United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
How Do eSIM Plans Work?
Step 1: Purchase Your eSIM Data Pack
You'll receive an email with your eSIM after purchase, no matter where you are in the world.
Step 2: Receive Activation Details
You'll get a QR code or manual installation instructions via email and WhatsApp to activate your eSIM.
Step 3: Install And Activate Your New eSIM
Set up your eSIM before your trip, and once you reach your destination, enable the data plan to start using the internet.
Is My Mobile Phone eSIM Compatible?
- iPhone XR, XS, XS Max
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd & 3rd gen)
- iPhone 12, Mini, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 13, Mini, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 14, Plus, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 15, Plus, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 16, Plus, Pro, Pro Max, 16e
- iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e
- iPhone Air (eSIM only, no SIM tray)
- iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max
- iPhone Duo (foldable, eSIM only, no SIM tray)
- iPad Pro 11″ (2018+) & 12.9″ (2018+)
- iPad Air (2019+)
- iPad (2019+)
- iPad Mini (2019+)
- iPad 10th Gen (2022)
*Two eSIMs can be active at the same time on iPhone 13 and later. *iPhones from mainland China do not support eSIM. *Hong Kong/Macao models (except 13 mini, 12 mini, SE 2020, XS) lack eSIM. *US models of iPhone 14 and later do not have a physical SIM tray. *iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are eSIM only in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Guam, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. *iPhone Air and iPhone Duo have no SIM tray in any country. They run on eSIM only.
Explore United Arab Emirates
Dubai and UAE eSIM: connected in the DXB arrivals hall, no counter and no Emirates ID
A local SIM in the Emirates means a passport scan at the counter and a queue that is at its longest exactly when you land. The eSIM4 UAE eSIM is a prepaid tourist eSIM for Dubai and the Emirates, installed at home over Wi-Fi, from USD 3.98 for a week of high-speed mobile data, and it connects on its own when the doors open at Dubai International, Al Maktoum, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah. It runs on the Etisalat network, the country's original network with the deepest 4G and 5G coverage, and the email with the QR code arrives within minutes of paying.
Coverage across the UAE
Coverage on the Etisalat network takes in all seven emirates: Dubai and the full length of the Dubai Metro, Abu Dhabi and Yas Island, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and the Jebel Jais road, Fujairah and the east coast, Al Ain and the highways between them. A desert safari camp an hour out of Dubai still has signal, and only deep in the Empty Quarter does connectivity thin, on every network. Messaging, maps, video and the licensed calling apps all work as normal; the UAE FAQ below covers WhatsApp calls.
Which UAE eSIM plan to choose
1 GB over 7 days is USD 3.98, enough for maps, messaging and a few photos a day. 5 GB over 30 days is USD 12.98 for a longer stay with photos going home every evening. 20 GB over 30 days is USD 32.98 for a working trip. Unlimited data runs from USD 14.98 for 3 days up to USD 64.98 for 15 days, for anyone who would rather never look at a data counter. Every plan tops up online in about a minute if the trip stretches, and the days only start counting when the eSIM first connects in the UAE, so buy it whenever you like, install your eSIM on Wi-Fi at home before you fly and switch on data roaming when you land.
Beyond the UAE on the same trip
Stopping in Doha, Muscat, Riyadh, Bahrain or Amman on the same trip? This plan stops at the UAE border. The Middle East and North Africa eSIM covers the Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and five more countries on one plan, from USD 4.98 for 1 GB over 7 days.
Pick a plan, check out and stay connected from the arrivals hall; the QR code will beat you to the suitcase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Messaging does, calling does not, and that is the same on every SIM in the country. The UAE restricts voice and video calls over WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype and similar apps at network level, so a WhatsApp call rings and then stays silent whichever eSIM or local SIM you carry. WhatsApp messages, photos and voice notes, iMessage, maps, Instagram and video streaming all work as normal on the data, and for calls the licensed apps such as BOTIM work on the eSIM for a small subscription. Treat the trip as a messaging trip and the eSIM does everything else from USD 3.98.
The free starter SIM from the immigration desk is a nice touch, but it is a day of data for first-time arrivals, it depends on which gate you walk through, and after that first day the top-ups at the kiosks are priced for tourists and need your passport at the counter. The UAE eSIM is working before you reach immigration, keeps your home SIM in the phone for bank codes, and a full week of high-speed data costs from USD 3.98, so most visitors install it at home and never visit the counter. Pick the free SIM up if it is offered; the eSIM is the one you will be using by the time you reach the taxi.
