United Arab Emirates eSIM

The UAE's networks are fast in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. What catches visitors out is calling: WhatsApp messages work, but WhatsApp and FaceTime calls generally don't, because the UAE only allows approved calling apps.

What a week of data costs in the UAE

Prices for 7 days of data, checked on 2 November 2026. Daily passes charge each day you use the phone abroad, per phone. The UAE isn't covered by European "roam like at home" deals.

For a family of four on Verizon, that's $336 for one week. Indian travellers should check the current Jio and Airtel packs in their apps, since the 1 GB in a launch-price pack goes quickly on maps and video.

Landing at Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH), Sharjah (SHJ) or Dubai World Central (DWC)

Most long-haul flights land at Dubai International (DXB). Emirates uses Terminal 3, flydubai uses Terminal 2, and most other international airlines use Terminal 1. Abu Dhabi's airport has been called Zayed International (AUH) since February 2024. Sharjah (SHJ) is about 13 km from Sharjah city and takes many budget flights. Al Maktoum International, also called Dubai World Central (DWC), is in Jebel Ali, about 37 km south-west of the city.

Switch the kimsim line on as the plane taxis to the gate. At DXB the walk from the gate to immigration can be long, and you can message your hotel or driver on the way.

Visas first. British citizens get a free visit visa on arrival for up to 90 days in any 180, and the passport must be valid for 6 months after you arrive. Indian passport holders get a visa on arrival only if they hold a valid visa, residence permit or green card from certain countries, including the US, UK, EU members and, since February 2025, Australia, Canada and Japan. Otherwise, apply in advance. Other nationalities should check the official UAE portals before booking.

At DXB, in order: turn on Data Roaming for the kimsim line only, walk to immigration, and collect your bags. du gives eligible visitors a free tourist SIM at the immigration counters, with 1 GB of data for 24 hours. You don't need it with your eSIM already working, and a single-SIM phone would lose its home SIM to it.

Into the city from DXB: Dubai Metro's Red Line has stations at Terminals 1 and 3. The UK Foreign Office advises using only licensed taxis or apps such as Careem and Uber. Dubai's licensed taxis are cream with coloured roofs; pink-roofed taxis have women drivers.

Networks and coverage

The UAE has two mobile operators: Etisalat and du. Virgin Mobile UAE runs on du's network. Etisalat traded as e& from 2022 and announced on 6 October 2026 that it was returning to the Etisalat name, so you'll still see both names. du is the brand of the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC). Your phone shows the UAE operator's name, not kimsim.

Both operators run 5G. Expect strong coverage in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and along the main highways. It thins out in the open desert, in the wadis and on mountain roads in the Hajar range. The networks your plan uses are listed above.

Emirate by emirate

• Dubai: Downtown, Dubai Marina and the malls are well covered. On a desert safari, signal can drop between the dunes, so share your location before you set off. The UK Foreign Office advises never driving into the desert alone, and taking water and a phone.
• Abu Dhabi: the city and the islands (Yas, Saadiyat) are well covered. Long drives west into Al Dhafra cross empty stretches.
• Sharjah: next door to Dubai and covered like it.
• Ras Al Khaimah: the Jebel Jais road climbs towards the UAE's highest point, at about 1,892 m. Download a map before the drive. The summit itself is on the Omani side.
• Fujairah and the east coast: the towns are fine. The mountain roads across from Dubai can be patchy.
• Musandam (Oman): the peninsula north of Ras Al Khaimah is part of Oman and is reached by road through the UAE. A UAE plan won't work there; see the Oman eSIM or the Global plan above.

This is general guidance, not a coverage map. If one network is weak where you're staying and your plan offers another, switch network by hand.

Metro, taxis, trains and buses

Dubai's metro, trams and buses use the nol card. A nol Silver card costs AED 25 at any ticket office, including AED 19 of credit. Taxis are the easy way around Abu Dhabi, where licensed cabs are silver.

Etihad Rail opened its first passenger route, Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, on 30 June 2026. Dubai station was due to open on 30 September 2026, and Sharjah station is due on 30 March 2027. Tickets are sold in the Etihad Rail app and on its website. Check the current timetable before you plan a day trip by train.

Apps worth having

• Careem books cars and taxis in the UAE, paid by card, Apple Pay or cash. You sign up with a mobile number, so do it at home while texts reach your usual number. Uber works in Dubai and Abu Dhabi too, and lets you book rides ahead.
• WhatsApp is how hotels, drivers and desert-safari operators message you. Messages work over kimsim data. Keep your WhatsApp number working abroad.
• BOTIM is on the UAE's list of approved calling apps, alongside Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. It only helps if the person you're calling has it too.
• Maps: download offline areas for any desert or mountain drive.

Calling apps and VPNs: the UAE's rules

The UAE regulates internet calls as a licensed service. When WhatsApp calls briefly worked for some users in 2017, and when rumours of an unblock spread in 2018, the regulator said there was "no change" to its VoIP policy, and that such apps "must be subject to the regulatory framework in force". Neither WhatsApp nor FaceTime is on the published list of approved calling apps. We found no announcement of a change as of November 2026.

Plan on messages, voice notes and approved apps. Your eSIM is data only, with no phone number, so for a call that really matters, keep your home line on for normal calls and texts.

On VPNs: UAE law doesn't ban them outright. Using one to commit or hide a crime, or to reach blocked services, can bring fines of up to AED 2 million. Don't use one to get round the calling rules.

SIM and phone rules

A UAE tourist SIM is a new UAE number registered to your passport. Etisalat's Visitor Line needs a valid passport and visa, and allows at most 2 lines per passport. The free tourist eSIMs are activated after immigration: Etisalat's checks your face, and du's free SIM is verified by text with your year of birth. du's free tourist eSIM gives 10 GB for 24 hours; after that you buy a bundle.

A travel eSIM installed at home skips the counter, the registration and the one-day limit, and keeps your home number in the phone.

Common mistakes

• Counting on WhatsApp calls. Messages work; calls generally don't. Agree with your driver or hotel to message, and keep your home line for calls.
• Leaving Data Roaming on for your home line. The UAE sits in the expensive zones of many home carriers' price lists. Roaming goes on for the kimsim line only. Why roaming goes on for the kimsim line only
• Starting the plan on a stop-over. If you connect through Doha, Muscat or elsewhere, keep the kimsim line off until you land in the UAE. If your plan started early
• Crossing into Musandam or Oman on a UAE plan. It's a different country. How regional plans work
• Posting without thinking. The UK Foreign Office warns that swearing and rude gestures are illegal in the UAE, including online, and that photographing people without permission can lead to arrest. In an emergency, call 999 for police or 998 for an ambulance from your home line or any local phone; a data-only eSIM can't dial them.

More on the UAE

• Does WhatsApp work with a travel eSIM? Keep your number
• eSIM vs roaming: which is cheaper for your trip?
• How much data do I need for a week abroad?

How we put this page together

We checked operators' own pages, the UK Foreign Office, UAE news reports of the regulator's statements, carriers' roaming price pages and the other sources noted above on 1–2 November 2026, and we'll keep them up to date. We haven't measured speeds or coverage in the UAE ourselves, and we haven't tested calling apps on our plans there, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.