Keep your Peruvian phone number active while abroad

Keep a Peruvian number active abroad by separating two cases on OSIPTEL's news page: a line with unused balance and no recharges may stay active up to 210 calendar days, and a line with no balance has whatever period that operator sets. The operator examples on the page are examples. There is no carrier card under this country, because Bitel, Claro, Movistar and Entel contracts were not opened on 8 October 2026.

Italy deactivates a TIM Card after 13 months and then allows a free request on 119. Open Doors Fast Facts for 2025 prints 5,667 students from Peru in the United States in 2024/25, 0.5 percent of the total, a change of 2.9 percent from 5,505 in 2023/24. The options page is the list of holds once you know which case your line is in.

How long can a line with unused balance stay up?

The 210 days apply when you have not recharged and unused balance remains, and the verb is podrá. OSIPTEL's news page, checked 8 October 2026, states: "De acuerdo con la Norma de Condiciones de Uso de los servicios públicos de telecomunicaciones, en caso no se hayan realizado recargas y el servicio móvil prepago cuente con un saldo no utilizado, podrá estar activo hasta por 210 días calendario antes de que la empresa operadora ordene la baja del servicio."

According to the rules on conditions of use of public telecommunications services, if no recharges have been made and the prepaid mobile service has unused balance, it may stay active for up to 210 calendar days before the operator orders disconnection. Podrá is may. Recharge before that point if you still have balance and you want to stay outside the sentence. The 210 days are calendar days.

What if there is no balance?

Each operator sets its own period, and the page gives four examples. The same OSIPTEL news page states: "La norma también precisa que, en caso la línea no cuente con saldo y no se hagan recargas, cada operadora puede fijar su propio plazo antes de disponer la baja de la línea. Por ejemplo, Bitel fija un plazo de 8 meses y medio consecutivos sin saldo (255 días) antes de proceder con la baja, mientras que Claro considera 9 meses consecutivos (270 días). Por su parte, Movistar establece un plazo de 7 meses (210 días), mientras que Entel solo considera dos meses (60 días)."

The rule also states that if the line has no balance and you do not recharge, each operator may set its own period before ordering the line disconnected. For example, Bitel sets 8.5 consecutive months without balance (255 days) before disconnection, Claro considers 9 consecutive months (270 days), Movistar sets 7 months (210 days), and Entel considers two months (60 days). Puede is may. Por ejemplo keeps these as examples on OSIPTEL's page. Ask your own operator which period it is applying, and do not treat this paragraph as four separate contracts.

What notice do you get, and when can the number be reassigned?

The same news page says operators are obliged to communicate the prepaid disconnection with 15 calendar days of notice. It also says that leaving a line unrecharged for a long time may lead to disconnection, loss of the number, and the number being assignable to another user 90 days after the service is deactivated. Watch for that notice, and recharge before the period that applies to your line if you want to keep it. A twelve-month holding price is unverified on this page.

Case on the news page	What OSIPTEL prints	Verb
No recharges, unused balance remains	may stay active up to 210 calendar days before the operator orders disconnection	podrá, may
No balance and no recharges	each operator may set its own period	puede, may
Bitel, as an example	8.5 consecutive months without balance, 255 days	example
Claro, as an example	9 consecutive months, 270 days	example
Movistar, as an example	7 months, 210 days	example
Entel, as an example	two months, 60 days	example
Notice	15 calendar days	obliged, on the news page
After deactivation	the number may be assigned to someone else after 90 days	pueda, may

Questions people ask

How long can a Peruvian prepaid line sit with unused balance?

If you have not recharged and unused balance remains, OSIPTEL says the line may stay active for up to 210 calendar days before the operator orders disconnection. Recharge inside that window if you want to keep the line.

What if my balance is already zero?

The same page says each operator may set its own period. Its examples are Bitel at 8.5 consecutive months without balance (255 days), Claro at 9 consecutive months (270 days), Movistar at 7 months (210 days) and Entel at two months (60 days). Ask the operator on your SIM which period it is using, and watch for the 15 calendar days of notice.

When can someone else get the number?

The news page says the number may be assigned to another user 90 days after the service is deactivated. Recharge before disconnection if the number still has to stay yours.