To get a Colombian phone number as a foreigner, buy a prepaid SIM or eSIM from Claro or Tigo with your passport. Then register the line in your name and register your phone’s IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) within 20 calendar days of the operator’s SMS. At Colombia Desk, we help foreign buyers and new residents set up a local line.
Since September 1, 2025, Colombian operators must collect your document type, number and issue date before they activate a prepaid line. You do not need Colombian citizenship or a resident ID for a prepaid line, but an unregistered phone gets blocked on every Colombian network.
How to Get a Colombian Phone Number, Step by Step
The process follows six sequential steps:
- Select an operator and purchase a line. Buy a prepaid physical SIM or an eSIM from Claro Colombia or Tigo Colombia, in a store or on the operator’s website. Movistar Colombia’s eSIM page now says that Movistar is Tigo (“Movistar ahora es Tigo”). To compare Claro, Tigo and Movistar on coverage first, see which carrier to pick for a Colombian number.
- Provide your identification data before activation. Since September 1, 2025, operators cannot activate a prepaid line until they collect your document type, number and issue date. The rule is Article 2.1.3.3 of Resolución CRC 5050 de 2016, added by Resolución CRC 7684 de 2025. Foreigners are legally permitted to use a valid passport. For foreign passports, the operator registers the data at activation and retains the authority to verify it later.
- Insert the SIM or install your digital profile. If you purchased a physical card, put the SIM in your phone. If you bought Tigo’s international prepaid eSIM, Tigo emails you a QR code to install it. On an iPhone, Tigo’s international eSIM activation page says to go to Settings > Cellular > Add Cellular Plan. On a Samsung phone, go to Settings > Connections > SIM card manager. Tigo notes that the QR code cannot be resent or reinstalled if you delete it.
- Register the prepaid line in your name. Your line must link to your identity. On Tigo, dial
*322from the phone with the Tigo SIM in it. You can also register on Tigo’s prepaid page with your document type, number and issue date, as Tigo’s prepaid registration guide explains. - Register your phone’s IMEI with the operator. If you bring a phone from abroad, register its 15-digit IMEI with the operator whose SIM you use. If you skip this step, the operator blocks the phone on every Colombian network 20 calendar days after its warning SMS. Claro registers phones on WhatsApp at
311 200 0000or by dialing*233#, and Tigo registers them in Mi Tigo. - Keep the line active. Claro’s published prepaid terms say a Claro prepaid line with no activity (“movimientos”) for 60 days can be deactivated.
| Step | Action Required | Required Document | Primary Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2. Purchase and ID | Buy the SIM or eSIM and give document type, number and issue date | Foreign passport or resident ID | Store or carrier website |
| 4. Line Registration | Link cellular telephone number to your identity | Passport or cédula data | Carrier shortcode (such as *322 on Tigo) or carrier web portal |
| 5. IMEI Registration | Register the phone’s 15-digit IMEI number | Active local SIM inside handset | Carrier WhatsApp, self-service app, or web menu |
Prices of Prepaid Packages and Data Plans
As of October 18, 2026, Colombian prepaid packages start at COP 9,000 at Tigo and COP 11,000 at Claro, and prices change often.
As of October 18, 2026, Claro’s prepaid portal advertises “Todo incluido” bundles with unlimited voice minutes to all destinations, unlimited Short Message Service (SMS) text messages, and, on most packages, data for WhatsApp, Facebook and X:
- 7 days validity with 2 gigabytes (GB) of data: COP 11,000.
- 10 days validity with 3.5 GB of data: COP 15,000.
- 15 days validity with 20 GB of data: COP 25,000.
- 30 days validity with 12 GB of data: COP 35,000.
- 30 days validity with 18 GB of data: COP 45,000.
- 30 days validity with 12 GB of data, Amazon Prime included: COP 49,000.
Claro’s prepaid FAQ says you get triple the included data when you buy a package through Claro’s digital channels. Claro account recharges can range from COP 1,000 to COP 100,000.
