SIM Card Guides

Egypt SIM card: How to get one as a tourist in 2026

Vodafone, Orange, e&, and WE all sell prepaid SIM cards to travelers in Egypt, and you'll need your passport to register one. Here's what each carrier charges, where to buy, and how a travel eSIM compares.

Holafly’s eSIM for Egypt is the simpler choice: unlimited data, 24/7 customer support, and pricing from £2.54 to £7/day for any duration from 1 to 90 days. No shops, no top-ups, no comparing data tiers. You just activate online in a couple of minutes.

For longer trips or wider North Africa and Middle East routes, Holafly Plans is a monthly subscription with coverage in 170+ destinations, no commitment.

Egypt’s just one trip; the eSIM keeps going. Every Holafly plan includes Always On, 1 GB of monthly backup data in 70+ destinations, refreshed monthly as long as the Holafly eSIM stays on your device. So when the trip ends, the eSIM doesn’t.

In this article

How to get an Egypt SIM card as a tourist

There are two easy ways to grab a physical SIM card, so you can stay connected and use your cell phone in Egypt while avoiding excessive Egyptian roaming costs:

Buy a SIM card before you arrive: You can buy an Egypt SIM card online and have it delivered to your home, your hotel in Egypt, or even the airport.
Buy a SIM card upon arrival: You can buy a SIM card as soon as you arrive in Egypt. You’ll find SIM cards in dedicated stands at the airport as well as shops throughout the country.
Buy an eSIM instead: eSIMs have grown to be one of the most popular ways for staying connected abroad, thanks to the convenience and ease of use they offer. Simply buy and activate your eSIM online for instant data access.

💡Tip: Ensure your phone is unlocked. A locked phone won’t take a local SIM, which leaves you on Egyptian roaming costs instead.

What is the best SIM card for Egypt?

The best SIM card for Egypt depends on how long you’re staying and whether you need calls as well as data. Four operators sell prepaid lines: Vodafone, Orange, e&, and WE, all offering mobile internet in Egypt with their SIM cards for tourists. Only e& and WE publish prices for their tourist packages, so a SIM card for Egypt is worth comparing on what each one actually gives you rather than on headline cost alone.

Disclaimer: The data in this article is accurate as of August 10, 2026, and is subject to change.

1. Vodafone Egypt SIM card for tourists

Vodafone has the widest network reach of the four operators and runs 4G and 5G across the country.

Its visitor product is the Tourist Line, sold as a TourSIM. Vodafone advertises it with 30 GB of data, 200 local minutes, and 30 international minutes, but doesn’t publish the price or the validity period on its website at this time. That’s worth knowing before you plan around it.

What Vodafone does state about the Tourist Line:

You can buy it from the Vodafone store at the airport or any Vodafone retail store in Egypt.
It’s sold only to tourists visiting Egypt.
Once your bundle runs out, local minutes and SMS cost EGP 0.19 each, and data costs EGP 0.19 per MB.
You can check your balance and buy the bundle again by dialing *6060#.

Vodafone’s prepaid platform is called El-Kart, and you top it up with Fakka recharge cards. These run from EGP 5 (~£0.07) to EGP 30 (~£0.44), with validity from 2 to 7 days, and you can recharge through the Ana Vodafone app, Vodafone Cash, an e-voucher, or a physical card.

For documents, Vodafone asks for a valid passport plus a valid residency, an official refugee letter, an exemption from residence, or an E-visa.

Since the Tourist Line price isn’t published, ask at the store or the airport branch when you arrive.

Vodafone also sells a travel eSIM for Egypt through its international site, separate from the Tourist Line sold by Vodafone Egypt. It’s data only, with no local number, and you install it before you travel rather than collecting a card in store.

2. Orange SIM card for Egypt

Orange has strong coverage in cities and tourist areas, and runs 4G and 5G in Egypt.

Orange is the one operator of the four with no tourist package on their website. Its page for visitors covers roaming onto the Orange network with a foreign line rather than buying an Orange SIM, and it doesn’t publish what a visitor needs to get a prepaid line.

What Orange does sell is a standard prepaid tariff called Alo. Instead of a fixed bundle of data and minutes, Alo gives you a flat rate across minutes, SMS, and megabytes, so you pay for what you use out of your credit. It also includes WhatsApp use throughout the day with a fair usage cap of 20 MB.

