Without CE - can I contract internet/phone/electricity/water

[kuranaga]

Hi

if I am on tourist visa and rent an apartment for longer period of time, can I contract the usual services like Internet / phone etc in my name? Or is it indispensable to have the peruvian CE to do that?
anyone knows?

thanks

[sbaustin]

I know of at least one person that was able to get services with their passport however this was a year or two ago. I think you'll just have to go and see. Having someone with a CE/DNI would definitely make the process much less painful.

[chi chi]

I bought a new home recently and I had wáter and electricity connected in my name without any hassle at all.
I used my national ID card from Belgium. I could also get it connected with my Passport. I'dont have a CE or DNI.

[argidd]

It seems Claro will accept a Passport. I recommend them, we have a 2 MB internet, digital tv on 2 tv's and 250 min on our phone (includes long distance minutes) and pay 169 soles p/m.
If you go to their website (if you speak/write Spanish), you can chat with them (there is a tab which says "Chat Claro") http://www.claro.com.pe and ask them further questions.

[americorps]

Ok, the REAL answer is.

The law says you can not contract phone services without a carnet or DNI.

You will learn very quickly, however, that rules and laws are not evently enforced in Peru. It depends on who you talk to and so if you get a no the first time, do not make a fuss, just go ask someone else.

Same goes for Electricity and Water, the rules posted at their offices state very clearly that they do not acept passports.

So, the answer is, you might run into some trouble, and no, it is technically not allowed, but you can usually work your way around it.

[kuranaga]

Well that would be ridiculous if I couldn't....

anybody can invest in Peru, even non residents right? It is not necessary to even have a bank account in Peru to make an investment - goods can be paid by cheque or in cash, or the real estate company or notary may "borrow" his account for doing money transfer - I just mean such a rule that you can own something here but you cannot register the proper services in your name would be totally senseless.

I am going to rent a flat for one year but there is no Internet and phone already connected (only the line) and the other bills are in name of the owner - he prefers that the stuff is then registered on my name and I also feel better if I have the services running under my name and not name of somebody else (if there is any problem then I must always ask his help right? e.g. I want to change the Internet package to a faster one and it is on his name - trouble! ) - that's why I ask here about your experience.

Some years ago I bought a house in Spain, all you needed was a kind of registration number (NIE) that is then used as national ID number to do all kinds of stuff, however you are not required to have residence in the country in order to own a home / buy a car or register the services in your name (the number is just a proper format national ID which always proves that you are really you).

Will the 'permiso para firmar contratos' help me here? Or is that just useless effort?

[MarcoPE]

Well that would be ridiculous if I couldn't....

anybody can invest in Peru, even non residents right? It is not necessary to even have a bank account in Peru to make an investment - goods can be paid by cheque or in cash, or the real estate company or notary may "borrow" his account for doing money transfer - I just mean such a rule that you can own something here but you cannot register the proper services in your name would be totally senseless.

I am going to rent a flat for one year but there is no Internet and phone already connected (only the line) and the other bills are in name of the owner - he prefers that the stuff is then registered on my name and I also feel better if I have the services running under my name and not name of somebody else (if there is any problem then I must always ask his help right? e.g. I want to change the Internet package to a faster one and it is on his name - trouble! ) - that's why I ask here about your experience.

Some years ago I bought a house in Spain, all you needed was a kind of registration number (NIE) that is then used as national ID number to do all kinds of stuff, however you are not required to have residence in the country in order to own a home / buy a car or register the services in your name (the number is just a proper format national ID which always proves that you are really you).

Will the 'permiso para firmar contratos' help me here? Or is that just useless effort?

Welcome to Peru .... it truly is the land of non-logical thinking! I know that isn't real helpful but sadly, if you were expecting logical thinking you may want to look into something else (and let me know when you find it)!

[kuranaga]

@MarcoPE: do not worry, I cheat them *twice* on their logic

Just asking about practical experience on that, if any.

[Arroz con Pollo]

Here is what I did in about March 2012. My ex girlfriend finally gave me notice I could no longer user her name for my internet/phone through MoviStar. So the next day I walked over to MoviStar on Benavides/Grimaldo del Solar in Miraflores. I waited and spoke to an agent at a counter. I told her the Internet/phone plan I wanted (the 2nd most expensive at the time) and she started getting the paper work ordered. I speak fluent Spanish but I am obviously foreign so she knows I am not Peruvian. So finally she asks for my CE after doing a bit of typing into the computer and filling out some forms. I say, "oh, I have a passport with a valid visa in it and my florida driver's license!". She says OK, takes my passport to an area behind a literal curtain (no joke, manager is "the man behind the curtain". Anyway, 5 mins later she comes back and says it's all OK and I get my internet installed the very next day and most importantly the very last reason my ex girlfriend had for contacting me.

I had to cancel and leave Peru temporarily so when I return I'll be in the same boat as you. Hopefully I can work the magic again but more than likely I wont' be so lucky. YOu asked for practical experience and I had some free time while I am drinking a Sierra Nevada Torpedo Double IPA on my back porch in Orange County, CA doing nothing but dreaming of Peru and fighting the battle with Ladronifonica.