Saudi Arabia SIM card for Indian travellers: roaming, local SIM or eSIM

Saudi Arabia eSIM or tourist SIM: what Indian travellers need

You need mobile data in Saudi Arabia, not a Saudi phone number. Maps, ride apps and WhatsApp run on data, which an eSIM supplies from the moment you land. Keep your Indian SIM in the phone: bank OTPs still arrive on that number. For other Gulf stops, see our destination guides.

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$.

Saudi Arabia is the second-largest destination of departures from India: the Ministry of Tourism counts 3,376,145 departures of Indian nationals there in 2025, behind only the UAE (8,646,234). About 1.18 million of those departures were for pilgrimage, Hajj and Umrah together (our derivation: 3,376,145 × the ministry’s 34.81% pilgrimage share). Pilgrims: the Hajj and Umrah eSIM guide covers that trip.

Our plans run on the Zain network and carry data only: no calls and no SMS. A Saudi Arabia tourist SIM from a Saudi mobile operator such as stc, Mobily or Zain comes with a local number; stc, for one, lists “sawa visitor” packages on its own site. This page quotes no Saudi Arabia SIM card price in riyals because we have not verified current ones. Other Gulf countries are on the Middle East eSIM page.

Your Jio, Airtel or Vi pack in Saudi Arabia vs this eSIM

Jio and Vi sell packs made for Saudi Arabia. The five packs below cost ₹891 to ₹2,891 as listed on 12 Oct 2026, and each bundles calls on your Indian number, which our data-only eSIM does not. The ≈ ₹ per GB column is our derivation (price ÷ GB).

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 · Vi prepaid T&C), checked on 12 Oct 2026. The full comparison, with minutes and SMS per pack, is on Saudi Arabia roaming vs eSIM.

For comparison, 5 GB for 30 days on our Saudi Arabia eSIM costs ≈ ₹1,257 (9 Oct rate), about ₹251 (US$2.60) per GB, charged US$12.99; your bank may add its own forex markup. The pack wins when you need calls on your Indian number: Jio’s ₹891 pack includes 100 minutes out and 100 in, our plan none.

Airtel sells no Saudi-only pack: one set of prepaid packs covers all its countries, Saudi Arabia among them, and the 1-day pack costs ₹698 for 1 GB as listed on 12 Oct 2026 (Airtel’s roaming packs). Vi has no unlimited data in Saudi Arabia: its Ultra packs give 2 to 5 GB there. Jio’s Gulf pack needs care. Jio’s description of it says UAE only, while another note on the same page lists six Gulf countries; confirm in the MyJio app before you rely on it in Saudi Arabia.

Long stays: 30 days and more

For a stay of 30 days, Jio’s ₹2,891 pack gives 10 GB for 30 days with calls, and our 10 GB plan for 30 days costs ≈ ₹2,127 (9 Oct rate), about ₹213 (US$2.20) per GB, charged US$21.99. Both stop at 30 days; only the pack includes calls.

Beyond 30 days the options narrow. Vi’s Haj pack runs 40 days but gives only 4 GB for ₹2,388, about ₹597 per GB. Two Jio 30-day packs back to back would cost ₹5,782 for 20 GB (our arithmetic), but we have not verified whether two Jio packs can run back to back; check in the MyJio app.

Our longest plan runs 45 days: 25 GB for ≈ ₹4,836 (9 Oct rate), charged US$49.99 by card. For heavy use across 30 days, Unlimited (3 GB/day at high speed, then 1 Mbps) costs ≈ ₹9,382 (9 Oct rate), charged US$96.99 by card.

Install in India, set the APN on Android

Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land in Saudi Arabia. Scan the QR code on home Wi-Fi. In our catalogue on 12 Oct 2026, the plan’s days start at the first connection to the Zain network, so installing early does not start the data plan validity.

On Android you type the APN by hand for the Saudi Arabia plans; the plan page shows the value, and the APN settings guide walks through the screens. A missing APN is the first thing to check when the eSIM is installed but shows no data. Check your model on the eSIM phone list; the install guide has the screens.

Choose by days first, then GB: 2 GB over 15 days costs ≈ ₹725 (9 Oct rate), charged US$7.49 by card. The ₹ figures are estimates at the day’s rate. 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.

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 while data runs on the eSIM

Bank OTPs arrive by SMS on your Indian number, and none of our plans carries that number, so the eSIM cannot receive them. Keep your Jio, Airtel or Vi SIM in the phone as a second line with its mobile data off, while the eSIM carries maps and WhatsApp. No page can promise that every OTP will reach you.

Ask your operator whether incoming SMS works in Saudi Arabia on your plan; on Jio, check the MyJio app. UPI is tied to the same number, so confirm with your bank first. The guide to keeping your Indian SIM for OTPs shows the dual-SIM settings.

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

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 Saudi Arabia as roaming for it.

The third is the APN. The plan does not set it by itself here: add globaldata/isp on Android under the eSIM line’s mobile network settings.

The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find Zain; 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, ≈ ₹289 (US$2.99). For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, ≈ ₹1,257 (US$12.99). If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, ≈ ₹2,611 (US$26.99), 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 Saudi Arabia, from ≈ ₹289 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