Dubai SIM Card for Tourists: du, e& or an eSIM?

If you would rather land with data already working, a HelloRoam eSIM for Dubai goes on your phone at home and picks up a UAE network as you land. Your map and ride app are then ready before you reach the SIM desks.

Dubai tourist SIM prices run from a free day to AED 499 for 28 days

Each operator publishes its tourist plans on its own site, and the prices below were read there on 31 October 2026. e& lists its prices before 5% VAT, and Virgin Mobile shows them with VAT included by default. du's tourist pages do not say either way, so ask for the final price at the desk. du's and e&'s minutes cover local and international calls, to most countries in e&'s case.

Get your UAE eSIM before you flyInstall it at home, then switch on data roaming for it when you land. From £2.98.See UAE plans

For a week of unlimited data, du and e& sit side by side. At du it costs AED 199, at e& it is AED 190.47 plus VAT, about AED 200, and both include 100 minutes. Virgin Mobile has no 7-day unlimited plan: its 10-day unlimited plan costs AED 200 with VAT and includes no minutes. Its 7-day plan costs less, at AED 150, but has a daily limit of 3GB, and any data you have not used by midnight is lost.

Virgin's tourist plans are one-off and cannot be renewed. When yours ends, Virgin offers a recurring monthly plan or pay as you go, so on a longer stay compare that cost before you choose it. If you are unsure how many GB your trip takes, estimate how much data you need before you pick a bundle.

Your passport and UAE visa are the ID the SIM desks ask for

The UAE's telecoms regulator, TDRA, lets visitors register a SIM with their passport, on terms the operator sets and for a limited period. The UAE government's visitor guide adds that you need a copy of your passport and your UAE visa.

For a full British citizen passport, the FCDO says that, as of October 2026, you get a visit visa free of charge when you arrive. It is stamped into your passport at immigration and is valid for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. That stamp is the visa the SIM desks ask for. If you are not sure how the rules apply to you, the FCDO points you to the UAE Embassy in the UK. Read the FCDO's UAE entry requirements again before you fly.

TDRA caps visitors at two SIM cards per operator, and e& applies the same limit to its Visitor Line: two per passport. e& says its visitor packs are for visitors aged 18 and over, and the Visitor Line stays valid for as long as your visa, up to 90 days.

How quickly the line works depends on how you buy it. du activates its tourist SIM with a verification text. Virgin Mobile says its eSIM, activated through facial recognition, usually goes live straight away, while a physical SIM collected in store needs a passport check that can take a few hours.

The free 10GB from du and e& lasts 24 hours, then you top up

The free lines suit the first day: the taxi to your hotel, the check-in message, a first look at the map. du's free tourist eSIM starts with a QR code you scan on your phone, and e&'s Free Visitor Line costs AED 0 with a new SIM included. Both give 10GB for the first 24 hours, and the line stays open after that.

After that you buy a bundle or top up. du sells and recharges SIMs in its stores, and you can recharge in the du app. e& tops up through its app, by dialling *101# or at its Business Centres and outlets. e&'s Visitor Line page says data outside the bundle is restricted to prevent accidental charges. If you opt in, its Super Data Blocks cost AED 1.05 per 20MB, up to AED 9.45 a day, VAT included.

An eSIM keeps your UK number working beside a Dubai line

Apple's Dual SIM guide describes exactly this set-up: one number for your home line and another for your travel line. Both numbers can make and receive calls and texts. You choose which one uses mobile data, so a text to your UK number, such as a bank passcode, still reaches you while the Dubai line carries the data.

On an iPhone, Dual SIM pairs a physical SIM with an eSIM, or two eSIMs on iPhone 13 and later. Pick the eSIM version of any plan above and your UK SIM can stay in the phone. Apple's requirements start at the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, and if the two plans come from different networks, your UK provider must unlock the phone. On Android, check your phone supports eSIM before you rely on it.

Keeping your UK plan on its own is a fair choice for a stopover. Ofcom, the UK regulator, says providers must publish their roaming charges and send you a message explaining them when you arrive abroad, unless you have opted out. Your provider may also offer a daily or weekly charge to use your usual allowance. Our eSIM vs physical SIM guide compares the two formats in more detail.

WhatsApp and FaceTime are not on the UAE's approved calling list

TDRA treats voice and video calls over the internet as a regulated service and requires the licensed operators to block apps that do not comply. Its list of allowed apps, read on 31 October 2026, includes BOTIM, GoChat, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet (meetings only). WhatsApp and FaceTime are not on it, so do not count on them for calls.

Two operators point you to approved apps. e& adds unlimited promo data for GoChat Messenger to its Visitor Line, and Virgin Mobile suggests BOTIM for free internet calls, which still use your data allowance. For ordinary calls, du and e& bundles include minutes, Virgin's 7-day plan has 30 local and 20 international minutes, and its unlimited plans have none.

Trip length and calling needs point to the right Dubai SIM

HelloRoam sells travel eSIMs, so we have an interest in the last row. You can read how we handle conflicts of interest in our editorial policy. Once the data is sorted, our guide to things to do in Dubai covers free sights, family days out and desert trips.

Our UAE eSIM works in every emirate and installs at home

On 31 October 2026, our UAE plans listed du as their network, the operator behind the free tourist SIMs at immigration. That network may change, and the plan you pick lists the current one. HelloRoam's UAE plans are data only, so calls and texts stay on your UK number. Follow our step-by-step install guide at home over Wi-Fi, then select the new line in Settings and switch Data Roaming on for it, and it joins the local network when you land.

The UAE eSIM plans cover the whole country, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah included, so a day trip needs no second plan. If the line does not connect after landing, our support team answers 24/7.

Check the FCDO's UAE advice before you fly

As of 31 October 2026, the FCDO's travel advice for the UAE says the context in the Middle East remains deeply unpredictable and the risk of sudden escalation is high. It reports strikes and retaliatory attacks by Iran and others across the region. It tells British nationals in, or planning to travel through, the region to be prepared for flight cancellations and for airports and airspace to close at short notice. Read the FCDO's UAE travel advice and sign up for its email alerts before you travel.