If you already have a Claro line, Claro’s eSIM service documentation says switching it to an eSIM costs nothing (“no tiene ningún costo”). You make the switch in the Mi Claro app with a one-time password and facial validation, or in person at a Claro CAV store.
On Tigo’s prepaid product page as of October 18, 2026, prepaid package prices start at COP 9,000, with an advertised monthly special providing 20 GB of data for 20 days at COP 20,000. Tigo doubles the data when you buy the SIM or eSIM on that page.
Additionally, Tigo’s international prepaid store sells an “eSIM Prepago Datos Ilimitados” plan that you buy and activate online. This package costs COP 100,000 (Tigo shows this as about USD 25, marked as indicative) for 30 days of service. It includes unlimited local mobile voice calls within Colombia, along with data access that includes WhatsApp and Facebook. To use this service, your device must be carrier-unlocked and compatible with digital eSIMs. You can verify device compatibility by dialing *#06# on your phone keypad to confirm that an EID appears on the screen.
On Movistar’s eSIM page, pricing for prepaid and postpaid eSIMs is listed as starting from COP 20,000 (“Desde $20.000”). You can buy the line online or at a Movistar experience center and activate it with a QR code sent by email. The eSIM cannot be moved to another phone.
Prepaid and Postpaid Lines for Foreigners
Foreigners can activate a prepaid line with a valid passport. The rule is Numeral 2.1.3.3.4 of Resolución CRC 5050 de 2016. Operators also cannot register a prepaid line in the name of a reseller who buys SIMs to resell them, so every prepaid line has to carry the end user’s own document data. If your document data do not match, the operator cannot activate the line and you have to start over.
If you want a postpaid plan instead, ask Claro or Tigo staff in a store which documents they accept from foreigners before you apply.
Mandatory IMEI Registration Rules and Deadlines
A phone from abroad that runs on a Colombian SIM must be in the national IMEI database, or the operator blocks the handset.
If you bring a phone from abroad, you register its IMEI yourself with the operator whose SIM you use. That rule is Article 2.7.3.4 of Resolución CRC 5050 de 2016, as amended by Resolución CRC 7811 de 2025 from October 1, 2025. Devices brought through commercial importation undergo registration during formal customs processing under Decreto 2025 de 2015. The CRC repeated this split in Concepto Radicado 2026809186 on June 16, 2026.
Registration for a phone bought abroad works in five steps:
- The operator’s active SIM card must be inserted inside the mobile phone you wish to register.
- You prove the line is yours through the operator’s records or with a one-time code sent by SMS to that line.
- The operator detects the phone’s IMEI on its network and shows it to you.
- You confirm the detected IMEI.
- The operator confirms successful registration in the national database.
If an operator finds an IMEI on its network that is not in the national positive database, it must send you an SMS within two calendar days. That rule is Numeral 2.7.3.12.4.1 of Resolución CRC 5050 de 2016. The SMS gives you 20 calendar days to register the phone. Throughout that 20-day grace period, the operator may deliver reminders using flash SMS alerts, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) push notifications, interactive voice response routing, or direct phone calls.
If you fail to register the device within that 20-day timeframe, Numeral 2.7.3.12.4.3 dictates that the operator must enter the phone’s IMEI into the national negative database under the status “No registrado” (unregistered). Once added to the negative database, the physical handset is blocked from connecting to any cellular network in Colombia, although your SIM card and underlying mobile line number remain active.
A handset blocked for non-registration can be restored. Once you register the phone, the operator that reported it has at most 60 continuous hours to remove the IMEI from the negative database. That rule is Article 2.7.3.14 of Resolución CRC 5050 de 2016. The other operators’ negative databases must then drop the block within 25 minutes. Devices blocked for fraudulent or tampered hardware identifiers (“inválido”) cannot be unblocked.
Foreign device owners no longer face handset rejection based on equipment homologation. In an official communication issued on December 17, 2025, the CRC clarified that Resolución CRC 7811 de 2025 repealed blocking for unhomologated equipment (“No Homologado”) effective October 1, 2025. The CRC told Claro it may not refuse to register a phone because the model is not homologated. Claro also must not send SMS warnings that such phones will be blocked. The blocking types now in force are theft, loss, invalid, duplicate, unregistered, administrative theft and “reincidente”, for an IMEI that reappears after removal.
