Jio, Airtel & Vi roaming in Nepal vs a travel eSIM

Get an eSIM for Nepal — from ≈ ₹483arrow_forward

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

Updated on 12 Oct 2026 — what changed. First edition, built from the Jio plan list, Airtel’s terms and conditions (T&C) dated 24 Sep 2026 and Vi’s prepaid T&C.

Short answer: Jio has only two options for Nepal

Jio sells two pack families with data for Nepal: the World Pack, which bundles calls and data, and the data-only packs. Its 100-country and 75-country voice-and-data packs do not list Nepal. Airtel’s single prepaid pack set covers Nepal, and so do Vi’s prepaid budget and Ultra packs, with no unlimited data there. Checked 12 Oct 2026.

Jio’s Global Pack also lists Nepal, but it is a prepaid balance spent at standard roaming rates, not a data pack.

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

If you need calls on your Indian number, buy an operator pack: our eSIM is data-only and includes no calls and no SMS. If you need mostly data, compare the ₹ per GB below with a Nepal eSIM from India. An Ncell or NTC SIM is covered in the Nepal SIM card guide: local SIM vs eSIM. Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land abroad. Your phone must support eSIM; check it on our list of eSIM phones. For bank OTPs, keep your Indian SIM in the phone either way; the guide to keeping your Indian number for OTPs has the settings.

Jio World Pack and data packs for Nepal

The Jio Nepal roaming pack with calls, the World Pack, costs ₹1,499 for 2 GB over 14 days. The data-only packs carry no calls and run from ₹599 for 1 GB over 7 days to ₹5,899 for 10 GB over 21 days. Jio sells the same roaming packs to prepaid and postpaid customers. Listed on 12 Oct 2026.

Source: Jio plan list, category “International Roaming”, checked on 12 Oct 2026. The table shows a selection of the packs, not all of them. The ≈ ₹ per GB column is our derivation (price ÷ GB). Beyond the high-speed allowance, both pack types drop to 64 kbps.

Jio’s pages disagree on one detail. The descriptions of the larger data packs give a country count that does not match the country list Jio links from them. Nepal is on that linked list, so we quote no country count for these packs; check your destination on the list before you buy. Jio states: “Your plan validity begins only with your first usage—call, text, or data.”

Airtel and Vi packs that cover Nepal (table)

Airtel’s prepaid IR packs cost the same for Nepal as for any other covered country: ₹998 for 4 GB over 5 days and ₹1,298 for 6 GB over 10 days (T&C dated 24 Sep 2026). The Vi roaming Nepal packs below are prepaid and run from ₹995 for 10 days to ₹5,195 for 14 days. Postpaid packs are priced differently. Checked 12 Oct 2026.

Source: Airtel T&C PDF dated 24 Sep 2026, Appendix 2; Vi prepaid T&C PDF (file dated 24 Aug 2026); both checked on 12 Oct 2026. The table shows a selection, not every pack. The ≈ ₹ per GB column is our derivation. Airtel’s SMS figures are outgoing SMS. Airtel’s own roaming page still shows older FAQ prices for the 5-day and 10-day packs (₹898 and ₹1,198); this page uses the T&C, which date the revised prices from 29 Jul 2026. Vi’s T&C list no SMS counts for these rows.

Two cautions on Vi. Its country lists sit on an image page of the PDF and we transcribed the names by hand, so confirm Nepal in the Vi app before you buy. Vi’s prepaid terms also state: “IR packs are not applicable for customers in J&K, Assam and North East.”

Cost per GB for a 7-day and a 14-day trip

For a 7-day trip, Airtel’s ₹1,298 prepaid pack has the lowest price per GB of the packs shown: about ₹216 for 6 GB over 10 days. For 14 days, Jio’s ₹999 data pack costs about ₹500 per GB for 2 GB, and Airtel’s 30-day pack about ₹300 per GB for 10 GB. Checked 12 Oct 2026.

Source: the operator documents linked in each row, checked on 12 Oct 2026; ₹ per GB is price ÷ GB, our derivation. Airtel has no 7-day or 14-day prepaid pack, so the table uses the shortest pack validity that covers the trip, and you pay for the unused days.

The per-GB figure hides the total. For a small allowance, the ₹599 Jio Nepal roaming pack has the lowest total: 1 GB over 7 days, against ₹995 on Vi and ₹1,298 on Airtel, even though Airtel is cheaper per GB. If you need 2 GB for two weeks, Jio’s ₹999 data pack costs ₹999, Vi’s budget pack ₹1,495 and Airtel’s 30-day pack ₹2,998. The roaming hub runs the same pack-or-eSIM check for other trips.

On our Nepal eSIM, 1 GB over 7 days costs ≈ ₹478 (12 Oct rate). 2 GB over 15 days costs ≈ ₹813 (12 Oct rate). 10 GB over 30 days costs ≈ ₹2,298 (12 Oct rate), charged US$23.99 by card. These plans include no calls and no SMS. 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.

Can I use my Indian SIM in Nepal without a pack?

For mobile data, mostly no. Without a pack, Airtel bars data on prepaid lines “to avoid any accidental usage”. Vi’s RoamSafe keeps mobile data off unless you send ACT IRDATA to 199, which turns it on for 2 days at standard rates. Jio’s Global Pack is a standard-rate balance, not a data allowance. Checked 12 Oct 2026.

On Airtel prepaid, send IRSTART to 121 to switch international roaming on and IRSTOP to switch it off. You can book a pack up to 30 days before travel. If you do not travel within 30 days, the pack expires with no reimbursement. After an Airtel prepaid pack ends, calls cost ₹10 a minute and SMS ₹5. Airtel postpaid works differently. With roaming on and no pack, you pay standard rates until the day’s charges pass ₹698. Airtel then applies a ₹698 one-day pack automatically.

Vi’s roaming FAQ gives ACT IMRS to 199 to switch roaming on, with exceptions for some circles, and “standard roaming rates will apply” until you buy a pack. Our guides to Airtel, Jio and Vi roaming cover the rest.

Some postpaid and annual plans now bundle a few days of roaming — check your plan in the Airtel or Vi app before you travel.

One traveller on r/Nepal (23 Mar 2025) wrote: “Important thing is to get SIM card at the airport - the fastest way then in the city.” The same comment adds that you need a regular SIM with a number to make calls, and it names Nepal Telecom (NTC) and Ncell. That is one person’s view of the Kathmandu airport SIM route, not a price reference. We have not verified current Nepali SIM prices, so this page quotes none.

How we checked these prices

We read each figure on 12 Oct 2026 (IST) in the operator’s own documents. For Jio that is the plan list; for Airtel and Vi, the T&C PDFs. We matched Nepal against the country list of each pack set. We did not buy or test any pack. Prices change without notice; confirm the pack in the operator’s app before you pay.

FAQ

Get an eSIM for Nepal, from ≈ ₹483 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