SIM cards and eSIM in Chile
SIM cards and eSIM in ChileWhich carriers matter, what buying a SIM involves, and when an eSIM is the smarter move.
Mobile internet eSIM Best option when traveling
Guac
RecommendedReliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
Airalo
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Holafly
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
Buying a local SIM card ID registration required
- Every prepaid SIM must be registered with a valid passport, and in practice you also provide a photo of the passport plus a selfie so staff can match your face to it. At a proper carrier shop the whole thing takes around 10 to 20 minutes, and no Chilean ID or bank account is needed. Separately, if you use a Chilean SIM for more than 30 days you are supposed to register your foreign phone's IMEI at registratuimei.cl; roaming or WiFi-only use is exempt.
- In Santiago, head for carrier shops in the big malls (Costanera Center, Parque Arauco, Mall Plaza) or downtown on Huerfanos and Ahumada; Cruz Verde and Salcobrand pharmacies sell Entel and Claro, and Lider supermarkets sell Entel. Do not count on the airport: recent reports disagree on whether any official carrier shop operates at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benitez airport, so sort your connectivity out in the city or before you land.
- Chilean carriers do offer eSIM, but a local eSIM needs the same passport-and-selfie registration and likely faces the same store reluctance. A travel eSIM installed before arrival sidesteps the refusals entirely, which is why even travelers who tried the local route recommend having one; a local plan is far cheaper if you manage to get it.
Chilean stores may simply refuse to sell a prepaid SIM on a foreign passport, and this is common enough to plan around: recent travelers report Entel shops declining outright and needing several Movistar branches before one agreed, after which the sale itself took minutes. Try Movistar first, expect refusals, and carry a travel eSIM as a fallback. Also note that 2G and 3G are being shut down across all four carriers, so an older handset may fail, and if an online form demands a RUT (Chilean tax number), entering nine 9s is the standard workaround.
Local carriers
Entel
The widest geographic coverage and the local pick for the Atacama in the north and Patagonia in the south. Its stores are, however, the most likely to turn tourists away.
Movistar
The fastest network in recent rankings, strong in Santiago and along the central coast around Valparaiso. In practice the carrier most likely to actually sell a tourist a SIM.
WOM
Aggressive on price and first with 5G in Santiago, but rural coverage lags. Fine for a city trip only.
Claro
The smallest of the four networks. Workable in Santiago, but not the pick for travelling around the country.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my passport to buy a SIM card in Chile?
Every prepaid SIM must be registered with a valid passport, and in practice you also provide a photo of the passport plus a selfie so staff can match your face to it. At a proper carrier shop the whole thing takes around 10 to 20 minutes, and no Chilean ID or bank account is needed. Separately, if you use a Chilean SIM for more than 30 days you are supposed to register your foreign phone's IMEI at registratuimei.cl; roaming or WiFi-only use is exempt.
What is the best eSIM for Chile?
Guac eSIM covers Chile with data plans starting from $0.58 per GB and instant activation, so your phone is online the moment you land. Airalo and Holafly are popular alternatives.