTE Mobile Τηλεφωνητής): forwarding to voicemail is switched on automatically when you sign up — for all three conditional cases — and if COSMOTE has set it permanently, only customer service can remove it. And in OTE’s landline price list: forwarding is provided free of charge, but the charges for the forwarded leg are paid by whoever set it up.
How to check it really works
Two ways. The check code — *#21#, *#61#, *#67#, *#62# — tells you on screen whether that type is active and where it points. And the test that counts: call from another phone and let it ring to the end. If you hear voicemail instead of the line you expected, another forwarding rule is getting in ahead of yours.
The three points that confuse people
Voicemail gets there before your forwarding
The most common question, with a clear explanation: forwarding to voicemail may have been active since the first day of your line, without you ever setting it. Reset with ##002# and put back only what you want — and if the carrier has set it permanently, it takes a call to customer service.
The second leg of the call is charged
Switching it on costs nothing: on landlines, OTE provides it free of charge and Nova with no monthly fee. But the leg from your line to the forwarding number is paid by you. Check your price list before you forward hundreds of calls to a mobile.
Permanent forwarding hides the problem
With permanent forwarding your phone does not ring at all: if the destination number does not answer, you have lost the call without even seeing a missed call. Keep it for the hours when you are definitely closed. During those hours, for example, the line can end at an AI receptionist for your practice.
Where an AI receptionist fits in
Forwarding moves the call. It does not answer it. Someone has to pick up at the other end, otherwise you have moved the problem to a second voicemail. An AI answering agent, by contrast, talks with the caller, books appointments in your calendar and emails you after every call.
That is where the combination makes sense: “when you don’t answer” and “when you’re busy”, pointed at a line that always answers. If you get there in time, you pick up. If not, the call is answered instead of dropping into voicemail, and the request reaches you in writing. For after-hours calls it is the other way round: there, permanent forwarding is the right one.
That is what we are building at Parousa — an AI receptionist that answers in Greek and books appointments. We have not launched yet — there is a waiting list; your number stays the same, all that changes is where the call goes when you cannot get to it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between permanent forwarding and “when I don’t answer”?
Permanent forwarding sends every call somewhere else immediately and your phone does not ring. “When I don’t answer” rings you first and forwards only once the time runs out — on Nova, 20 seconds unless you set a different time.
Why do calls go to voicemail even though I set up forwarding?
Because forwarding to voicemail is most likely already active: COSMOTE writes that forwarding to voicemail is switched on automatically when you sign up. Clear everything with ##002# and put back only what you want; if the carrier has set it permanently, ask them to remove it.
Is call forwarding charged?
Switching it on, no: on landlines, OTE provides it free of charge and Nova writes that there is no monthly fee. The leg from your line to the forwarding number, however, is charged to you — except, on OTE, forwarding to a landline on its own network within the same local exchange. The charges in detail: what call forwarding costs.
How do I switch forwarding off?
Dial ##21# and press call to cancel permanent forwarding — and ##002# to cancel all forwarding at once. Step by step: how to remove call forwarding.
Want to be the first to know when Parousa launches?
Parousa is an AI phone reception service that speaks natural Greek, for any business in Greece that runs on appointments: it answers the phone, books appointments — from your own booking page too — sends confirmations and reminders by SMS or email, and shows you in plain numbers what your phone brings in. Join the waiting list and we’ll let you know as soon as the first spots open up.
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