Canada SIM card for Indian travellers: roaming, local SIM or eSIM

Canada eSIM or Canada SIM card: what Indian travellers need

For a visit, you need mobile data in Canada, not a Canadian phone number. A travel eSIM installed in India gives you data from landing, and your Indian SIM stays in the phone for bank OTPs. A Canada SIM card makes sense when you need a local number, and it needs a free slot in your phone.

Pack prices as listed by Jio, Airtel and Vi on 12 Oct 2026; ₹ per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are an estimate at the day’s rate; your card is charged in US$.

India’s Ministry of Tourism counted 786,990 departures of Indian nationals to Canada in 2025. In our catalogue on 12 Oct 2026, every Canada plan runs on the Bell network and carries data only, with no calls and no SMS. The plan days start at the first connection in Canada, so installing the eSIM at home uses no days.

A Canada tourist SIM is a physical card you buy after you land. This page quotes no Canada SIM card price because we have not verified current Canadian-dollar ones.

Your Jio, Airtel or Vi pack in Canada vs this eSIM

Jio’s “US Mexico and Canada” pack gives 12 GB for 15 days at ₹1,555, so a USA and Canada trip needs one purchase, not two. The five packs below cost ₹998 to ₹5,195 as listed on 12 Oct 2026. The ≈ ₹ per GB column is our derivation (price ÷ GB). For destinations beyond North America, see our destination guides.

We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The table still shows when your operator pack is the better choice.

Source: operator documents (Jio IR plans · Airtel T&C · Vi prepaid T&C), checked on 12 Oct 2026; Airtel’s T&C are dated 24 Sep 2026. Jio’s ₹1,555 pack includes 150 outgoing minutes and the ₹2,555 pack 250, with free incoming calls on both. Vi’s Ultra packs give unlimited data only in its 40-country zone. Canada sits in Vi’s other zone, where Ultra gives 2 to 5 GB.

For comparison, 10 GB for 30 days on our eSIM costs ≈ ₹2,298 (12 Oct rate), about ₹230 (US$2.40) per GB, charged US$23.99. Your card is charged in US dollars. Your bank converts the amount at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction (forex markup) fee. How card payments work.

The Jio pack wins when you call home from Canada or add a USA leg; see the Jio roaming page and the USA roaming page. The eSIM wins on a short trip that needs only data. Airtel prepaid validity starts when your phone latches on to a covered foreign network and makes chargeable usage. You can book an Airtel pack up to 30 days before travel; if you do not travel within 30 days, the pack expires with no reimbursement.

The 90-day limit on our Canada plans

In our catalogue on 12 Oct 2026, one Canada eSIM can stay active on the host network for at most 90 days; after that, you buy a new eSIM. A trip under three months never reaches this limit. It matters only when you expect one eSIM to keep working through a whole academic term.

The longest Canada plan runs 30 days. The 50 GB one costs ≈ ₹8,523 (12 Oct rate), charged US$88.99, and it is not a term plan. If you expect one eSIM to last a semester, you lose service on day 90 at the latest, whatever data is left, and then buy and install a new eSIM. Note the date the eSIM first connects in Canada, and set up your Canadian plan well before day 90.

Students: the first weeks before a Canadian plan

As a student, you need data for the first weeks in Canada, until you set up a Canadian plan. That local plan is the usual choice once you are settled. An eSIM bought in India bridges the gap. Hotspot use draws on the same data allowance; our plan details do not state a hotspot rule.

According to The PIE News, citing a Rajya Sabha reply of 4 Dec 2025, about 427,085 Indian students were in Canada on 1 Jan 2025, more than in any other country. The government PDF did not open for us, so treat the figure as secondary.

A 20 GB plan for 30 days costs ≈ ₹3,639 (12 Oct rate), charged US$37.99. The best eSIM for Canada in those weeks is the shortest of our Canada plans that lasts until your Canadian plan starts.

Parents visiting family in Canada

If you are visiting family in Canada, install the eSIM on your phone in India, on home Wi-Fi, before the flight. It connects when you land. Keep your Indian SIM in the phone for bank OTPs, with its mobile data off. Before you buy, check that the phone supports eSIM.

The Ministry of External Affairs counts 1,388,300 NRIs in Canada (January 2026). For a two-week family visit, 5 GB for 15 days costs ≈ ₹1,723 (12 Oct rate), and 10 GB for 15 days costs ≈ ₹2,106 (12 Oct rate). Buying for a parent? Check their model on the eSIM phone list first.

Bank OTPs arrive by SMS on your Indian number, which a data-only eSIM cannot receive. Your phone must run an eSIM and a physical SIM together. No page can promise that every OTP will reach you; the guide to keeping your Indian SIM for OTPs shows the dual-SIM settings. For a USA leg, see the USA eSIM guide.

Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land abroad. Full refund within 30 days of purchase, as long as the eSIM has not connected to any network. If the eSIM doesn’t work and it isn’t your phone’s fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.

What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in Canada?

Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.

The first is the line for mobile data. On iPhone it is Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data; on Android, the SIM manager. Pick the travel line there; your Indian line stays on for calls and SMS, with its mobile data off.

The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats Canada as roaming for it.

The third is the APN. On this plan it sets itself, so leave it alone; you don’t need to type one.

The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find Bell; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.

Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimgo.in with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.

What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)

For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 3 GB for 7 days, ≈ ₹1,063 (US$10.99). For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 15 days, ≈ ₹1,740 (US$17.99). If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, ≈ ₹3,385 (US$34.99), with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.

I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If you need calls or SMS on your Indian number every day, a Jio, Airtel or Vi roaming pack carries them (compare the packs). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.

FAQ

Get an eSIM for Canada, from ≈ ₹676 Pay by card in US$. Your bank converts the US$ charge at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction fee. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by e-mail after payment. See plans