URL: https://esimgo.ae/sim-card/saudi-arabia/
Buy: https://esimgo.ae/esim-saudi-arabia/
Source: eSIM Go (esimgo.ae)
Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimgo.ae/author/
Updated: 15 Oct 2026

# Saudi Arabia (KSA) SIM card from the UAE: local SIM, roaming or eSIM

An stc visitor SIM costs SAR 31 for 6 GB and 2 weeks, but the number works only after you activate it at a branch in Saudi Arabia. An Etisalat (e&) or du GCC pack covers 3 days for AED 99.00–100.00 on your UAE number. A data-only eSIM on Zain 5G starts at AED 14.99 for 1 GB and 7 days.

This KSA SIM card guide is for UAE residents travelling abroad. It compares the SIM you buy there, roaming from the UAE and an eSIM you install before you fly. We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The tables show when your operator pack is the better choice.

## Four ways to get data in Saudi Arabia from the UAE

You have four options: an stc visitor SIM from SAR 31 that you collect and activate after landing, an e& or du GCC pack from AED 99.00 bought before you cross, Virgin Mobile UAE One Country free of charge on plans of 20GB and up, or a data eSIM installed at home. They start counting days at different moments.

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).

## A local SIM on arrival: stc visitor packs, and what to check with Mobily or Zain

The SIM card price in Saudi Arabia starts at SAR 31 on stc's Sawa Visitor, a Saudi tourist SIM sold in six packs, from visitor 26 (6 GB, 2 weeks) to visitor 165 (100 GB, 4 weeks, SAR 190). Prices include 15% VAT (stc, 15 Oct 2026). The catch: "you must visit the branch upon arrival to activate the number." Until that visit, the number does not work.

| Pack | Data | Local and international minutes | Validity | Price (SAR, incl. 15% VAT) | about SAR per GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| visitor 26 | 6 GB | 1 hour | 2 weeks | SAR 31 | 5.2 |
| visitor 47 | 21 GB | 2 hours | 2 weeks | SAR 55 | 2.6 |
| visitor 65 | 33 GB | 3 hours | 3 weeks | SAR 75 | 2.3 |
| visitor 86 | 51 GB | 5 hours | 4 weeks | SAR 100 | 2.0 |
| visitor 130 | 72 GB | 6 hours flex | 4 weeks | SAR 150 | 2.1 |
| visitor 165 | 100 GB | 10 hours flex | 4 weeks | SAR 190 | 1.9 |

Source: [stc Sawa Visitor page](https://www.stc.com.sa/en/personal/mobile/packages/sawa-ziyara.html), stc.com.sa (checked 15 Oct 2026). The page says offers expire on 27 Dec 2026. The per-GB column is our arithmetic.

The UAE is on the list of countries covered by the international minutes in all six packs, so calls home come out of the minutes in the pack. stc also states that "booking the number will be for 30 days." The page names no documents for buying the KSA SIM card, so check the documents list with stc before you go.

On a 3-day trip the smallest pack is poor value: SAR 31 is about SAR 2.2 a day over its 14 days, but you use 3, so you pay about SAR 10.3 for each day you are there.

Mobily, Zain and Salam are other Saudi operators, but their price lists were not available to us on 15 Oct 2026. Check prices and documents on the [Mobily](https://www.mobily.com.sa/) or [Zain](https://www.sa.zain.com/) site. On the airport SIM question, one traveller wrote on r/Umrah on 7 Nov 2024: "Whether you are flying into Medina Airport or Jeddah Airport, you will find kiosks at the main entrances of the airport. Zain, Mobily, STC…" That is one person's experience.

## e&, du and Virgin Mobile roaming in Saudi Arabia

Five packs from e& and du cost AED 99.00–200.00 and run 3 to 10 days in Saudi Arabia, and Virgin Mobile UAE gives one country free on plans of 20GB and up (as listed on 15 Oct 2026). All keep your UAE number, and the e& packs add a few minutes.

| Pack | Line | Data · days | Minutes | AED | about AED per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e& GCC 3-Day Pack | prepaid + postpaid | 5GB · 3 days | 10 + 10 min | AED 100.00 | 33.3 |
| e& GCC 10-Day Pack | prepaid + postpaid | 15GB · 10 days | 30 + 20 min | AED 200.00 | 20.0 |
| du GCC data bundle | prepaid | 5GB · 3 days | none | AED 99.00 | 33.0 |
| du GCC data bundle | prepaid + postpaid | unlimited · 10 days | none | AED 199.00 | 19.9 |
| du roaming data bundle | postpaid | 10GB · 7 days | none | AED 100.00 | 14.3 |
| Virgin Mobile UAE One Country | plans of 20GB+ | your plan's data · 1 month | none | free | 0 |

Sources: [e& GCC packs](https://www.eand.ae/eshop/addons/?subCategory=cat550027&lang=en&categoryDimension=cat550044), du [postpaid](https://www.du.ae/personal/mobile/roaming/postpaid/detail) and [prepaid](https://www.du.ae/personal/mobile/roaming/prepaid/detail) bundles, [virginmobile.ae One Country page](https://www.virginmobile.ae/one-country-roaming/) (checked 15 Oct 2026). The per-day column is price divided by days, our arithmetic. The same du 10GB bundle costs AED 200.00 on a prepaid line. eSIM Go is not affiliated with e&, du or Virgin Mobile UAE. Pack details are taken from their own pages on the date shown.

