In this hyper-connected world, I imagine you’re wondering whether you’ll be able to use your cell phone and have an internet connection in Colombia.
The answer is YES. Colombia is no exception to the modern world.
Here’s our practical guide to communicating in Colombia, where we give you all the practical information and advice you need to call your loved ones in France, contact Colombians in the country or access the Internet on your next trip to Colombia.
One thing’s for sure: having a local SIM in Colombia is super-practical if you want to search the Internet at any time, or simply find your way around using Google Map or another GPS device.
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Buying a SIM card in Colombia
USING YOUR CELL PHONE IN COLOMBIA
The best way to have Internet access everywhere, and to be able to make calls if necessary, is undoubtedly to buy a local SIM card from Colombian telephone operators. The best-known are : Movistar, Claro, Tigo.
Which provider to choose?
We always choose Claro, because it’s the provider with the best coverage in the country. We also recommend it. No contract or anything, the idea is to take a prepaid plan that you credit as you need it.
The SIM costs between $3.000 and $6.000 pesos, then you choose your prepaid plan, which will include minutes for calling, GB for surfing the web, and unlimited use of Facebook, Twitter and especially WhatsApp. That way, you don’t have to worry about staying connected. There are many different plans, running for different lengths of time.
How much does a phone plan cost in Colombia?
Basically, it depends on 3 main factors:
- the duration of the plan
- the amount of Internet data
- the number of minutes
To give you an idea, a plan valid for 20 days, with 7,5 GB of internet, and unlimited SMS, Facebook, X (Twitter) and WhatsApp calls costs $21.500 COP.
If you’d like to be able to surf the web more freely, there are also plans with up to 80 GB of internet, priced at up to $100.000 COP, and valid for up to 30 days. The choice is yours, depending on your needs.
Here are some examples of CLARO prepaid plans (JULY 2024)
Where to buy a local SIM in Colombia
You can buy a SIM directly from Claro or other operators’ stores, which can be found in every shopping mall in major cities, and often have points of sale in supermarkets. But you can also buy a local SIM by going into any telephone accessory store – just look at the entrance, where the telephone operator logos are always displayed.
Top-ups can be found all over the country, and you can ask for them at supermarket checkouts, pharmacies, kiosks and so on. Don’t hesitate to ask the locals where to buy them.
Important things to know about buying a local SIM in Colombia
- Have an unlocked phone: above all, make sure you have unlocked your phone so that it can accept SIM cards from any operator.
- Have an identity document: You’ll need your identity document to visit one of the Colombian telephone operators’ stores.
PHONE REGISTRATION
It seems that some of you are having problems with your phones being blocked because they are “unregistered”. This doesn’t happen every time, but there are two ways to avoid it:
- Ask the seller to register your phone at the time of SIM purchase, using your IMEI and passport.
- Ask the seller which document number he has associated with your phone, so that you can register it on the Claro application yourself. Please note that this number is made up of numbers only, so if the seller has used your passport, it will only be the numbers in your passport.
How do I make a phone call in Colombia?
The country code for Colombia is +57 (0057), so if you need to call for information before your trip.
To call once you’re in Colombia
- From landline to cell phone : enter the cell phone number as usual, starting with 315, 302, 310, or 300 depending on the operator
- From mobile to landline : enter 60, the city code and the phone number. For example, for Bogota: 601, for Medellin 604, for Cartagena 605.
- For calls to another country, we recommend using the WhatsApp application. In case you need to do a traditional call you’ll have to dial your country code before.
USEFUL VOCABULARY
Cell phone: Celular
Provider : Operador
Prepaid Sim Card : Plan Prepago
Refill : Recarga para celular
Internet data: Paquete de datos
Refill minutes: Paquete de minutos
Register phone: Registrar el telefono
Passport number: numero de pasaporte
Using Whatsapp in Colombia
THE MOST USEFUL APPLICATION FOR COMMUNICATING IN COLOMBIA
The Whatsapp mobile application comes in very handy when traveling abroad. You’re probably familiar with it, but for those who aren’t, it’s an application that lets you send messages and make calls.
Whatsapp works with a simple Internet connection, so there’s no need for a telephone network. Above all, in Colombia, all operators offer packages that include unlimited Whatsapp, so it’s the best way to communicate “for free” in Colombia.
