URL: https://esimgo.ae/sim-card/nepal/ Buy: https://esimgo.ae/esim-nepal/ Source: eSIM Go (esimgo.ae) Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimgo.ae/author/ Updated: 15 Oct 2026 # Nepal SIM card from the UAE: Ncell, NTC, roaming or a data eSIM Your passport decides which Nepal SIM card you can buy. The Ncell tourist SIM is "only for Non-Nepalese citizens" (NPR 595 for **7 days**), while Nepal Telecom (NTC) sells a new SIM to Nepali customers with a citizenship certificate and a passport-size photo (15 Oct 2026). A roaming pack on your UAE line starts at **AED 100.00** for a week (e& prepaid, du postpaid, Virgin Mobile UAE). A data-only eSIM on Ncell starts at AED 18.99 for **1GB** and **7 days**. About **0.36 million** Nepalis live in the UAE (Global Media Insight, an estimate), and the UAE was the No. 1 destination for Nepali labour permits in FY 2024/25 (**839,266** in total; Department of Foreign Employment, via the media). Permits count new workers, not trips. We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here; eSIM Go is not affiliated with e&, du, Virgin Mobile UAE, Ncell or NTC. ## Four ways to get data on a trip home to Nepal Visiting family in Nepal gives you four options: a Nepali SIM you already hold, a new Ncell or NTC SIM, a roaming pack on your UAE line, or a data eSIM as an alternative, installed before you fly. Virgin Mobile UAE's free One Country pass is not one: Nepal is not on its list (34 countries on Virgin's page, 15 Oct 2026). Your e&, du or Virgin Mobile line won't use mobile data abroad unless you add a roaming pack (e& lets you unlock pay-as-you-go data for 24 hours by SMS). Nepal is in the main zone of all three. ## Ncell or NTC SIM on arrival The Ncell tourist SIM comes as three plans, **NPR 595** (7 days), **NPR 995** (14 days) and **NPR 1,995** (28 days), but "the Tourist Plans are only for Non-Nepalese citizens" (ncell.com.np, 15 Oct 2026). A Nepali citizen cannot buy them. | Ncell TouristPro plan | Validity | NPR | about NPR per day | Limit | |---|---|---|---|---| | Sprinter | 7 days | 595 | 85.0 | throttled "after 10 GB" | | Explorer | 14 days | 995 | 71.1 | "after 25GB at 256kbps" | | Voyager | 28 days | 1,995 | 71.3 | no figure given | Source: [Ncell tourist SIM](https://www.ncell.com.np/en/individual/tourist-sim), 15 Oct 2026. All three list unlimited data and calls plus 100 SMS, and the page adds "Fair Usage Policy applies". The per-day column is our arithmetic; we do not convert rupees to AED. A non-Nepali resident buys the airport SIM at Tribhuvan International Airport, or at an Ncell Centre or outlet, and must "Bring your original passport". For an NTC SIM, a Nepali citizen fills in the online form, downloads it and visits the nearest Nepal Telecom office with the certificate and photo (ntc.net.np, 15 Oct 2026). We have no NTC prices. We also have no data on how long a Nepali SIM stays active while you live abroad; ask Ncell or NTC before you rely on an old one. One r/Nepal commenter (23 Mar 2025), in a thread on tourist SIMs, wrote: "you could get both Ncell and NTC for peace of mind, that's what i did when visiting remote areas". That is one person's experience. ## e&, du and Virgin Mobile packs for Nepal A week in Nepal costs **AED 100.00** on e& prepaid or Virgin Mobile UAE, and the same on du postpaid; e& postpaid has no data-only weekly pack. The cheapest gigabyte is du's postpaid **10GB** week at AED 100.00, or AED 10.00 per GB; the same bundle is AED 200.00 on a du prepaid line. | Pack | Data · days | AED | AED per GB | |---|---|---|---| | e& Weekly Data Pack (prepaid) | 4GB · 7 days (until 10 Jan 2027, normally 2GB) | 100 | 25 | | Virgin weekly pack | 2GB · 7 days | 100 | 50 | | du bundle, postpaid | 10GB · 7 days | 100 | 10 | | du bundle, prepaid | 10GB · 7 days | 200 | 20 | Sources: [e&](https://www.eand.ae/en/c/mobile/add-ons/hybrid/roaming-prepaid/roaming-weekly-data-pack.html) (15 Oct 2026); du [postpaid](https://www.du.ae/personal/mobile/roaming/postpaid/detail) and [prepaid](https://www.du.ae/personal/mobile/roaming/prepaid/detail) (15 Oct 2026); [Virgin](https://www.virginmobile.ae/roaming/) (15 Oct 2026). The per-GB column is our arithmetic. A day costs AED 35.00 on all three (500MB on e& and du, 750MB on Virgin); du's postpaid unlimited week is AED 200.00, with no fair-use figure published. du's own pages disagree on when a postpaid data bundle starts, so buy it shortly before you fly and check the activation note in the du app. More: [e& roaming](/roaming/etisalat/), [du roaming](/roaming/du/), [Virgin