Guide to Using a SIM Card in UAE

Visitors to the United Arab Emirates can buy a local SIM card on arrival, but there are rules to know first: you need your passport and entry visa, most sellers will only sell to over-18s, and you can hold at most two SIMs on one passport. This guide explains those rules, introduces the three mobile brands you will meet in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the other emirates, describes the free 24-hour SIM offered to new arrivals, and sets out the UAE eSIMs we sell, which you can install before you travel. All our plans for the country are on the UAE eSIM page.

The rules for visitors

• Documents: your passport and your entry visa.
• Age: 18 is the minimum for most sellers. One source says 16, so check if you are travelling with teenagers.
• Limit: no more than two SIMs per passport.

A local line is registered to your passport, so the seller will check your documents before activating it.

e&, du and Virgin Mobile

Three names sell mobile service to visitors in the UAE:

• e&, which was called Etisalat until its rebrand and is still widely known by that name. Its tourist product is the Visitor Line, sold at airport arrivals.
• du, which sells a du Tourist line.
• Virgin Mobile UAE, which runs stores in the airport terminals in Dubai and sells tourist plans.

Prices from recent guides conflict. A basic du Tourist line with 4 GB for 28 days is listed at AED 49, and a basic Visitor Line at AED 49 for 28 days. Virgin Mobile lists AED 150 for 7 days. One article reports e& prices noticeably higher than the others, so confirm the total with the staff before activation. Setting up a physical SIM can take a while, as staff review your passport first.

How long a local line lasts also differs by brand. One 2026 guide says du cards typically last 90 days or until you leave the country, e& sells plans from 1 to 28 days, and Virgin Mobile has options from 7 to 30 days. Ask how long your package lasts before you pay, and match it to the length of your stay.

The free SIM on arrival

du offers new arrivals a free tourist SIM with a small data allowance for the first 24 hours. Sources disagree on how much data it includes, so treat it as a way to order a taxi and message home on your first day, not as a plan for the trip. After 24 hours you need to buy a package.

Abu Dhabi and the other emirates

Our UAE plans cover the whole country, so the same eSIM works in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the other emirates and there is nothing to change when you travel between them. Many of our readers search for a SIM card for Abu Dhabi specifically; the rules, brands and plans in this guide apply there just as they do in Dubai.

Our UAE eSIMs

We sell three UAE plans. All run on the Etisalat network with 5G, include hotspot, and start on first use in the UAE, so you can install them at home and they wait until you land:

• UAE 5GB: $12, valid 7 days.
• UAE 10GB: $20, valid 14 days.
• UAE 15GB: $26, valid 30 days.

The Orange World 20GB eSIM ($28, 30 days from first use, French +33 number, 15 minutes and 50 texts) also covers the UAE and suits a trip that continues to other countries. The Vodafone Travel VIP eSIM ($32) works in the UAE too, but at $7.50 for each day of use. For light use there is the Global PAYG Data eSIM ($20 with €17.50 of credit), and the O2 SMS Only eSIM ($8 a month) keeps a UK number receiving texts.

Options compared

Our recommendation

For most visits, buy a UAE 10GB eSIM before you go: $20 covers two weeks on the Etisalat network with 5G, and you avoid the passport check at the counter. Choose UAE 5GB for a short stopover and UAE 15GB for a month. A free 24-hour SIM will not last the trip. Buy a local line from e&, du or Virgin Mobile only if you need a UAE number. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and every plan for the country is on the UAE eSIM page.