- To communicate with your family
In our opinion, this is the most efficient and economical way to stay in touch with family and friends.
- To communicate with Colombians
In Colombia, this application is widely used, so the first thing a Colombian will do to keep in touch with you is to give you his Whatsapp number (which is actually his phone number).
Whastapp is also very useful for reservations and the like, as it’s common to use Whatsapp to contact businesses, hotels, tour operators, guides, restaurants and so on. Customer services in particular can often be reached by this means.
WHATSAPP, HOW DOES IT WORK?
- Download WhatsApp onto your smartphone
- The application synchronizes your contacts and displays in the application those who already have the app
- To communicate with someone, that person must also have WhatsApp
- You can “add” a WhatsApp contact to be able to communicate with them
- Open the application, search for a contact and start a conversation (send text or audio messages, make video or audio calls like on a phone)
Internet in Colombia
HOW EASY IS IT TO ACCESS THE INTERNET?
As we said above, 3G and 4G network coverage is pretty good in Colombia. If you buy a local SIM card, you’ll be able to access the Internet (datos) on your phone.
Internet access
It’s easy to access the Internet in any city in the country. Large cities benefit from stable networks. Connections in medium-sized and small towns are also relatively easy.
Most hotels, hostales and posadas throughout Colombia have a wi-fi network available to their guests, usually free of charge. Don’t worry, you’re saved!
In rural areas
That said, in the most rural areas, in the jungle or the mountains, staying connected can prove more complicated.
Indeed, these regions are often poor and underdeveloped, access roads not always excellent, access to electricity sometimes difficult, and so it’s easy to imagine that the Internet isn’t necessarily accessible. That said, beware, because if the Internet network is lacking, the mobile network can sometimes be present in some of the most remote areas.
After that, a break from the world can do no harm! Nature is there to fill you with energy!
How to call if you don’t have a cell phone
CELL PHONE LENDING AROUND THE CORNER
If you don’t have a cell phone available, or you’ve run out of credit and need to make a quick call when you’re on the street, it’s perfectly possible to do just that.
Selling “minutos
On street corners or in town squares, you’ll often find posts with the sign ” Minutos”, which means you can use a cell phone and only pay for the minutes you use. The price per minute is often between $200 and $300 COP. Does this make you smile? yes, it’s a perfect example of the resourcefulness of Colombians.
Call centers
When we say “call center”, it could be any store with “minutos” written on the window or sign. They’re often stationery stores where you can buy lots of different things and have two or three landline telephones at your disposal.
Which is very practical: you ask to be allowed to call your destination, they’ll direct you to a phone and you’ll pay an amount according to the time spent on the call. If you wish, you can ask in advance for the price of a minute’s call, but in any case, don’t worry, it won’t cost you too much.
Bonjour Angélica & Samuel !
I am really happy to have found you. I will continue to explore your site. I have so many questions about Colombia and want to visit.
I have a question about “minutos”. Are such calls, using a borrowed phone, anonymous?
Or do you have to provide ID to use this service?
I would really like to know where you are based in Colombia.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Diane
Hello Diane, Minutos is really a street service that you would use with the phone provided by the street vendor, it’s really a “If really needed” way of make a call. But we do recommend to buy a local SIM card (Claro is best in our opinion) with calls and internet included and use your own phone.
Hello, thank you for these valuable tips! We’re going to Colombia in April, and to avoid phone worries and attracting bad looks on our iphones, we’re thinking of buying both a local SIM as recommended above but also a phone! Is it possible to buy a prepaid global sim phone, or is it better to take a second phone from France?
Hi Fabien,
I don’t know if these offers exist, but if you already have another phone in France you might as well bring it with you.
Honestly, though, everyone has iPhones in Colombia, so if you don’t have a super-recent iPhone, it should be fine. You just have to be careful and follow the basic rules like everywhere else. Be especially careful on public transport, don’t keep them in your pockets.