Mobile roaming](/roaming/virgin-mobile/). ## A month at home: two plans or a top-up For 30 days, Virgin's **20GB** pack is **AED 300.00** and du's **30GB** bundle **AED 500.00** (60 days). Our Nepal plans stop at **10GB** for **30 days**, so a heavy month means two plans or a top-up. | Option | Data · days | AED | AED per day | |---|---|---|---| | Virgin 20GB pack | 20GB · 30 days | 300 | 10.0 | | e& Economy Class Pack | 6GB (until 10 Jan 2027, normally 2GB) · 30 days | 350 | 11.7 | | du long data bundle | 30GB · 60 days | 500 | 8.3 over 60 days | | Our Nepal eSIM | 10GB · 30 days | AED 88.99 | AED 2.97 | | Our Nepal eSIM | unlimited · 10 days | AED 159.99 | AED 16.00 | Operator prices as listed on 15 Oct 2026; per-day is our arithmetic. Charged in AED by JET SHARING (USA). Your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee; see [how to pay](/how-to-pay/). There is no 30-day unlimited plan for Nepal. Unlimited runs **3, 5, 7 or 10 days**, at full speed up to 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps. Two 10GB plans give 20GB for twice the 10GB price, against AED 300.00 for Virgin's 20GB. Top-ups are possible, so you can add data to the same eSIM. See [how much data do I need](/how-much-data-do-i-need/). The rule: for one week on a postpaid line, du's 10GB at AED 100.00 is hard to beat. For a month, or on a prepaid line, compare the 10GB eSIM row with Virgin's AED 300.00 and e&'s AED 350.00. ## Network and limits: Ncell only, up to 10GB per plan Our Nepal eSIMs run on Ncell's LTE network only: **1GB** for 7 days up to **10GB** for 30 days, plus unlimited for 3 to 10 days. There is no 20GB size, and Nepal is not in our Asia regional plan. See the [Nepal eSIM plans](/esim-nepal/). We promise no coverage or speed, and no trekking data in the mountains. Ask the family you are staying with which network gets a full signal where they live, and buy only if it is Ncell; if it isn't, a UAE roaming pack is the safer choice. Our eSIMs for Nepal are data-only: keep your UAE number on your main SIM for calls and SMS. In the rest of the world e& charges **AED 4.25** a minute to receive a call and **AED 9.50** to call the UAE; du charges AED 1.25 and AED 9.00 on postpaid lines (15 Oct 2026). e& does not charge for SMS you receive abroad, but no operator page we read promises that a bank's SMS codes arrive, so ask your bank. Setup: [keep your UAE number](/help/keep-your-uae-number/). Our eSIMs are for use outside the UAE; they do not provide service in the UAE. Install before you fly; it connects when you land in Nepal, and the days count from then. On Android the Nepal plan needs the APN set by hand; iPhone sets it automatically. If the eSIM has not connected to any network, you can get a refund within 30 days of purchase. ## FAQ ### Which SIM is best for Nepal? Your passport decides. Ncell's tourist SIM is for non-Nepalese citizens, from NPR 595 for 7 days; Nepali citizens buy an NTC SIM with a citizenship certificate. From the UAE, a roaming pack starts at AED 100.00 a week, or you can install a data eSIM (15 Oct 2026). ### How much is a Nepal SIM card? Ncell's tourist plans cost NPR 595 for 7 days, NPR 995 for 14 days and NPR 1,995 for 28 days. We have no NTC prices. A UAE roaming pack for Nepal starts at AED 100.00 a week (15 Oct 2026). ### How do I get an NTC or Ncell SIM? Ncell sells its tourist SIM to non-Nepalese citizens at Tribhuvan International Airport and Ncell Centres; bring your original passport. NTC asks Nepali citizens for a citizenship certificate and a passport-size photo at its nearest office (15 Oct 2026). ### Ncell SIM or an eSIM bought in the UAE? A Nepali citizen cannot buy Ncell's tourist plans, and an NTC SIM needs an office visit. A data eSIM is installed before you fly and runs on Ncell, with no number, calls or SMS; keep your UAE SIM for those. ### Is there an unlimited eSIM for a month in Nepal? No. Our Nepal plans are unlimited only for 3, 5, 7 and 10 days, at full speed up to 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps. The largest plan is 10GB for 30 days, so for a month buy two plans or top up. ## Sources - Ncell, tourist SIM: ncell.com.np; Nepal Telecom, new SIM: ntc.net.np (15 Oct 2026) - e&, roaming packs and rates: eand.ae (15 Oct 2026); du, roaming bundles: du.ae (15 Oct 2026) - Virgin Mobile UAE, roaming and One Country: virginmobile.ae (15 Oct 2026) - Global Media Insight, UAE population estimate; Nepal DoFE permits, via the media (15 Oct 2026) - r/Nepal, "Best SIM card for tourists in Nepal?": reddit.com (23 Mar 2025)