You add credit with Kart El Kebir recharge cards:

Cards run from EGP 5 (~£0.07) to EGP 75 (~£1.11).
Each card gives you units or megabytes, and validity ranges from 2 days to 28 days.
Minutes and SMS to other networks cost 5 units each.
The buckets are non-renewable, so you buy a new card when one runs out.
Recharge by dialing #1021recharge code# for units or #1022recharge code# for megabytes, or through Orange Cash and the My Orange app.

The practical difference is that with Orange you’re managing a balance rather than buying a package, which suits short stays and light use more than a two-week trip with heavy data.

Orange sells a travel eSIM for Egypt through Orange Travel, its international arm, which is separate from Orange Egypt’s prepaid lines. Like other travel eSIMs it gives you data without a local number, and you set it up before you fly.

3. e& SIM card for Egypt

e& Egypt, formerly Etisalat, runs 4G and 5G coverage across the country.

e& sells four prepaid data bundles to visitors, all of them combining mobile data with local and international calls:

Traveler 200: EGP 200 (~£2.96) for 7 GB, 100 local minutes, and 5 international calls
Traveler 300: EGP 300 (~£4.44) for 12 GB, 250 local minutes, and 10 international calls
Traveler 450: EGP 450 (~£6.66) for 25 GB, 250 local minutes, and 20 international calls
Traveler 600: EGP 600 (~£8.88) for 40 GB, 400 local minutes, and 30 international calls

A few things worth knowing before you buy:

Prices include tax and SDF, so what you see is what you pay.
Traveler 200 and 300 can’t be renewed. Traveler 450 and 600 renew up to three times, by calling *620#.
Any megabytes you haven’t used carry over when you renew.
The packages are sold only to tourists visiting Egypt.

4. WE SIM card in Egypt

WE is the mobile brand of Telecom Egypt and it publishes more details than the other three operators, including what the SIM itself costs. A new WE line is EGP 81.23 (~£1.20) including taxes, and you buy it from any Telecom Egypt store. Egyptians need a valid national ID, and foreigners need a valid passport.

On top of the line, WE sells two tourist plans called Mobile Egypt:

Mobile Egypt 100: EGP 100 (~£1.48) for 5,000 MB, 60 local minutes, and 20 international minutes
Mobile Egypt 300: EGP 300 (~£4.44) for 20,000 MB, 120 local minutes, and 60 international minutes

The terms differ from e& in two ways that affect what you pay:

Both plans last 30 days and can be renewed.
Prices are tax exclusive, so the amount you pay at the till is higher than the figure above.
Once you use your bundle, internet keeps working at a throttled speed at no extra cost.
Out of bundle, SMS and local calls cost EGP 0.19 each.
You can add extra internet packages while your line is still valid.
The plans are available only to tourists visiting Egypt.
Help is on *444# or 544.

If you’re topping up rather than buying a plan, WE’s Agda3 Sha7na recharges cost less from your credit than the card’s face value, starting at EGP 3.5 (~£0.05) for a card worth 5 and 80 units over 2 days.

Prices at airport counters aren’t always the same as the ones operators publish online, and staff sometimes offer packages you won’t find on the website. It’s worth asking what’s available at the counter and comparing it against the plans above before you commit.

How much is a SIM card in Egypt?

Tourist packages run from EGP 100 (~£1.48) to EGP 600 (~£8.88), and bundle data with local and international calls. A standard prepaid line costs less to start, but you buy credit in small amounts and it runs out quickly.

How much is a SIM card in Egypt comes down to the operator and whether you want a tourist package or a standard prepaid line you top up as you go.

Provider	Plan	Data	Calls	Price	Validity
WE	Mobile Egypt 100	5,000 MB	60 local, 20 international minutes	EGP 100 (~£1.48) plus tax	30 days
e&	Traveler 200	7 GB	100 local minutes, 5 international calls	EGP 200 (~£2.96)	Not stated
WE	Mobile Egypt 300	20,000 MB	120 local, 60 international minutes	EGP 300 (~£4.44) plus tax	30 days
e&	Traveler 300	12 GB	250 local minutes, 10 international calls	EGP 300 (~£4.44)	Not stated
e&	Traveler 450	25 GB	250 local minutes, 20 international calls	EGP 450 (~£6.66)	Not stated
e&	Traveler 600	40 GB	400 local minutes, 30 international calls	EGP 600 (~£8.88)	Not stated
Vodafone	Tourist Line	30 GB	200 local, 30 international minutes	Not published	Not published

How to activate an Egypt SIM card

Activation itself is handled in store. Egyptian operators register every prepaid line against an ID document, so staff activate the SIM when you buy it and hand it over working. What you’ll need afterwards are the short codes for topping up, renewing, and checking what’s left.