Device registration is entirely free of charge, as confirmed in administrative guidance published by the Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones (MinTIC). MinTIC guidance notes that dual-SIM mobile devices contain two separate IMEI numbers, which require individual registration if you insert SIM cards from two different local providers. If you keep your foreign home SIM card in the phone and use international roaming services, MinTIC’s equipment control module says phones on international roaming are exempt from traveler IMEI registration.
To register with Claro on WhatsApp, message 311 200 0000 and choose “Otras opciones”, then “Registra tu equipo”, as Claro’s WhatsApp support page explains. Alternatively, Claro’s device registration portal notes you can dial *233# from your handset keypad or submit your identification details in the Mi Claro mobile application under “Gestiona tu equipo”.
To register with Tigo, log in to Mi Tigo, go to “Servicios” > “Consulta tus dispositivos” and select “REGISTRAR”, then enter the code Tigo sends you by SMS. Tigo’s mobile device guide also says the Tigo SIM must be in the phone and the line must be in your name. You can also visit any physical Tigo storefront.
To check whether a used or foreign phone is blocked in Colombia, enter its 15-digit IMEI (dial *#06# to see it) at Consulta Pública IMEI Colombia. The free lookup shows whether the phone is on the negative database, which operator reported it and why. It does not confirm a positive registration. To get a listed phone unblocked, go to the operator that filed the report.
Dialing and Colombia Phone Number Format
Every Colombian mobile phone number contains exactly 10 digits, as established under unified numbering rules published by the Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones. Mobile lines frequently begin with prefixes such as 300, 310, or 333.
In Concepto Radicado 2026707363 signed on May 28, 2026, the CRC confirmed that numbers starting with 333 are valid Colombian mobile numbering. Some websites and forms still reject them. If a site rejects your 333 number, contact that site. The CRC said the fault lies in the site’s own validation, and the CRC cannot order the site to fix it.
Dialing inside Colombia has followed these rules since December 1, 2021, as detailed in CRC public announcements on unified dialing:
- Calling a mobile line from another mobile line: Dial the 10-digit mobile number directly.
- Calling a landline from a mobile phone: Dial
60, followed by the region code, followed by the local landline number. - Calling a mobile line from a domestic landline: Dial the 10-digit mobile number directly, without adding legacy prefixes such as
03. - Calling a Colombian mobile phone from abroad: Enter your international exit code or dial
+, followed by Colombia’s country calling code57, followed directly by the 10-digit mobile number (for example,+57 300 000 0000). - Calling a Colombian landline from abroad: Dial
+57, followed by60, followed by the regional code, followed by the local landline number.
Using Your Colombian Number to Open Nequi
Nequi, the Colombian mobile payments app, needs a line from a Colombian operator, but a foreigner also needs a resident ID to open an account.
Nequi also requires facial recognition, and you must be over 18.
A foreign passport is not accepted, so a tourist cannot open a Nequi account. Under Nequi’s foreign account policies, foreign nationals must be legally resident in Colombia and possess a valid foreign resident identity card (cédula de extranjería, or CE). Venezuelan nationals may alternatively present a Permiso por Protección Temporal (PPT) or Permiso Especial de Permanencia (PEP).
If you are applying for residency, our guide to getting a cédula de extranjería in Colombia covers the steps. For bank requirements and how property buyers pay, see our guide to opening a bank account in Colombia as a foreigner.
Short Visits and Roaming Alternatives
If you only need data for a short visit, you may not need a Colombian number. As of October 18, 2026, T-Mobile’s Colombia roaming page lists calls at $0.50 a minute on postpaid plans, and Verizon TravelPass costs $12 a day per device in Colombia. Our best eSIM for Colombia comparison sets travel eSIMs against a local Claro or Tigo SIM, and our guide on whether your phone will work in Colombia covers US carrier roaming.
If you are moving to Colombia or buying property here and want help setting up your line and the rest of the move, contact us or see our relocation concierge.