How to Buy a SIM Card in Senegal in 2026

If you are looking for an eSIM for Senegal, the simplest is one installed at home before you fly, so you land connected. The local alternative is Orange's visitor SIM, Teeru, which you buy and register in Senegal with your passport. This guide compares them, explains the networks (including why the Free and Tigo shops have changed their name), and covers the airport, the passport rule and the cheapest local route. Our plans for the country are on the Senegal eSIM page.

Three networks, one new name

Senegal has three mobile operators: Orange Sénégal, run by Sonatel; Yas; and Expresso. Yas is the network many guides still call Free, and before that Tigo: Free Sénégal became Yas on 26 November 2024. If you searched for how to buy a Tigo connection, the shop you want now says Yas.

Orange has the widest coverage, with 5G in Dakar, Saint-Louis and Thiès; the north and east of the country are less well covered. Yas is strong along the Atlantic coast and works at Lac Rose, but is nearly absent inland. Expresso is strong in the Dakar region and mainly 4G. If you are travelling beyond the coast, Orange is the network to be on.

Orange Teeru, the visitor offer

Teeru is Orange's offer for visitors. It costs 9,900 FCFA including tax for 15 GB over 15 days, of which 5 GB can only be used on 5G. It is sold at the Orange point of sale at Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD).

There is a cheaper local route if you are happy to deal with a shop: a standard Orange SIM costs 500 FCFA, and a 10 GB pass valid for 7 days costs 2,500 FCFA, about 3,000 FCFA in all. Orange sells both at its agencies in République, Sea Plaza and Almadies in Dakar. For longer stays, a 2025 price list gives 30-day packs of 15GB for 10000 CFA on Orange, 35GB on Free (now Yas) and 50GB on Expresso for the same price.

The passport rule

Every SIM in Senegal is registered locally, and you need your original passport to buy one: a photo of it on your phone will not do. Activation can take a while as the passport is checked, and airport counters can be slow at peak hours. Shops are also found in Thiès, Saint-Louis and Ziguinchor if you are travelling on.

At Blaise Diagne Airport

Reports differ on what you will find at AIBD. One guide describes two Orange shops on the right just past customs; a May 2026 guide says the reseller shop in the arrivals hall may only offer Yas. Airport prices are higher than in town either way. Whether the airport has free Wi-Fi is unconfirmed, so do not count on it to download an eSIM after you land: install one before you leave home.

Our eSIMs for Senegal

An eSIM from us needs no passport check and no queue, and it connects as soon as you land. The Orange World 20GB eSIM is $28 for 20GB, valid 30 days from first use, and covers Senegal as part of more than 90 countries, which helps if your trip continues to other countries in West Africa or elsewhere. It comes with a French +33 number, 15 minutes and 50 texts, and needs no KYC check.

If you would rather pay only for what you use, the Global PAYG Data eSIM costs $20 and includes €17.50 of credit for mobile data. It works in Senegal on the Orange network, you top it up in MyeSIM when you need more, and unused credit stays on the eSIM for your next trip. To keep bank and login codes arriving while your own SIM is out of the phone, the O2 SMS Only eSIM gives you a private UK number for $8 a month.

Side by side

Our recommendation

For a trip of up to a month, install the Orange World 20GB eSIM before you fly: 20GB is more than Teeru gives you, it lasts twice as long, and you skip the passport queue at AIBD. If you use little data, or travel often, the Global PAYG Data eSIM lets you pay only for what you use. Choose Teeru or a local Orange SIM if you are staying for months and want a local number. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and the plans for the country are on the Senegal eSIM page.