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

Ireland eSIM or local SIM: what Indian travellers need

Dublin buses, maps on the Wild Atlantic Way and messages home all run on data; an Irish number matters far less. A data eSIM set up in India works from the moment you land, and your Indian SIM stays in the phone for bank OTPs. An Ireland tourist SIM is worth it only when someone in Ireland must call you locally. Other destinations are in our international SIM guides.

Pack prices as listed by Jio, Airtel and Vi on 13 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$.

An Ireland SIM card from a local operator is a physical card and needs a free slot. On a single-slot phone, your Indian SIM comes out, and OTPs to that number wait until it goes back in. We quote no Ireland SIM card price because we have not verified current rates, and no plan is the best eSIM for Ireland on every trip.

India’s Ministry of Tourism counted 134,531 departures of Indian nationals to Ireland in 2025, up from 121,550 in 2024: about 11% more (our calculation). Leisure and business trips made up 31.08% of the 2025 total.

Is there one SIM for all of Ireland? Not for the whole island: our Ireland plans are country plans for the Republic, on one host network that the Ireland page lists as 3, on 4G, and we promise no signal in any given spot. Thirteen sizes are on sale: 1 GB for 7 days, 2 GB for 15 days, 3, 5, 10, 20 or 50 GB for 30 days, and unlimited data for 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 or 30 days. Unlimited plans drop to 1 Mbps once a day’s use passes 3 GB. Hotspot / tethering use draws on the same data allowance; our plan details do not state a hotspot rule.

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

Jio, Airtel and Vi each sell roaming packs that list Ireland, and the five in our table cost ₹951 to ₹3,495 as listed on 13 Oct 2026. Each one includes minutes on your Indian number, which our data-only eSIM does not. Ireland is in Vi’s unlimited zone, so Vi prints the data on its ₹3,495 Ultra pack as FREE.

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 plan list · Airtel T&C PDF · Vi prepaid T&C PDF); Jio checked 13 Oct 2026, Airtel 13 Oct 2026, Vi 13 Oct 2026. The ≈ ₹ per GB column is our derivation (price ÷ GB). Airtel’s T&C dated 24 Sep 2026 list these prices; its FAQ page still shows older ones.

FREE on Vi’s sheet is not the same as unlimited on ours. Our 7-day unlimited plan costs ≈ ₹1,436 (12 Oct rate), charged US$14.99, and runs at 1 Mbps after 3 GB in a day; Vi’s pack also covers calls on your Indian number. Jio states: “Your plan validity begins only with your first usage—call, text, or data.” Airtel counts a prepaid pack from when your phone latches on to a covered foreign network and makes chargeable usage; book it up to 30 days before travel, as an unused pack expires with no reimbursement.

Ireland and Northern Ireland: why one country plan is not enough

Northern Ireland is outside our Ireland plan, which stops at the border. Our UK plan reaches Northern Ireland as well as England, Scotland and Wales, so a trip with a day in Belfast needs a second plan or one plan that lists both countries. The Europe plan lists Ireland and the United Kingdom.

For 10 GB over 30 days, the Ireland plan costs ≈ ₹957 (12 Oct rate), the UK plan ≈ ₹1,340 (12 Oct rate) and the Europe plan ≈ ₹1,819 (12 Oct rate). Our catalogue does not name Northern Ireland for the Europe plan, so ask us before you rely on it in Belfast. The UK guide, the Europe SIM card guide and the Europe roaming comparison cover the rest of the route.

Operator packs need no change at that border: the United Kingdom, like Ireland, is on Jio’s 100-country list and in Vi’s unlimited zone.

Long stays: 30-day packs vs a 30-day plan

A month-long stay is where operator packs and our plans line up row for row. Jio’s ₹2,851 pack gives 12 GB over 30 days at about ₹238 per GB, and Airtel’s ₹2,998 pack gives 10 GB at about ₹300 per GB. Both include minutes on your Indian number, and that is what you pay for.

Our 10 GB over 30 days costs ≈ ₹957 (12 Oct rate), about ₹96 (US$1.00) per GB, plus any markup your card issuer applies. Jio’s 12 GB falls between our 10 GB and 20 GB rows; the 20 GB row costs ≈ ₹1,723 (12 Oct rate), and a month of unlimited data ≈ ₹4,213 (12 Oct rate), with 1 Mbps after 3 GB in a day. If you will call home often on your Indian number, a 30-day pack is the better choice; if you need data only, compare the per-GB figures above.

Setting up the Ireland eSIM before you fly

Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land in Ireland. A QR code install over home Wi-Fi uses no days, because data plan validity starts with the first connection to an Irish network. iPhone and Android both fill in the access point name on their own.

Once you land, turn data roaming on for the eSIM line. Before buying, find your model on the eSIM phone list; the install guide shows each screen and the Ireland eSIM page lists the plans.

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.

Bank OTPs and your Indian number in Ireland

OTPs from your bank are SMS sent to your Indian number. The Ireland plan has no SMS and cannot pick them up. Keep the Indian SIM in the phone as a second line with mobile data off, and check with your operator before the flight that SMS reaches you in Ireland on your plan.

No page can promise that every OTP will reach you; the OTP guide covers the dual-SIM settings.

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.

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

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 Ireland 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 3; 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 1 GB for 7 days, ≈ ₹285 (US$2.99). For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, ≈ ₹666 (US$6.99). If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, ≈ ₹1,428 (US$14.99), 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 Ireland, from ≈ ₹285 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