Before you start

Unlocked handset
Passport for prepaid
RUT and Chilean bank account, for postpaid

Step-by-step

1
Buy a prepaid SIM
Available from operator stores, pharmacies, kiosks and supermarkets across the city. Cheap, and enough to function while your paperwork proceeds.
In personWho: You
2
Register the SIM
Chile requires prepaid SIMs to be registered to an identity document. Bring your passport or cédula.
In personWho: You
3
Compare the four networks
Entel and Movistar have the strongest national coverage; WOM competes aggressively on price. In Santiago all four are adequate.
OnlineWho: You
4
Move to postpaid once you have a RUT and account
Contracts need both plus a credit assessment, which favours people with some Chilean history.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport or cédula
RUT and bank account, for postpaid

Things most newcomers don’t know

Coverage outside Santiago is what should decide your network.

Chile is 4,300 km long and much of what makes it worth living in — the Atacama, the lakes, Patagonia — is far from the capital. Entel's rural and southern coverage is generally the strongest, which matters more than any Santiago comparison.

Source: community-reported, corroborated by operator coverage maps

A RUT is required for a contract, so get the provisional one early.

The RUT provisorio from the SII is available with a passport and visa before your cédula exists, and it unlocks postpaid plans along with much else. This is the same lever as in banking, and it is the highest-value early errand in Chile.

Source: SII — RUT provisorio via form F4415

Prepaid SIMs must be registered to an identity document.

Chile requires registration, so bring ID rather than expecting an anonymous purchase. Straightforward, but it means a SIM is not something you pick up without documents.

Source: Chilean telecoms regulation

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to take a postpaid contract before you have a RUT and a Chilean bank account.
Choosing a network on Santiago coverage when you plan to travel the country.
Turning up to buy a SIM without an identity document.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.