How to Buy a SIM Card in Tanzania in 2026

A local SIM card in Tanzania is cheap, but buying one takes time: you need your physical passport, a fingerprint and photo check, and 20 to 45 minutes at a counter. This guide covers the networks and their new names, what local bundles cost, where to buy, and coverage on safari and on Zanzibar. It also explains the eSIM we recommend for Tanzania, pay-as-you-go data you install before you fly, and the one setting that keeps it good value. Our plans for the country are on the Tanzania eSIM page.

The networks, old and new names

Tanzania has four main networks, Vodacom, Airtel, Yas and Halotel, plus the state-owned TTCL. Two have changed name. Yas is what Tigo became in November 2024; existing Tigo SIMs work on the Yas network, and Tigo Pesa is now Mixx by Yas. Zantel, the old Zanzibar operator, was combined with Tigo earlier. Airtel is the network once called Celtel and then Zain: it has been Airtel since November 2010. Yas won Tanzania's 2026 Ookla Speedtest Award for the fastest mobile network.

Our recommendation first: PAYG on Airtel

We do not sell a fixed data bundle for Tanzania without a daily fee. What we do sell is the Global PAYG Data eSIM: $20, including €17.50 of data credit, installed at home and working on landing, with no passport check, no fingerprints and no queue. You top up in MyeSIM if you need more, and unused credit stays on the eSIM for your next trip.

The setting that matters is the network. PAYG works on Airtel, Vodacom and Halotel, but the credit goes much further on Airtel: on Vodacom and Halotel it runs down several times faster. So when you land, open your phone's mobile network settings, turn off automatic network selection and choose Airtel. If your phone picks another network by itself, set it back to Airtel. Used that way, PAYG is a fair price for a short trip and far less hassle than a local SIM.

What a local SIM costs

If you are staying longer or using a lot of data, a local SIM is cheaper. The most detailed price list we found dates from September 2024, so treat it as a guide:

• Vodacom: SIM 1,000 TZS; 3GB with 400 minutes and 100 texts for 7 days 10,000 TZS; 10GB with 1,200 minutes and 500 texts for 30 days 30,000 TZS.
• Airtel: SIM 1,500 TZS; 6GB for 7 days 10,000 TZS; 12GB for 30 days 25,000 TZS.
• Tigo, now Yas: SIM 1,000 TZS; 6GB for 7 days 10,000 TZS; 12GB for 30 days 20,000 TZS.
• Halotel: 4GB with 280 minutes and 50 texts for 30 days 10,000 TZS.

A 2026 guide says the SIM itself costs about TZS 1,000 to 2,000 and that bundles change often, so confirm in the store.

Where to buy, and the passport check

There are SIM counters at Julius Nyerere Airport in Dar es Salaam and at Zanzibar Airport; options at Kilimanjaro (JRO) are limited. Zanzibar Airport prices are higher, from about $15 for 1GB. Use an authorised operator shop or registration agent, not informal resellers, and do not buy at a land border.

Bring the physical passport: a photo of it may not be accepted. Registration includes a fingerprint and photograph and takes 20 to 30 minutes in a store, or 30 to 45 minutes at an airport counter. If you were hoping for a Halotel or Airtel eSIM, a 2024 guide says Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo and Halotel offer no eSIM to visitors; whether that has changed is unconfirmed.

Safari, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar

No network covers the open Serengeti. A traveller testing Vodacom and Airtel side by side in October 2026 found large areas with no signal on either, and no consistent advantage between them; other guides claim Airtel or Vodacom is best on the Northern Circuit. Signal reaches lodges, park gates and main tracks, but can drop to 2G or nothing deep in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. In Ngorongoro reception changes with the terrain: save your maps before you descend into the crater. Moshi is fine, but assume you are offline on the Kilimanjaro routes. Dar es Salaam and Arusha have strong 4G, and Zanzibar has solid 4G across Stone Town and the main beaches, patchier around Jozani.

Side by side

Our recommendation

For a safari or a beach week, install the Global PAYG Data eSIM before you fly and select Airtel by hand when you land; download offline maps for the parks. Vodafone Travel VIP also works in Tanzania, but at $7.50 for each day you use it on top of the $32 plan. For a long stay with heavy data use, a local Airtel or Yas SIM from an authorised shop is cheaper, if you have your passport and half an hour. Keep bank codes arriving with the O2 SMS Only eSIM at $8 a month. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and the plans for the country are on the Tanzania eSIM page.