Have a good trip 🙂
Hello and thank you for your good information. On my last trip, Claro (the same for Tigo) demanded the bill for my phone (which I no longer have and bought second-hand) in order to register the card on my phone and load it with data. The passport wasn’t enough. A local had to vouch for me with his ID so that my card could be activated on my phone. It seems to be a recent measure. It’s a nightmare because you have to find the right Claro or Tigo offices, the bigger ones, in the big cities, and open when you arrive, to proceed. Smaller offices sell the cards but don’t activate them. Do you have simpler, safer and less time-consuming solutions? Thank you
Hello,
If I buy a Colombian SIM card, will I still be able to connect to my French whattapps? Or will it be a new whattapps from the Colombian number?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Laura, yes, you can keep your French number on WhatsApp. In any case, on our iPhone, when we put the Colombian SIM on the phone, it asks us if we want to associate the Colombian number with our account. If we accept, everything changes and WhatsApp is set to the new Colombian number. But if we refuse, then we get the French number on WhatsApp and phone calls and SMS with the Colombian number.
Thank you for your reply!
I’d like to take this opportunity to ask another question on this subject.
I bought a claro card.
But I can’t find the info about “whattapps unlimited”: is it free if I send photos/videos via whattapps? Is it just messages and calls that are unlimited? Or are the megabytes for videos still deducted from the phone package?
Thanks a lot! And thanks for this blog, which helps me every day!
Everything you do with WhatsApp is included (call, text, image, video, etc.)
Hello and thank you for all this interesting information! I have a question: on my last trip to Colombia I used a 15-day prepaid plan and a Claro SIM card, which I kept. 7 months later, can I top up my SIM card for 17 days and buy the plan in France online on Claro before leaving so that I can use my phone in Colombia when I get off the plane this time? Thank you
Hi, thanks for your message 🙂 No unfortunately unused SIM cards are deactivated. The solution would have been to charge it like 2000 pesos a month to keep it active until the next trip and be able to reuse it…
Thank you, this information will save me a lot of time…I wonder if I can find a “claro” open in Bogota if my plane arrives in the evening around 8pm; it’s the eternal problem…how to communicate even by WhatsApp without public internet on the evening you arrive…that’s why you should always spend the first night in Bogota, just so you can pick up a rental car the next morning.
Hello, yes, you may be able to find points to buy a SIM but at retailers … then you can communicate from the airport wifi for urgent stuff. If not, go back to your hotel. Yes, it’s better to stay the first night in Bogota.
By any chance, do you know a place where I can buy the SIM card and the Claro package as soon as possible around El Dorado airport, where I’m thinking of spending the 1st night, so that I can pick up my rental car as early as possible in the morning. Because the Claro at the airport doesn’t open until 10:00 a.m. and I remember I had a hard time in Bogotá finding 1 Claro store last time (plus they had 1 computer incident, and a long queue)…. and I need the Claro package to drive with the smartphone’s GPS app…Thanks for your valuable advice!
Hello, We’ve just seen that there are several stores at the airport that sell them: Tech Port at T1 – Terminal 1 which opens at 6am or Sim Market also at T1 and open at 6am 😉
Thank you for all your articles!
I would like to know if we can keep our French package or if it is better to take a local SIM card? What’s the difference?
Merci pour votre réponse!
Sarah
Hi, as explained in the article, as far as we know, no French operator currently includes Colombia in its international packages, so yes, it is necessary to buy a local SIM. What’s the difference? If you keep your French SIM, you’ll pay a fortune in extra charges!
Hello and thank you for this information!
My request is a bit specific but you never know. Do you know if there is a store at Armenia airport where you can buy a sim card? My arrival in Bogota being too late, the stores will already be closed so I hope to find some when I arrive in Armenia..
Thank you 😊
At Armenia airport it’s not safe, if you’re in Colombia for a short time you can go to any store, but if you’re staying a few months then it’s better to go to a Claro store or another operator.
Hello,
First of all, thank you for all this very useful information. I have a trip to Colombia for the end of the year and I’m hesitating between buying a SIM card from Claro/Movistar or buying one in advance in France, for example HolaFly which someone recommended to me (as it has more GB). The HolaFly card is only a data card, so no phone number is included. What do you think? Should I give priority to data? Or would having a number be essential?
Thank you!
