How to Buy a SIM Card in Malaysia in 2026
Since February 2026, buying a physical SIM card in Malaysia takes longer than it used to. Under the regulator's new rules, you need your original passport, a biometric photo taken at the counter, and the address of your hotel, which one guide says adds 10 to 20 minutes at the airport. This guide explains the new registration, the networks that sell tourist plans, the counters at Kuala Lumpur's airport, what tourist plans cost, and the eSIMs we sell that let you skip the counter. Our plans for the country are on the Malaysia eSIM page.
The 2026 registration rules
The MCMC, Malaysia's communications regulator, now requires every physical SIM to be registered with the buyer's original passport, a biometric photo and a hotel address. At a busy airport counter the extra steps add up, so expect a wait. One source says eSIMs skip this registration entirely.
CelcomDigi, Maxis, U Mobile and Tune Talk
The main networks are CelcomDigi, Maxis, whose prepaid brand is Hotlink, and U Mobile. Tune Talk also sells a Malaysia Traveller SIM for visitors. CelcomDigi and Hotlink both sell tourist plans at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Buying at KLIA and KLIA2
Kuala Lumpur's airport has two terminals, KLIA (Terminal 1) and KLIA2 (Terminal 2). One source says the SIM counters at both are open 24 hours. Have your passport and hotel address ready before you join the queue. Another source warns that the full airport price, including the SIM, the pass, activation and tax, is not always published, so ask for the total before you pay.
What a tourist plan costs
Prices vary between sources, so treat these 2026 figures as examples:
- CelcomDigi: a 65GB tourist plan for RM49 in total, made up of RM10 registration and RM39 for the plan, with uncapped 100 Mbps for 30 days. Another source puts the 30-day CelcomDigi tourist SIM at around RM39 to 49.
- Hotlink: Travel SIM Plus with 200GB for RM60, according to one source.
- U Mobile: a 30-day plan with 100GB for RM60, or, according to another source, a 7-day tourist package with 100GB for RM15.
Overall, one guide puts tourist SIMs at anything from about RM6 to RM64, depending on validity, data and provider.
Our eSIMs for Malaysia
With an eSIM you install the plan at home and avoid the registration counter. Our Global64 plans cover Malaysia and 63 other countries, start on first use and include hotspot:
If you want a number for calls as well, Orange World 20GB costs $28 for 20GB over 30 days in more than 90 countries, with a French +33 number, 15 minutes and 50 texts. To keep receiving bank codes while your home SIM is switched off, the O2 SMS Only eSIM gives you a private UK number that receives texts for $8 a month.
Setting up before you travel
Your phone needs to be unlocked and able to use an eSIM. Install the Global64 plan at home over Wi-Fi; the days start only when the phone first connects in Malaysia, so there is no need to wait until the day you fly. Keep your home SIM in the phone if you want your usual number for calls, with roaming turned off so it does not use data, and set mobile data to the eSIM on arrival.
Which Global64 plan
Choose by the length of your stay: 7 days on 10GB, 14 days on 20GB, or 30 days on 50GB. Because the plans cover 64 countries, they also suit a trip that combines Malaysia with other stops, and you keep the same eSIM throughout.
Tourist SIM or eSIM: side by side
| Option | Price | Data | Valid | How you get it |
|---|
| CelcomDigi tourist plan | RM49 incl. RM10 registration | 65GB | 30 days | Counter, passport, photo, hotel address |
| Hotlink Travel SIM Plus | RM60 | 200GB | not stated | Counter, passport, photo, hotel address |
| U Mobile tourist package | RM15 | 100GB | 7 days | Counter, passport, photo, hotel address |
| Global64 10GB | $10 | 10GB | 7 days | Online, no counter |
| Global64 20GB | $15 | 20GB | 14 days | Online, no counter |
| Global64 50GB | $35 | 50GB | 30 days | Online, no counter |
Our recommendation
For a week in Malaysia, take Global64 10GB for $10, and for two weeks Global64 20GB for $15. Either works as soon as you land at KLIA or KLIA2, with no passport scan, photo or hotel address at a counter, and both carry on working if your trip continues to other countries on the Global64 list. If you are staying a month and use a lot of data, a local tourist plan gives more gigabytes for the money, as long as you are ready for the registration. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and the plans for the country are on the Malaysia eSIM page.
