URL: https://esimgo.in/international-sim/nigeria/ Buy: https://esimgo.in/esim-nigeria/ Source: eSIM Go (esimgo.in) Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimgo.in/author/ Updated: 14 Oct 2026 # Nigeria SIM card for Indian travellers: roaming, local SIM or eSIM Jio, Airtel and Vi each sell roaming packs that list Nigeria, and for a month-long stay Airtel's ₹2,998 prepaid pack carries 10 GB over 30 days (as listed on 13 Oct 2026). A data-only eSIM for Nigeria installed in India starts at ≈ ₹666 (13 Oct rate) for 1 GB over 7 days, charged US$6.99 by card. ## Nigeria eSIM or local SIM: what Indian travellers need A Nigeria trip needs mobile data for maps, ride-hailing and WhatsApp; a Nigerian number is optional. A data eSIM works from landing and leaves your Indian SIM in the phone for OTPs. A Nigeria tourist SIM bought on arrival pays off only if you need a local number for calls. Other destinations are in our [international SIM guides](/international-sim/). If your local SIM on arrival is a physical Nigeria SIM card from a local operator, it needs a free slot, and on a single-slot phone it replaces your Indian SIM. We quote no Nigeria SIM card price in naira because we have not verified current rates. India's Ministry of Tourism counted 51,850 departures of Indian nationals to Nigeria in 2025. Our Nigeria plans use three local networks: Airtel (the Nigerian network) on 5G, Glo on 4G and MTN on 3G. Which one your phone picks is not ours to promise. The catalogue has five fixed-data plans (1 to 10 GB) and six unlimited data plans of 3 to 30 days; unlimited speed drops to 1 Mbps after 3 GB in a day. They carry data only, with no calls and no SMS. Hotspot / tethering use draws on the same data allowance; our plan details do not state a hotspot rule. No plan is the best eSIM for Nigeria on every trip, so the sections below sort them by trip length. ## Your Jio, Airtel or Vi pack in Nigeria vs this eSIM (checked 13 Oct 2026) The six packs below cost ₹951 to ₹3,495 as listed on 13 Oct 2026. The two 30-day rows come from Jio and Airtel; Vi prepaid gives Nigeria far less data per rupee. We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The table still shows when your operator pack is the better choice. | Pack | Price | Data · days | Calls · SMS | ≈ ₹ per GB | Source | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Jio IR Voice & Data (100 countries) | ₹951 | 4 GB · 10 days | 100 min out + 100 in · 25 SMS | about ₹238 | [Jio IR plans](https://www.jio.com/selfcare/plans/mobility/prepaid-plans-list/?category=International%20Roaming&categoryId=SW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbCBSb2FtaW5n) | | Jio "East Asia, Europe and US" pack (100-country list) | ₹2,851 | 12 GB · 30 days | 150 min out + 150 in · 100 SMS | about ₹238 | [Jio IR plans](https://www.jio.com/selfcare/plans/mobility/prepaid-plans-list/?category=International%20Roaming&categoryId=SW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbCBSb2FtaW5n) | | Airtel prepaid IR, 5 days | ₹998 | 4 GB · 5 days | 150 min · 20 SMS | about ₹250 | [Airtel T&C PDF](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf) | | Airtel prepaid IR, 30 days | ₹2,998 | 10 GB · 30 days | 300 min · 20 SMS | about ₹300 | [Airtel T&C PDF](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf) | | Vi prepaid Ultra (non-UL zone) | ₹3,495 | 2 GB · 7 days | 200 min | about ₹1,748 | [Vi prepaid T&C PDF](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf) | | Vi prepaid Budget (Set 2) | ₹1,495 | 750 MB · 15 days | 100 min | about ₹1,993 | [Vi prepaid T&C PDF](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf) | Every row links to the operator's document as read on 13 Oct 2026; ₹ per GB is our own division of price by data. Jio lists the ₹2,851 pack, named "East Asia, Europe and US", among its 100-country voice-and-data packs, and that country list names Nigeria. The name and the list do not match, so confirm the pack in the MyJio app before you rely on it in Nigeria. Airtel's T&C carry the date 24 Sep 2026, and its FAQ page still shows older prices. Vi gives Nigeria less data for two separate reasons. Nigeria sits in Vi's non-UL prepaid zone, so Ultra carries 2 GB and 200 minutes instead of data printed as FREE. It is also in Budget Set 2, where ₹1,495 carries 750 MB. Vi's postpaid terms list Nigeria in Set 2, and we could not confirm that this table is current. Our plan with 5 GB for 30 days costs ≈ ₹2,572 (13 Oct rate), charged US$26.99 by card, plus any [markup your card issuer applies](/how-to-pay/forex-markup/). 