How do you get a mobile phone plan in Colombia in 2026?

Claro, Movistar, and Tigo dominate consumer SIMs across Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Cartagena. WOM appears in some Andean metros with thinner rural reach. For prepaid (prepago), walk into an official carrier store or authorised mall desk with your physical passport. Staff register the line to your passport under Colombia’s SIM identity rules, insert the chip, and sell a starter data pack. Budget about fifteen minutes when the queue is calm.

Airport kiosks at El Dorado (Bogotá) and José María Córdova (Medellín) work on landing day at a mild convenience premium. Éxito and similar electronics counters can sell kits, yet activation still needs a desk that can finish registration. Street tienda chips often fail foreigner activation. International travel eSIMs may give data without a Colombian number, which is useless for Bancolombia or Nequi OTP habits later: Open a bank account.

Postpaid (pospago) plans usually want a Cédula de Extranjería, address proof, and often a Colombian bank debit for auto-pay: Get a Cédula de Extranjería. Hold prepaid until that card exists, then compare Claro coverage against Movistar or Tigo city pricing. Keep the same number once banking and lease chats depend on it: How to rent a home.

Top up through official carrier apps or authorised stores. Screenshot payment confirmations. Pair the phone with building fibre so client calls survive a home outage: Utilities, internet, and transport. Spanish-first counter talk is normal outside tourist malls: Spanish bureaucracy without Spanish. Residence status still sits beside the SIM story: Apply for a residence permit.