For a longer stay, compare the [e& GCC 10-Day Pack](/roaming/etisalat/) and [du GCC unlimited 10 days](/roaming/du/). du lists the 10-day pack as unlimited; we could not confirm a daily limit, so check du's fair-use terms in the du app.

Virgin Mobile UAE is the one place where the operator simply wins: Saudi Arabia is on the [Virgin One Country](/roaming/virgin-mobile/) list (34 countries on the page, 15 Oct 2026), and the pass is free on plans of 20GB or more. You choose one country a month, and it does not renew itself: "Don't forget to re-activate every month." Trips across several Gulf countries are on the [Gulf roaming](/roaming/gulf/) page.

## Three days by road or ten days in Riyadh: GCC packs vs a Saudi eSIM

For 3 days, e& GCC 3-Day is AED 100.00 for 5GB and du's GCC bundle is AED 99.00 for 5GB; a 5GB Saudi eSIM is AED 49.99 for 30 days. For 10 days, du's GCC bundle is AED 199.00 and e& GCC 10-Day is AED 200.00 for 15GB; our unlimited 10-day plan is AED 129.99, at full speed up to 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps.

In the Gulf your e& or du roaming pack can be as cheap as an eSIM — and Virgin Mobile plans from 20GB include one country free. An eSIM wins on short trips, prepaid lines and 10-day unlimited. The [Saudi Arabia eSIM plans](/esim-saudi-arabia/) also include 10GB for 30 days at AED 75.99 (about AED 2.53 a day) and 25GB for 45 days at AED 189.99. Charged in AED by JET SHARING (USA). Your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee; see [how to pay](/how-to-pay/).

When the days start matters more than the price. e&'s Weekly and Monthly packs are "Charged upon purchase but validity starts upon first eligible usage." du's data-only bundles "will only be activated during your travel" and can be bought up to 60 days ahead, but voice and data bundles are "activated immediately at the time of purchase." The du Umrah bundle (AED 150.00, 7 days, 1000 minutes) bought a week before the flight is finished before you land. For postpaid du data bundles the du API and du's FAQ disagree, so buy shortly before you fly and check the activation note in the du app. We could not read e&'s GCC terms (the page returned an error on 15 Oct 2026), so when its 3-day and 10-day clocks start is not confirmed.

An eSIM starts differently: install before you fly, and it connects when you land in Saudi Arabia. The days count from that first connection. If you need lots of calls home during Umrah, your e& or du Umrah pack is hard to beat; if you mostly need data, or stay longer than a week, an eSIM is cheaper. See [Umrah roaming](/roaming/umrah-hajj/).

## Data only: calls and SMS stay on your UAE number

Our eSIMs for Saudi Arabia are data-only — keep your UAE number on your main SIM for calls and SMS. Unlike a local KSA SIM card, our Saudi eSIM has no number, no minutes and no SMS (catalogue, 15 Oct 2026), so your UAE SIM stays in the phone as the second line while the eSIM carries data.

That second line costs money when you use it. Pay-as-you-go calls in Saudi Arabia cost AED 0.808 a minute to receive on e& and Virgin Mobile UAE and AED 0.81 on du, and AED 2.203 a minute to call the UAE on e& and Virgin Mobile UAE and AED 2.21 on du (15 Oct 2026). Keep your UAE SIM switched on for SMS; e& and Virgin Mobile don't charge for SMS you receive abroad; calls you receive are charged per minute. du doesn't publish a price for SMS you receive abroad — check with du. Setup is in [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. Steps: [eSIM installation guide](/how-to-install-esim/). If the eSIM has not connected to any network, you can get a refund within 30 days of purchase.

## FAQ

### How much is a SIM card in Saudi Arabia?

A KSA SIM card from stc's Sawa Visitor range costs SAR 31 for 6 GB and 2 weeks up to SAR 190 for 100 GB and 4 weeks, VAT included (stc, 15 Oct 2026). We have no Mobily or Zain prices; check their sites.

### Can visitors buy a Saudi SIM at the airport?

stc says its SIM is sold at its sales offices and must be activated at a branch on arrival. One traveller on r/Umrah (7 Nov 2024) reported operator kiosks at the main entrances of Medina and Jeddah airports. We have no official airport list.

### What documents do I need to buy a SIM in Saudi Arabia?

stc's Sawa Visitor page names no documents, so we list none. Check the documents list with stc before you go; for Mobily or Zain, ask on their sites.

### Is a Saudi SIM worth it for a 3-day trip?

Rarely. The smallest stc pack lasts 14 days at SAR 31, so a 3-day trip pays for 11 unused days, and the number works only after a branch visit. An e& or du GCC pack for AED 99.00–100.00 is bought before you cross, and an eSIM is installed before you fly.

### Can I keep my UAE number with a Saudi eSIM?

Yes. Our Saudi Arabia eSIM carries data only, so your UAE SIM stays on for calls and SMS. Calls you receive are charged per minute.

## Sources

- stc, Sawa Visitor packages: stc.com.sa (15 Oct 2026)
- e&, GCC roaming packs, Umrah pack and standard roaming rates: eand.ae (15 Oct 2026)
- du, roaming bundles and FAQ: du.ae (15 Oct 2026)
- Virgin Mobile UAE, One Country roaming and country rates: virginmobile.ae (15 Oct 2026)
- r/Umrah, thread "Is it possible to get an eSIM in Saudi Arabia?": reddit.com (7 Nov 2024)