Chile Phones

Chile Country Code: 56

Chile Cell Phones

Cell phones are commonly used in Chile and there is network coverage in most of the country. If you are going to be in Chile for some time, it is worth investing in a prepaid cell phone. There are three service providers for cell phones in Chile: Movistar, Entel PCS and Claro. Each of these services are reliable. You can buy a prepaid cell phone in department stores such as Paris or Falabella and in most malls. Check that the phone is GSM enabled before you buy it.

You can load credit onto your Chilean cell phone at almost any pharmacy and in many metro stations. The cost of calls and SMS varies between service providers and calls across local networks are more expensive than network to network. For the first three months you can’t make international calls with your prepaid cell phone, but you can receive them.

If you chose to bring your own cell phone from home, Chile has international roaming coverage and you should be able to make international calls from your cell phone in most areas. But only places in the Americas have the same GSM frequency as Chile. Chile's GSM frequency is 1900. Canada, much of the U.S. and most of the Caribbean and Latin America use GSM 1900. Be sure to check with your cell phone provider before you bring your phone to Chile. Coverage is good in large cities but can be limited in rural areas. Your service provider will be able to advise you on call rates. Petty theft of cell phones is not uncommon, so take care in big cities, especially at night.

Calling Chile

The international dialing code for Chile is 56. To place an international call to Chile, dial the international access code + country code + area code + telephone number.

If you want to call a Chilean cell phone from overseas, you need to dial the international access code + country code + prefix + telephone number.

Calling Chile from Europe

To call Chile from Europe, dial 00 + 56 + (Chilean city area code) + telephone number

Calling Chile from North America

To call Chile from the United States or Canada, dial 011 + 56 + (Chilean city area code) + telephone number

Calling Chile from Latin America

To call Chile from Panama, dial 0 + 56 + (Chilean city area code) + telephone number

To call Chile from any other Latin American country, dial 00 + 56 + (Chilean city area code) + telephone number

Calling Chile from elsewhere

To call Chile from Australia, dial 0011 + 56 + (Chilean city area code) + telephone number

For any other countries, look up their international dialing code.

Calling Within Chile

Landline to landline

To make a local call from a landline, dial the area code + telephone number. So, if you are in Santiago and want to call a local number from a landline, simply dial 2 + telephone number.

Cell phone to cell phone

The number 7, 8 or 9 prefixes all cell phone numbers. If you want to make a call to a local cell phone from a local cell phone, you need to dial the prefix + telephone number (for example, 9 + telephone number).

Cell phone to landline

To call a landline from a local cell phone you need to dial 0 + area code + telephone number. For example a call to Santiago would be 0 + 2 + telephone number.

You can easily find public telephones at newsstands and in shops and markets in most towns and cities. Public telephones take 100 peso coins. Use these for making local calls only, because international calls are either barred or charged at very high rates.

Chile Local Phone Code

Santiago: 2

Valpara: 32

Viña del Mar: 32

Arica: 58

La Serena: 51

Villarrica: 45

Valdivia: 63

Puerto Varas: 65

Puerto Montt: 65

Calling Home from Chile

When making an overseas phone call you must dial the operator code + 0 + country code (of the destination you are calling) + area code + telephone number. Operator codes are three-digit numbers. The most widely used are:

Entel (123)

Movistar (181)

Telefonica (188)

VTR (111)

Almost all hotels and hostels have facilities for making local and international telephone calls, but rates vary so check before calling home.

Most towns and cities have centros de llamadas (call centers) and Internet cafés, which you can use for local and international telephone calls. Here you can make calls from a private booth or in some cases make VoIP calls, for example via Skype. The cost of international calls depends on the destination and is calculated by the minute. Expect to pay around $0.40 USD per minute to call the U.S. from Chile.

Chile Calling Cards

For international calls, it is cheaper to buy an international calling card from a newsstand. These prepaid phone cards come charged with calling credit and you can use them to make local and international calls to and from any phone.