Hello Natalia,
Thanks for your comment! Regarding your question, THE difference will be the price! For about 10 euros with Claro for example you’ll get 2GB of data, whatsapp, facebook, twitter unlimited minutes if you need to call (you never know) for 1 month. If you ever need more data, you can top up just that too. That’s how we do it, it’s very simple and it works very well, and above all it’s more economical. We looked at HolaFly’s rates and they’re very expensive. That’s what we can tell you. 🙂
Hello,
Thank you so much for this wonderful blog which is so useful for us to prepare our trip to Colombia in March
I am looking at the Claro “planes” and would like to know the difference between the “Paquete Todo Incluido Suscripción” and the “Paquete Todo Incluido”
What does Suscripción mean in this case, please?
Thank you very much
Have a nice day!
Hi, we answered you elsewhere, sorry again we were at the bottom of the Choco without bcp of connection, we answer you here for the other readers in case it can be useful: “suscripcion” means that you will take a subscription to the month what would be useful to you only if you live in Colombia.
Here’s a follow-up to my messages of January 24 and 25. To avoid the phone being blocked, we went to a Movistar store to explain our problem. The employee filled out a new phone registration form for us. Our form had been rejected the first time because we had entered our Canadian passport number containing numbers and letters, whereas the Movistar system only accepts numbers. The employee wrote down only the 6 digits of the passport number, and three days later we received a text message from Movistar saying that everything was in order. In our case, therefore, there was no need to enter a false Colombian identity number when purchasing the bike. All we had to do was register online, giving only the digits of the passport number. I’m glad this problem has been solved!
Oh great! Thanks for the info, we’ll update the article, which may be useful for future articles 😉
Hello Angelica and Samuel,
Thank you for your quick reply. I bought the SIM card and prepaid plan from an official Movistar store. On the expat.com forum of October 2018, SteveRusso explains the problem we encountered and gives the solution to avoid it. We saw his text too late and are looking for an alternative solution, so we don’t end up with a blocked phone. I’ll let you know if I find it.
Marie, we saw the message on the forum, the principle of the “false Colombian identity number” we’ve never heard of, but it may be the case, anything is possible in Colombia 😉 That said, it would seem that this problem occurs on certain brands of phones and not others. It also seems that the seller himself can register the phone at the time of purchase of the SIM, in our memories at least once that’s what happened. In any case, the best solution is to go to a Movistar store and talk to a sales assistant so that they can find a solution for you. Keep us posted and we’ll update our article on the subject.
Hello,
Merci pour ces informations. We are from Quebec and will be in Colombia for three months. We bought a Movistar prepaid plan with SIM card, data and phone calls at a Movistar center. Everything worked fine, but four days after the purchase, we received a text message from Movistar saying that our device was not registered and that it would be blocked in 20 days. We filled in the internet form to register our device (the purpose of registration is to prevent phone theft?). Among other things, the form asks for our “document” number, and I entered my Canadian passport number. Movistar replies that this document is unknown. On another forum, we read that when purchasing the SIM card and prepaid package, the seller must enter a fictitious COLOMBIAN identity number. This is the number that must be entered when Movistar asks us to register our phone
Our problem is that the seller never gave us a fictitious number. My question is this: if we buy another SIM card and prepaid plan before the 20-day deadline, and then register the fictitious number that we’ll require from the seller this time, will the phone still be blocked?
Hi Marie, sorry we won’t be able to help you much, we’ve heard about this kind of problem but it’s never happened to us… we did the procedure at movistar in a fictitious way to see the form and there is indeed the possibility of putting a passport number. So it is possible to buy a SIM card by giving your passport number at the time of purchase. So in your case, we wonder if the most logical thing would be for the seller not to have entered your passport number on your contract? After all, we always go through Claro, and we’ve bought cards in different contexts: in an official Claro store, where we were made to sign a real contract, with ID, etc., and in the little tiendas that are open to the public. And in the little tiendas that sell everything with phone company logos in front, where you’re asked for almost nothing, you sign nothing, and you leave with your SIM. In our case, we didn’t have this problem, but maybe that’s where it comes from all the same? We’re sorry we can’t help you more, but if you ever find the solution, we’d be interested to hear how you got on. Keep us posted and enjoy the rest of your trip! 🙂
Hello,
I love your blog, it’s complete, beautiful… very well done. I don’t know much about Colombia, when I go there it’s mostly to see the family because yes I’m half Colombian. I’m going there in December to introduce them to my 7-year-old daughter. I’m French and so is my husband. He decided not to come. So I’m traveling alone with my daughter. I tried to find out from the Colombian embassy in Paris whether I needed an authorization from my father to travel with my daughter. I’ve had no answer. Do you have any information on this? And I’d like to thank you for conveying such a healthy and happy image of Colombia, it’s so good! To finish this reading
https://www.puf.com/content/La_Colombie
Hello!
