URL: https://esimgo.in/roaming/bhutan/
Source: eSIM Go (esimgo.in)
Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimgo.in/author/
Updated: 13 Oct 2026

# Roaming in Bhutan from India: Airtel and Vi packs, Jio's gap, and a travel eSIM (checked 13 Oct 2026)

None of the top search results for international roaming Bhutan that we read on 13 Oct 2026 points out the gap that matters most: Jio sells no data pack for Bhutan; only the Global Pack balance (spent at standard roaming rates) lists it. Airtel and Vi do sell packs that work there: on 13 Oct 2026 the eight rows in our table cost ₹755 to ₹5,195, about ₹216 to ₹3,980 per GB.

## Short answer: Airtel and Vi cover Bhutan, Jio sells no data pack

Airtel's ₹998 prepaid pack gives 4 GB for 5 days, about ₹250 per GB; its ₹1,298 pack gives 6 GB for 10 days, about ₹216. Vi lists Bhutan in two prepaid zones: non-UL, where Ultra packs carry 2 to 5 GB, and Budget Set 2, where data runs from 250 MB to 1 GB. Prices as listed on 13 Oct 2026.

A pack keeps calls on your Indian number. A Bhutan eSIM from India carries data only: ours runs on B-Mobile and its days start once it connects in Bhutan. No regional or global plan of ours lists Bhutan.

India's Ministry of Tourism counts 22,919 departures to Bhutan in 2025.

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

## Jio in Bhutan: the Global Pack balance, not a data pack

Anyone looking for a Jio Bhutan pack with data will not find one. Bhutan is missing from the 100-country and 75-country voice-and-data packs, the World Pack and the data packs; it appears only on the Global Pack country list. That pack loads money, not gigabytes, so there is no GB figure to divide by.

eSIM Go is not affiliated with Jio, Airtel, Vi or BSNL. Pack details are taken from their own pages on the date shown.

| Jio pack | Price | Validity | What you get | Source (checked 13 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Pack | ₹1,101 | 28 days | balance of ₹933.05 and 5 ISD SMS | [Jio IR plans](https://www.jio.com/selfcare/plans/mobility/prepaid-plans-list/?category=International%20Roaming&categoryId=SW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbCBSb2FtaW5n) |
| Global Pack | ₹1,102 | 28 days | balance of ₹933.90 and 5 ISD SMS | [Jio IR plans](https://www.jio.com/selfcare/plans/mobility/prepaid-plans-list/?category=International%20Roaming&categoryId=SW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbCBSb2FtaW5n) |

Prepaid and postpaid Jio users see the same packs, and pack validity follows Jio's rule: "Your plan validity begins only with your first usage—call, text, or data." Nepal does have Jio packs with data; see [Nepal roaming](/roaming/nepal/).

## Airtel and Vi packs for Bhutan (table)

The Airtel IR pack Bhutan travellers buy is the one prepaid set Airtel sells for every covered country; Airtel advertises 189 countries for it. Vi puts Bhutan in its non-UL zone for iRoamFree and Ultra packs and in Budget Set 2 for Budget packs, with different data in each.

| Airtel and Vi pack | Price | Data · days | Minutes · SMS | ≈ ₹ per GB | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtel prepaid IR pack | ₹998 | 4 GB · 5 days | 150 min · 20 SMS out | about ₹250 | [Airtel T&C](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf), 13 Oct 2026 |
| Airtel prepaid IR pack | ₹1,298 | 6 GB · 10 days | 200 min · 20 SMS out | about ₹216 | [Airtel T&C](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf), 13 Oct 2026 |
| Vi Budget pack (Set 2 zone) | ₹755 | 500 MB · 5 days | no voice | about ₹1,510 | [Vi prepaid T&C](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf), 13 Oct 2026 |
| Vi Budget pack (Set 2 zone) | ₹995 | 250 MB · 10 days | 50 min | about ₹3,980 | [Vi prepaid T&C](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf), 13 Oct 2026 |
| Vi Budget pack (Set 2 zone) | ₹1,495 | 750 MB · 15 days | 100 min | about ₹1,993 | [Vi prepaid T&C](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf), 13 Oct 2026 |
| Vi Ultra pack (non-UL zone) | ₹3,495 | 2 GB · 7 days | 200 min | about ₹1,748 | [Vi prepaid T&C](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf), 13 Oct 2026 |
| Vi Ultra pack (non-UL zone) | ₹4,695 | 3 GB · 10 days | 300 min | about ₹1,565 | [Vi prepaid T&C](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf), 13 Oct 2026 |
| Vi Ultra pack (non-UL zone) | ₹5,195 | 5 GB · 14 days | 500 min | about ₹1,039 | [Vi prepaid T&C](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf), 13 Oct 2026 |

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Because Bhutan is non-UL, Vi's Ultra packs carry a fixed 2 to 5 GB there, not the data Vi prints as FREE in its 40-country UL zone. Budget Set 2 allowances are thin: 250 MB over 10 days is less than one day at the 0.3 GB-a-day profile we use site-wide. Vi's postpaid table lists Bhutan in Set 2; we could not confirm that this country table is current. Vi also states that its IR packs are "not applicable for customers in J&K, Assam and North East".

Airtel's FAQ page still shows older prices; the T&C dated 24 Sep 2026 list ₹998 and ₹1,298.

## BSNL in Bhutan: what its page shows

BSNL's international roaming Bhutan entry names a special prepaid tariff, but shows no price for it and lists no data allowance. Bhutan is also on BSNL's prepaid partner list; a partner network is not a pack. Prepaid roaming on BSNL starts with STV 1967, "for Activation of prepaid International roaming for 365 days", and a special international roaming SIM collected from a BSNL Customer Care Centre.