How to activate a Vodafone SIM card in Egypt

Vodafone activates your Tourist Line when you buy it, at the airport store or a retail branch. After that, dial *6060# to check your balance or buy the bundle again.

To add credit to an El-Kart prepaid line, recharge a Fakka card by dialing *858*recharge code#, then dial *86# to see how many units you have left. You can also top up through the Ana Vodafone app, Vodafone Cash on *9#, an e-voucher, or a physical card.

How to activate an Orange SIM card in Egypt

Orange sets up your prepaid line in store, and you choose a tariff from there. To move a line onto the Alo tariff, dial #100# or #0#, call 400, or use the My Orange app.

To top up with a Kart El Kebir card, dial #102*1*recharge code# for units or #102*2*recharge code# for megabytes. To activate a bucket from credit you already hold, dial #175# or use the My Orange app. Orange Cash and standard recharge cards work too.

How to activate an e& SIM card in Egypt

If you’re looking at how to activate an Etisalat SIM card in Egypt, the process now runs under the e& brand. Your Traveler bundle is set up when you buy the line, and any unused megabytes carry over if you renew.

Traveler 200 and Traveler 300 can’t be renewed, so you’d buy a new package once they run out. Traveler 450 and Traveler 600 renew up to three times, by calling *620#.

How to activate a WE SIM card in Egypt

WE activates the line in store, where you’ll need a valid passport as a foreigner. A new line costs EGP 81.23 (~£1.20) including taxes, and your Mobile Egypt plan sits on top of it.

Both Mobile Egypt plans last 30 days and can be renewed, and you can add extra internet packages while the line is still valid. For help with either, dial *444# or call 544. To top up from credit at less than the card’s face value, dial *566# for an Agda3 Sha7na recharge.

Stay connected in Egypt with Holafly

Holafly’s eSIM for Egypt offers unlimited data, 5G speeds, and 24/7 customer support, so you’re connected from the moment you land without hunting for a store or registering a line. You buy it online, install it before you fly, and it activates when you arrive.

That’s the practical difference from a local SIM. There’s no counter to find at the airport, no passport to hand over, no balance to watch, and no card to swap in and out of your phone. Your own number stays active for calls and messages while the eSIM handles your data.

Travelling beyond Egypt on the same trip? Holafly Plans is a pay-monthly subscription covering 160+ destinations on a single eSIM, with no long-term contract.

Every Holafly eSIM also comes with Always On: 1 GB of monthly backup data at no added cost, in 150+ destinations. Keep the eSIM installed and it refreshes every month, so you’re covered for a long layover, an unexpected extra day, or the ride from the airport to your hotel.

Local SIM cards come with local rules. To understand more about how to get SIM cards in Africa and across the Middle East, check out our other SIM card blogs:

Egypt SIM card FAQs

Can a foreigner buy a SIM card in Egypt?

Yes. All four operators sell prepaid lines, and you register with your passport. WE states that foreigners need a valid passport, while Vodafone asks for a passport plus a residency document, exemption, or E-visa. Registration happens in store, so bring your documents with you.

Can I get an Orange Egypt SIM card as a tourist?

Orange doesn’t publish a tourist package or state what visitors need to buy a line. What it sells is a standard prepaid tariff called Alo, topped up with Kart El Kebir recharge cards from EGP 5 to EGP 75. To get one, visit an Orange store and ask what documents you’ll need.

What SIM card do I need for Egypt?

You need a prepaid SIM from Vodafone, Orange, e&, or WE. If you want data and calls in one package, e& and WE both sell tourist plans with published prices. If your phone supports eSIM, a travel eSIM works instead and skips the store visit entirely.

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Rokas Aniulis

Senior SEO copywriter

A senior SEO writer from Lithuania, combining my passion for writing and travel at Holafly. With years of experience in technical fields, I'm here to answer all of your questions about staying connected. I specialize in turning even the most complicated topics into something everyone can understand.

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