First of all, a big THANK YOU for your comment! It makes us very happy and encourages us a lot! Being Colombian myself, it was our goal to convey a new and beautiful image of Colombia 🙂 Concerning your question, and your daughter being a minor, it seems to me that yes, you must have authorization from the father. Even if you want to leave France, check with the French authorities… The information you get from the Colombian cancilleria is about minors leaving Colombia, so I think you need to check with the French authorities..
bonjour merci de votre réponse que me conseillez vous alors .a bientôt
Hello, we’re not sure we’ve understood your request, but if it’s about leaving the country with a minor child, we advise you to contact your prefecture to find out how to obtain a parental authorization to leave the country.
Hello,
I have a quick question about the claro package you’re talking about. I’d like to know if you can make calls and/or video calls on Whatapps with this package or if it’s only texting? Can you send photos?
Thanks in advance
Hello,
Yes, you can use whatsapp unlimited with the packages. This includes messages with or without photos, calls and so on.
It’s very practical 😉
bonjour merci pour vos informations precieuses.je suis en train d’organiser avec deux amis un voyage en colombie avec seulement un bagage cabine pour nous pouvoir de déplacer facilement.nous partons du 27 decembre au 10 janvier .2 nuits a bogota ,4 nuits a carthagene pour le jour de lan.Ensuite 2 nuits a isla del rosario et 4 nuit a palomino.que pensez de ce programme.tout les logements sont reserve via airbnb.si il ya des conseils que vous pouvez me donner .je suis preneur .merci a bientot.
Hi Stéphane, we’d say that it’s a shame to limit your trip to Colombia to the Caribbean coast, and we’d also say that you should be careful with your expectations, as Cartagena, Isla Rosario and Palomino are three very touristy destinations, and we’d advise you to go and discover at least one destination that’s a little less crowded to get a feel for what Colombia is really like… we’ve got plenty of articles to inspire you on the blog, so don’t hesitate 😉
Great article. I can see that you liked my country. It’s good that people are finally taking an interest and discovering the pros of our culture. Bravo and thank you
From a Colombian expatriate.
Thank you! Angélica is Colombian 😉 And yes, I think Colombia is a beautiful country and with this blog we try to show it as well as possible 🙂
Hello,
If I ever bring an old cell phone, which is deactivated – therefore, without a phone number -, by buying a Colombian SIM card, I ask to see a Colombian phone number on the spot? I’ll be gone for 22 days (but it’ll be a full 20 days), so I’ll take a 20-day package. However, as I’ll be making so-called international calls/texts, it’s likely to cost me more … isn’t it? With a Colombian number, getting whatsapp might be a bit more complicated for me … Also, if I want to call from a Colombian # in Canada, do you know what I have to do (00?) before calling Montreal (1-514)
Welll thank you!
Hello Eric,
Thanks for your comment. Regarding your question, I think the important thing is that the phone is unlocked, not that it’s deactivated. When you buy your Colombian SIM, you’ll automatically get a Colombian number.
As we explain in the article, even prepaid plans all include access to social networks and WhatsApp. So no, it won’t be complicated, unless your phone is really old and you won’t be able to install Whatsapp on it. If you need to make international calls, Whatsapp is probably best. If you don’t have it, as we advise in the article, the best thing is to look for call centers, which will be the cheapest. To call Canada, yes, you have to dial 00 before calling.
Thanks for your article. It will really help me on my next trip to Colombia. I didn’t know that I had to follow all these steps to be able to use the “WhatsApp” application.
WhatsApp is really useful in Colombia, you’ll see that you’ll thank us! And don’t worry, it’s not that complicated to use 😉