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. The ≈ ₹ price (charged in USD) is an estimate at the day's rate. For a week, Jio's ₹951 pack gives 4 GB over 10 days with minutes on your Indian number. Our 3 GB plan costs ≈ ₹1,809 (13 Oct rate); on 13 Oct 2026 it cost more than Jio's ₹951 and Airtel's ₹998, and so did our 5 GB plan. The eSIM earns its place for Vi holders, for anyone without a pack booked, and for people who want data on a line separate from the Indian SIM. ## 'Airtel' in Nigeria is a local network, not your Indian Airtel One of the three networks on our Nigeria plan is called Airtel; this page writes it as Airtel (the Nigerian network). That is the local network's name. The Indian Airtel pack is a separate product sold by Airtel India: it works on your Indian SIM, and our eSIM does not use it. That matters when you choose. Buying our Nigeria plan does not use up or replace an Airtel India pack, and an Airtel India pack does not need our plan. Airtel India sells one prepaid pack set for every country it covers and advertises 189 countries. Its prepaid packs book up to 30 days before travel; if you do not travel within 30 days, the pack expires with no reimbursement. Airtel's prepaid validity starts when your phone latches on to a covered foreign network and makes chargeable usage. Our data plan validity starts at the first connection to a Nigerian network. See the [Airtel roaming page](/roaming/airtel/). ## Long stays: 30-day packs vs 30-day plans For a month in Lagos or Abuja, Jio's ₹2,851 pack holds 12 GB at about ₹238 per GB and Airtel's ₹2,998 holds 10 GB at about ₹300 (our division, price ÷ GB). Our 10 GB plan costs ≈ ₹4,191 (13 Oct rate), about ₹419 (US$4.40) per GB. On 13 Oct 2026, both packs cost less than our 10 GB plan, and each includes minutes for calls home. Our plan is the better choice only where Vi is your operator, where you want data on a line separate from the Indian SIM, or where the pack booking rules do not fit. A month at 0.8 GB a day comes to about 24 GB (our calculation, profiles from the [data guide](/how-much-data-do-i-need/)), more than the largest fixed plan. The 30-day unlimited plan at ≈ ₹11,242 (13 Oct rate), charged US$117.99, slows to 1 Mbps after 3 GB in a day. Nigeria plans can also be [topped up online](/help/top-up-esim/). Our [Africa plan](/esim-africa/) lists Nigeria and has no unlimited rows. On 13 Oct 2026 the Nigeria plan cost less than the Africa plan on all five rows the two share (1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 GB): 5 GB for 30 days is ≈ ₹2,572 (13 Oct rate) against ≈ ₹3,906 (13 Oct rate). The [Global plan](/esim-global/) lists Nigeria too; keep its line switched off until you land abroad. ## Setting up the Nigeria eSIM before you fly (manual APN on Android) Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land in Nigeria. Look your phone up on the [eSIM phone list](/esim-compatible-phones/), order on the [Nigeria eSIM page](/esim-nigeria/), and do the QR code install on home Wi-Fi. After touchdown, turn on data roaming for the eSIM line. iPhones set the access point name automatically. Android phones need it entered by hand: copy the value from the order page or e-mail, and the [APN guide](/help/apn-settings/) shows where it goes. 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 Nigeria Bank OTPs are texts to your Indian number, and a data-only Nigeria eSIM cannot receive texts. Keep the Indian SIM active as a second line with its mobile data off, and ask your operator whether SMS reaches you in Nigeria on your plan. No page can promise that every OTP will reach you. Two different ₹118 products help here. Airtel's ₹118 prepaid IR activation, 28 days at standard rates, "allows unlimited incoming SMS" and needs an active base pack. Vi's ₹118 standard-rates pack makes incoming SMS free for 28 days. On Jio, check the MyJio app. The [OTP guide](/help/keep-indian-sim-for-otp/) 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](/how-to-pay/). **Updated on 13 Oct 2026 — what changed.** First edition. Operator rows were read on 13 Oct 2026; our prices follow the live storefront. ## Sources Checked on 13 Oct 2026 (IST). 1. [Jio IR plans](https://www.jio.com/selfcare/plans/mobility/prepaid-plans-list/?category=International%20Roaming&categoryId=SW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbCBSb2FtaW5n) and the [100-country list](https://myjiostatic.cdn.jio.com/jio/plan/ir-new-packs.pdf) 2. [Airtel prepaid IR terms, 24 Sep 2026](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf) 3. [Vi prepaid IR terms](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf) and [Vi postpaid IR terms](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_Postpaid_IR_T&C.pdf) 4. [Ministry of Tourism, India: departures to Nigeria, 2025](https://data.tourism.gov.in/chart-data-outboundcountry/2025?country=NIGERIA) ## FAQ ### Will my Indian SIM work in Nigeria? A Jio, Airtel or Vi SIM works once international roaming is on, but for mobile data plan on a roaming pack: without one, Airtel bars prepaid data abroad and Vi keeps mobile data off. Jio, Airtel and Vi each sell packs that list Nigeria. ### Is the Airtel network in Nigeria the same as Airtel India? Airtel is the name of one of the three local networks our Nigeria plan uses. The Indian Airtel roaming pack is a separate product sold by Airtel India: it works on your Indian SIM, and our eSIM does not use it. ### When do the days on a Nigeria eSIM start? They start with the first connection to a network in Nigeria. Installing the eSIM at home leaves the days untouched. ### Can I get OTPs and use WhatsApp with a Nigeria eSIM? WhatsApp messages go over the eSIM's data. OTPs reach your Indian number by SMS, which this data-only eSIM cannot receive, so keep the Indian SIM active in the phone. ### Which eSIM covers Nigeria and Ghana? Our Africa plan and our Global plan list both countries; the Africa plan has no unlimited rows. The Nigeria plan covers Nigeria only. ### Does my phone support eSIM? Our eSIM phone list shows whether your exact model takes an eSIM; a model not listed should be treated as no.