An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone. Instead of swapping a plastic card, you scan a QR code, or tap one link on a recent iPhone, and the plan installs in about a minute alongside your existing SIM. Your home number stays exactly as it is, and you can switch between plans in Settings whenever you like.
You pay once, from a few dollars, instead of a daily roaming charge, and there is no airport kiosk, no ID check and no card to swap. Buy it at home, install it on Wi-Fi, and you land with maps, ride apps and WhatsApp already working in the arrivals hall. If plans change, every eSIM tops up online in about a minute.
As a guide: 1 GB covers a week of maps, messaging and a few photos a day; 5 GB over a month suits social media and daily browsing; 20 GB or unlimited suits streaming, video calls and working on the road. If in doubt, start small: every plan tops up online in about a minute, so you never pay for data you will not use.
Yes. Our regional plans cover many destinations on one eSIM, so a multi-stop trip needs nothing new at each border: Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa, Oceania and a World eSIM for trips that cross regions. The countries included are listed on each regional plan page, and you can combine a regional plan with a country plan for the best value.
No. Most people are done in under two minutes: scan the QR code from the activation email, or on iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later simply tap the Direct Installation link in the same email and the eSIM installs itself. Step-by-step guides are here for iPhone guide and Android guide, our support team is on hand, and a refund guarantee covers you if the eSIM cannot be installed on your device.
Most phones from the last five years support eSIM, including every iPhone from the XR onwards and recent Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel models. Check your model in our compatibility guide before you buy. If your phone was bought on a carrier contract it may need to be unlocked first, which your carrier can do.
Open the activation email, then on iPhone go to Settings, Cellular, Add eSIM and scan the QR code, or tap the Direct Installation link on iOS 17.4 or later. On Android go to Settings, Connections, SIM Manager and scan. Most phones can scan the QR code straight from a screenshot in your photo gallery, so no second phone is needed. Once the eSIM appears in your cellular settings it is installed and ready. Full walkthroughs: iPhone guide and Android guide.
Install it any time before you travel, on Wi-Fi at home: the eSIM does not expire while it sits on your phone. When you land, switch it on and enable data roaming, and your days start counting from that first connection abroad, not from the day you bought it. You can also install on arrival, as long as you have Wi-Fi to download the eSIM.
Yes. Your phone runs as a dual SIM, with your home SIM and the travel eSIM side by side, and most phones store several eSIMs at once with one active for data at a time. Keep a plan for each country on your trip and switch between them in Settings as you cross borders.
Yes. Tethering is included on every plan, so your laptop or a second phone can share the connection whenever you need it.
Your connection pauses rather than charging you more. Top up online in about a minute using the link in your activation email, or in the Yabb app, and you are back online with the same eSIM.
The activation email includes a link to a live usage page for your eSIM, so you can see exactly how much data is left at any time and top up before it runs out.
Top local carriers at up to 5G speeds. The network for this destination is shown above the plans on this page, and the eSIM connects to it automatically when you land.
Choose a 90-day plan where one is offered, or top up your existing plan as you go. Either way the eSIM stays on your phone for the whole trip.
Travel eSIMs are data only, which is exactly why there is no ID or address check to buy one. Everything you normally use runs on the data: WhatsApp, FaceTime, iMessage, Uber, maps and your bank app. If you want a real phone number for calls and SMS abroad, our Yabb app gives you calls, texts and a temporary local number without roaming charges. In a few countries we also sell plans that include a local number, minutes and texts, shown in the plan name; those minutes and texts are for local calls and local texts within that country only.
Yes. WhatsApp, iMessage and Signal stay on your existing number with every chat intact; there is nothing to re-register. The eSIM simply supplies the data they run on.
Yes, with your home SIM left in the phone. The eSIM carries all your data, and most carriers deliver incoming text messages to your home number abroad at no charge, so one-time codes from your bank, Google, Airbnb and the rest arrive exactly as they do at home. Keep the home SIM switched on with data roaming turned off, and only the eSIM uses data. Two things to know before you fly: making a call or sending a text from the home SIM is what triggers roaming charges on most carriers, so leave calling and texting to WhatsApp and the like, and a few carriers do charge for incoming texts or block them abroad, so a quick check with your carrier before you leave settles it.