## Cost per GB for a 5-day and a 7-day Bhutan trip

The test: the shortest pack from each operator that lasts the whole trip, ranked by price per GB, with Vi's FREE-data rows left out (Bhutan has none). Jio has no pack to rank. Each ₹ figure is our division of price by data, from prices listed on 13 Oct 2026.

Five days: Airtel's ₹998 pack comes to about ₹250 per GB, ₹200 a day. Vi's ₹755 Budget pack lasts exactly five days at about ₹1,510 per GB and ₹151 a day, with no calls. Seven days: Airtel's 10-day ₹1,298 pack comes to about ₹216 per GB, ₹185 a day over the week; Vi's 7-day Ultra costs about ₹1,748 per GB, ₹499 a day. On both trip lengths Airtel has the lowest price per GB on this page.

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In our catalogue on 12 Oct 2026, Bhutan has seven plans on B-Mobile 5G, all data only: six with fixed data and one 10-day unlimited plan that slows to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day. 1 GB over 7 days costs ≈ ₹526 (12 Oct rate) and 2 GB over 15 days costs ≈ ₹909 (12 Oct rate). 3 GB over 30 days costs ≈ ₹1,196 (12 Oct rate), about ₹398 (US$4.16) per GB, charged US$12.49 by card. 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/).

Sizing a Bhutan week at 0.3 GB a day gives about 2.1 GB (our calculation): the 1 GB plan runs out, the 2 GB plan falls just short, the 3 GB plan covers it. The [Bhutan eSIM page](/esim-bhutan/) lists every plan; the [Bhutan SIM card guide](/international-sim/bhutan/) covers a local SIM after landing, a physical card from a local operator that needs a free slot.

OTP texts from Indian banks go to your Indian number, never to a data-only eSIM. Keep the Indian SIM in as the second line, mobile data off, and check with your operator that SMS will reach you in Bhutan; nobody can guarantee every OTP. More in the [OTP guide](/help/keep-indian-sim-for-otp/).

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.

## How we checked these prices

Each row shows its checked on date. For Jio we read the plan list, the Global Pack country list and the four Jio lists with data, to confirm Bhutan is absent from them; for Airtel, the T&C PDF dated 24 Sep 2026; for Vi, the prepaid T&C PDF; for BSNL, its roaming site. ₹ per GB is price divided by data.

For international roaming Bhutan appears on Jio's Global Pack list only, on Airtel's single list, and on Vi's non-UL and Budget Set 2 lists. Vi prints its prepaid country table as an image, which we transcribed by hand, so confirm Bhutan in the Vi app. All three side by side: [Jio vs Airtel vs Vi](/roaming/jio-vs-airtel-vs-vi/).

Updated on 13 Oct 2026: first version. Written and reviewed by Nadezhda Semenova; see the [editorial policy](/editorial-policy/). Operators: [Jio](/roaming/jio/), [Airtel](/roaming/airtel/), [Vi](/roaming/vi/); [all countries](/roaming/).

## 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), with the [Global Pack country list](https://jep-asset.akamaized.net/jio/plan/Direct_Country_and_Partner_Name_22072020.pdf) and the 100-country, 75-country, World Pack and data-pack lists checked for Bhutan
2. [Jio international services](https://www.jio.com/jcms/international-services/)
3. [Airtel IR terms, dated 24 Sep 2026](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf) and [IR packs page](https://www.airtel.in/ir-packs/)
4. [Vi prepaid IR terms](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf) and [postpaid IR terms](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_Postpaid_IR_T&C.pdf)
5. [BSNL international roaming](https://ir.bsnl.co.in/) and [prepaid partner countries](https://ir.bsnl.co.in/pre-paid-partner)
6. [Ministry of Tourism: departures 2025, Bhutan](https://data.tourism.gov.in/chart-data-outboundcountry/2025?country=BHUTAN)

## FAQ

### Will my Jio, Airtel or Vi SIM work in Bhutan?

On which Indian SIM works in Bhutan: Airtel and Vi SIMs get mobile data there through a roaming pack; without one, Airtel bars prepaid data abroad and Vi keeps mobile data off. Jio is different: it sells no data pack for Bhutan, and only its Global Pack balance, spent at standard roaming rates, lists the country.

### How much is the Airtel IR pack for Bhutan?

There is no Bhutan-only Airtel pack. The prepaid set that covers Bhutan is the same for every country Airtel lists: ₹998 for 4 GB over 5 days and ₹1,298 for 6 GB over 10 days, among others, per its T&C dated 24 Sep 2026.

### Which Jio international roaming plan covers Bhutan?

None with data. Bhutan sits on no Jio voice-and-data, World Pack or data-pack list. The Global Pack lists it: ₹1,101 or ₹1,102 for 28 days buys a balance of about ₹933, spent at standard roaming rates (13 Oct 2026).

### Is a travel eSIM cheaper than roaming in Bhutan?

It depends on the day you buy and the trip length. Airtel's ₹1,298 pack works out at about ₹216 per GB and Vi's Bhutan rows at ₹1,039 to ₹3,980. Our Bhutan plans are charged in US dollars, so set the ≈ ₹ per GB shown on the plan against those figures.

### Can I get bank OTPs on my Indian number in Bhutan while using an eSIM?

Not with certainty. Our eSIM has no Indian number, so bank OTPs still go to your Indian SIM. Leave that SIM in the phone as the second line with its mobile data off, and ask your operator before you leave whether SMS reaches you in Bhutan.