Will Your Phone Work in Bolivia? All the Details, Requirements & Steps

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Will your foreign phone work in Bolivia, a step by step activation guide
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Last Updated on February 15, 2025

In almost all cases, your phone will work in Bolivia without any issues. Enabling it for use within the country is a straightforward process, requiring only your documents and those that permit you to stay in Bolivia. You’ll also need to purchase a Bolivian phone line.

Yes, your phone will work in Bolivia unless it lacks the necessary radio bandwidth specifications or your phone company has restricted its use overseas. You’ll need to register your phone in Bolivia, present your passport and tourist visa, purchase a Bolivian phone line, and that’s it.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about whether your phone will function in Bolivia. We’ll also outline the conditions, requirements, steps, costs, and timelines for enabling its use in our country. Additionally, we’ll discuss scenarios where it might not work, the best phone companies for obtaining a phone line, and other relevant details.

Yes, Your Phone Will Fully Work in Bolivia

Any mobile phone meeting the necessary technical requirements that you bring to Bolivia will operate without limitations. *There are no legal restrictions* preventing you from using your foreign phone in the country.

The general steps you need to follow to enable it here are:

  1. Register the phone in Bolivia.
  2. Purchase a Bolivian phone line.
  3. Pay your phone usage bills.

Once you’ve completed these steps, your phone will function seamlessly within the country, with the following services fully activated:

  • Full functionality for making calls both within and outside Bolivia.
  • Full functionality for internet access via 2G, 3G, and 4G (5G is not yet supported in the country; it’s expected in 2024).
  • The ability to block your phone if it’s stolen, with the assistance of the Bolivian phone company.

As shown above, Bolivia offers both legal and telecommunications company flexibility. Nevertheless, *if your phone doesn’t meet the necessary technical requirements or has restrictions imposed by your foreign phone company, it won’t function* in our country, as we’ll explain below.

Cases in Which Your Phone May Not Work in Bolivia

As previously mentioned, Bolivia has no legal restrictions on foreign phones operating within the country. Therefore, in this regard, there are no limitations on your phone’s functionality. *However, certain technical and phone company restrictions may* prevent your phone from working here.

Potential Technical Restrictions

Firstly, most modern phones worldwide support multiple radio bandwidths used in various countries. However, some phones may not be compatible with the specific radio bandwidths used in Bolivia.

The radio bandwidths used in Bolivia for mobile phones are*:

  • 700 MHz
  • 850 MHz
  • 1700 MHz
  • 1900 MHz
  • 2100 MHz

*If one company doesn’t support a particular bandwidth, try the next one. Bolivia has three main providers: Entel, Tigo, and Viva.

Inside Tigo Bolivia offices located in La Paz Bolivia
Inside Tigo Bolivia offices located in La Paz Bolivia.

Remember that Bolivia currently supports GSM, 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies.

We recommend visiting this page to check if your phone has the correct bandwidth to operate in Bolivia:

  • http://www.willmyphonework.net/ Simply select your phone’s brand, where it was manufactured, and Bolivia in the options to determine its compatibility.

Potential Phone Company Restrictions

Secondly, the company providing your mobile phone line in your home country *might restrict its use* with other companies or outside your country of origin. You must first ensure that your phone company hasn’t restricted your phone from being used overseas, during travel, or with another telecommunications provider.

If your mobile phone doesn’t have any of the aforementioned restrictions (a) the radio bandwidths it supports and (b) company restrictions on its use, then it will function without issue in Bolivia.

Steps and Requirements to Enable Your Phone in Bolivia

To enable your cell phone for use in Bolivia, you’ll need to fulfill the following conditions and requirements and follow these steps. *In general, it’s a very simple and quick process*.

1) Conditions

As mentioned earlier, your phone must meet the appropriate technical and phone company requirements to work in Bolivia. *Remember, there are no legal restrictions preventing your phone from functioning in the country.*

  1. The mobile phone must support the correct radio bandwidths, as outlined in the previous section.
  2. The mobile phone must not be locked by your phone company in your home country, preventing its use overseas or elsewhere.

If the mobile phone you’re bringing to Bolivia meets these two conditions, it will work without any problems after being registered here.

