How to Keep Your Colombian Phone Number Active While Abroad
Colombian prepaid numbers expire after 60 days of inactivity. Learn how CRC Resolution 5050/2016 works and how to prevent losing your number, Nequi, and banking access.
Updated April 2026
How long can a Colombian prepaid number go without a refill?
60 days. Under CRC Resolution 5050/2016, Article 2.1.16.2, Colombian carriers (Claro, Tigo, Movistar) can begin the deactivation process after 60 consecutive days without a refill or outgoing activity (calls, SMS, or data usage).
Important: using your phone on WiFi does not count as activity. Your number must generate traffic on the carrier's cellular network, or receive a refill, to reset the clock.
After the 60-day threshold, the carrier must provide 15 business days of advance notice before permanently recycling the number. In practice, that notice goes to the phone itself (via SMS) — which you won't see if you're abroad.
What happens when your Colombian phone number expires?
The number is permanently removed from your account and returned to the carrier's pool for reassignment to a new subscriber. This is irreversible. You cannot recover a recycled number.
The timeline looks like this:
- Day 0: Last refill or outgoing activity
- Day 60: Carrier flags the number for deactivation
- Day 60-81: 15 business days notice period (SMS sent to the number)
- After notice period: Number is permanently recycled
What do you lose when your Colombian number is deactivated?
More than you think. A Colombian phone number is the anchor for your entire local digital identity:
- Nequi — requires an active Colombian number. Account becomes inaccessible.
- DaviPlata — same requirement. Balance is frozen.
- Bancolombia / Davivienda 2FA — SMS codes can't be received. Account access requires branch visit.
- WhatsApp — your number and chat history are tied to the line. Lose the number, lose the account.
- Rappi, iFood, InDrive — all use SMS verification tied to Colombian numbers.
- Building portero / HOA groups — WhatsApp groups tied to your Colombian line.
As ColombiaOne reported in March 2026: "To open a Nequi account as a foreigner, you need an active Colombian phone number from any local carrier."
How to prevent your Colombian number from expiring
You need at least one qualifying activity every 60 days. Your options:
- Refill the number remotely — any balance addition resets the clock, even the smallest refill.
- Make an outgoing call or send an SMS — requires the SIM to be in a phone with cellular signal. Doesn't work from abroad.
- Use cellular data — WiFi doesn't count. Must be on the carrier network.
For anyone outside Colombia, remote refill is the only viable option. The carrier apps reject foreign cards, so you need a third-party service.
How NomadSIM Keep My Number works
NomadSIM's Keep My Number plan is designed for exactly this problem. Here's how it works:
- Enter your Colombian phone number
- Select Keep My Number ($2.50 per cycle)
- Set your return date (or choose "keep alive indefinitely")
- NomadSIM refills the minimum amount every 60 days
- The subscription auto-cancels on your return date
The refill resets the CRC inactivity clock. Your number stays in your name. Your Nequi, DaviPlata, and banking 2FA remain accessible. When you return to Colombia, upgrade to a full data plan.
Pre-setting the end date means no forgotten charges and no need to remember to cancel. You set it once when you leave Colombia and forget it exists until you're back.