2) Requirements

When enabling your mobile phone in Bolivia, you’ll need to present the following documents and fulfill these requirements:

  • Your passport
  • Your tourist visa
  • Your foreigner ID card (*only if you are a temporary or permanent resident of Bolivia*)
  • Around $30 to cover initial fees

Remember that you don’t need an ID document from your home country or a foreigner ID card issued by the Bolivian government to enable a mobile phone in Bolivia. *You can do it with just your passport and tourist visa.*

3) Steps

After meeting all the aforementioned conditions and requirements, simply follow these steps to enable your phone in Bolivia:

  1. Visit one of the three phone companies available here (you must go to their official offices; do not activate a mobile phone on the street with one of the numerous phone line vendors working there):
    1. Entel, the largest phone company in the country (we recommend visiting this company first).
    2. Tigo (also a good company, but smaller).
    3. Viva (another good company, but smaller).
  2. Present the required documents and your phone. These documents are: a) your passport and b) your tourist visa. In some cases, the company might request your country’s ID card, but this is very unlikely.
    1. If the phone’s technical specifications aren’t supported by the phone company, *simply try the next one*. Remember that there are three phone companies in Bolivia, *and they offer virtually the same quality of service*. This might occur if one company doesn’t support a particular radio bandwidth, but another one does, if that bandwidth is one of the bands we listed in an earlier section.
  3. The employee will register your phone in Bolivia. Your phone will be registered with the information from your passport and tourist visa (or your foreigner ID card if you’re a resident). This will allow you to block, and in rare cases even recover, your phone if it’s stolen.
  4. The employee will activate a Bolivian phone line for your mobile phone. You’ll receive a new phone number from the country, which you’ll use to operate your cell phone here.
  5. Pay the fees for your line subscription. You’ll need to pay for the acquisition of your Bolivian phone line (around $5) and for the calling and internet plan, ranging from $5 to $50 per month.
  6. That’s it! You’re all set.

4) Costs

The costs of enabling a phone in Bolivia are actually quite low, as shown below:

  • Phone registration (free).
  • Acquiring a new mobile line in Bolivia (from $3 to $7).
  • Obtaining a monthly plan for your Bolivian phone line (around $20, *but can range from $5 to $50 per month*, depending on the amount of internet, calling minutes, and other variables).

To enable your mobile phone for use in Bolivia, you’ll spend approximately: ~$25 in the first month and ~$20/month in subsequent months.

5) Timeframe for Paperwork

To complete the entire process of enabling your phone for use in Bolivia, you’ll need between 30 minutes and 2 hours at most.

You simply need to visit an agency of a phone company within the country. They will register your phone in Bolivia and provide you with a new line *within minutes*, with everything functioning correctly.

Tips and Precautions When Enabling Your Phone in Bolivia

First and foremost, remember that you are more likely to be targeted by scammers on the Bolivian streets when they realize you’re from overseas. *Therefore*, never activate your phone on the street through the numerous phone line vendors who operate there. They’ll provide you with only a generic mobile line, you won’t be able to register it with your passport, and you’ll encounter problems later.

We also recommend that you visit Entel S.A. first, which is the largest phone company in the country. This company has broader coverage across most regions within the country, *including many rural areas*. Additionally, it supports more radio bandwidths for your mobile phone.

Entel agency the largest phone company in the country in La Paz Bolivia
Entel (largest phone company) agency in La Paz, Bolivia.

You can view the mobile phone plans available from this company here:

The other two companies, Tigo and Viva, offer similar plans at comparable costs. Follow the links for more information.

We have a detailed guide on these three phone companies in Bolivia, covering all their services for foreigners, their calling and internet plans, and the best company, among other details, available here: Phone companies in Bolivia: A detailed overview.

What to Do If Your Phone Is Stolen

Additionally, in the unfortunate event that your mobile phone is stolen, you should immediately contact the phone company in Bolivia where you activated the phone *to block its line*. This will make it more difficult for thieves to hack it and access your information. However, this measure won’t do much else to help you recover your phone.

Unfortunately, in Bolivia, it’s extremely difficult to recover a phone after it has been stolen. Therefore, be prepared for this possibility and take appropriate precautions, understanding that if you lose it, recovery is highly unlikely.

In rare instances, you might be able to retrieve your phone after visiting a police station, as they may have recovered it during a patrol or similar police operation. *However, you should not expect this to be successful in most cases*.

Conclusions:

In this guide on whether your phone will work in Bolivia and how to enable it, you’ve learned that it will function fully unless it lacks the necessary technical specifications or has been blocked by your foreign phone company.

You’ve also learned that to enable your phone to work in Bolivia without any restrictions on calling or internet access, you’ll simply need to present your passport and tourist visa, or your foreigner ID card if you’re a resident. You’ll also need between $10 and $55 to pay for the new Bolivian mobile phone line and the monthly subscription plan.

Finally, always be cautious with your phone in Bolivia, because if it’s stolen, your chances of recovering it are extremely slim. Also, never activate your phone by purchasing a line from a street vendor outside the offices of the three main phone companies operating here. You should always visit one of these companies to ensure proper activation.

We hope this information has been helpful. If you’d like to learn every detail about the three phone companies currently operating in Bolivia, including all their services, mobile plans, internet plans, their agencies, and which one is the best, please visit our dedicated guide here: The 3 phone companies in Bolivia: All you need to know.

CasasenBolivia.com, information on living, working, investing, and traveling in Bolivia.

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