Lebanon SIM card from the UAE: touch, Alfa, roaming or a data eSIM
A Lebanon SIM card is sold in Lebanon and priced in US dollars: touch’s Visitor Line lists 10GB, 100 minutes and 100 SMS in a 14-day bundle, with a monthly fee of US$13 and a line price of US$19, taxes excluded (16 Oct 2026). On your UAE line, a day of data is AED 35.00 for 500MB on e& or du (15 Oct 2026), and Virgin Mobile UAE’s One Country pass lists Lebanon (15 Oct 2026). A data-only Lebanon eSIM on Alfa 4G starts at AED 40.99 for 1GB and 7 days. We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here; eSIM Go is not affiliated with e&, du, Virgin Mobile UAE, touch or Alfa.
At a glance
- Purchase QR code by e-mail · after payment
- Installation profile on your phone · up to 365 days
- Activation first network on the trip · the clock starts
Data in Lebanon from the UAE: the options side by side
Four routes lead to data in Lebanon: a touch or Alfa line priced in US dollars, a roaming pack on your UAE line, Virgin’s One Country pass, or a data eSIM installed before you fly. Only Alfa publishes a document list, and it accepts a Lebanese identity card.
| Option | Price | What you need | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| e& (Etisalat), du or Virgin Mobile roaming pack | AED 35.00 to AED 1,200.00 a pack from about AED 15.00 per GB | Roaming switched on and a pack bought before you fly | Data is fixed per pack; check that the pack covers Lebanon |
| Pocket Wi-Fi router | Not verified | Collect it, keep it charged and return it | One connection for the group, only while you stay together |
| Local SIM bought on arrival | Not verified | A free SIM slot and a shop after landing | On a one-slot phone it replaces your UAE SIM |
| Travel eSIM from this site | from AED 40.99 by card; from AED 25.50 per GB | An eSIM phone that is not locked to one operator | Data only: no calls or SMS on your UAE number |
Pack prices as listed by e&, du and Virgin Mobile on 15 Oct 2026; AED per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are in AED at the day’s rate: your card is charged exactly that amount.
| Route | Who it is written for | Documents | When you buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| touch Visitor Line | “tourist and business travelers” | not stated | in Lebanon; bundle by SMS to 1100 |
| Alfa prepaid line | foreigners and Lebanese | passport with entry visa; Lebanese identity card | in Lebanon |
| Pack on your UAE line | e&, du and Virgin Mobile UAE customers | none | before you fly or in Lebanon |
| Our Lebanon eSIM | anyone | no ID check | before you fly |
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).
eSIM for Lebanon: most chosen plans
Your card is charged exactly AED 40.99; the charge is in UAE dirhams. The seller is registered outside the UAE, so some banks may still add a foreign-merchant fee — how card payment works.
What it costs per day
Plan price in AED ÷ days, at the rate of 17 Oct. A longer plan usually costs less per day: pick by your trip length, not by the lowest daily price.
touch Visitor Line and Alfa prepaid: prices in US dollars
A local Lebanon SIM card has two sellers here. touch’s Visitor Line carries 10GB for 14 days, and Alfa’s cheapest bundle, Go, is US$6.90 for 3GB over 30 days, both in US dollars with taxes excluded (16 Oct 2026). We convert nothing to AED and add no tax.
| Plan | Data | Minutes · SMS | Validity | US$ | US$ per GB (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| touch Visitor Line | 10GB | 100 · 100 | bundle 14 days, line 1 year | 13 monthly fee; 19 line price | not calculated |
| Alfa Go | 3GB | 60 · 60 | 30 days | 6.90 | 2.30 |
| Alfa Go+ | 15GB | 120 · 120 | 30 days | 12 | 0.80 |
Sources: touch, Visitor Line; Alfa, prepaid plans (16 Oct 2026). touch says “Price exclude taxes”; Alfa’s prices are “VAT excluded”.
touch. “Minutes and SMS are for local usage.” You subscribe by sending “VB” by SMS, “free of charge”, to 1100, and “The bundle is not auto-renewed”. Outside the bundle, touch’s pay-as-you-go rate is US$0.01 a MB, or US$10 a GB (our arithmetic). We add no total of the two touch fees; ask touch what you pay in total. touch’s store finder lists a “POP Airport” store in the “Arrival Area” of Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport; the page does not say that store sells the Visitor Line.
Alfa. We found no visitor product at Alfa. A new prepaid line is US$7, and a bundle goes on top. Alfa’s FAQ lists a valid passport “showing entry visa or equivalent” for foreigners and the identity card for Lebanese (“Identity Card without a picture is not accepted”). The FAQ question names a prepaid line, but the answer begins “required documents are for an Alfa Postpaid line”, so confirm with Alfa which list applies. If you are a Lebanese citizen flying home from the UAE, Alfa’s list works for you; whether touch’s Visitor Line sells to a Lebanese passport holder is not stated.
e&, du and Virgin Mobile in Lebanon: One Country and pay-as-you-go
Lebanon sits in the main roaming zone of e&, du and Virgin Mobile UAE, with packs from AED 35.00 a day. If you unlock pay-as-you-go data instead, e& charges AED 1.00 per 10KB in Lebanon, about AED 100.00 per MB (checked 15 Oct 2026).
That is about three times e&’s postpaid AED 1.00 per 30KB (about AED 33.00 per MB) elsewhere outside the Gulf (our arithmetic), and it is why packs exist. A day is AED 35.00 for 500MB on e& or du; a week is AED 100.00 for e& prepaid Weekly (4GB until 10 Jan 2027), du postpaid 10GB or Virgin 2GB (15 Oct 2026). More: e& pay-as-you-go and packs.
On a Virgin Mobile UAE plan of 20GB and up, roaming wins: Lebanon is on the Virgin One Country list (34 countries on the page, 15 Oct 2026). The pass is free on plans of 20GB and up, covers one country a month, and “It won’t auto renew. Don’t forget to re-activate every month.”
A week in Lebanon: roaming pack vs eSIM
Prepaid pack is cheaper du postpaid pack is cheaper Free on Virgin Mobile 20 GB+ plans5.6 GB for 7 days (0.8 GB a day, social media and photos): the cheapest prepaid way to get it, and postpaid where it is lower.
On roaming your UAE number also takes calls and SMS; the eSIM is data only. Packs at the operator’s AED price, as listed on 15 Oct 2026; the eSIM at its AED price on 17 Oct, charged in AED by card. Work out your own trip.
A long visit home to Lebanon: data beyond 10GB
Our Lebanon eSIM runs on Alfa 4G and tops out at 10GB; there is no unlimited data plan. For a month at home, the price in AED for 10GB over 30 days is AED 254.99, about AED 8.50 a day (our arithmetic). It joins Alfa’s local network when you land.
| Our Lebanon eSIM | Data · days | AED |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 1GB · 7 days | AED 40.99 |
| Largest | 10GB · 30 days | AED 254.99 |
Ten gigabytes over 30 days is about 333MB a day (our arithmetic). If that is tight, a top-up adds data to the same eSIM, or you buy a second plan. For more data in one bundle, Alfa’s Go+ is 15GB for US$12 over 30 days (16 Oct 2026), but it needs a new US$7 line and the documents above. We have not confirmed Lebanon on a regional plan’s country list, and the Middle East and North Africa plan does not include it, so buy the single-country plan.
Charged in AED by JET SHARING (USA). Your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee; see how to pay.
Our eSIMs for Lebanon are data-only — keep your UAE number on your main SIM for calls and SMS. 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, so check with du (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 Lebanon. On Android, set the APN by hand (APN settings); iPhone sets it automatically. If the eSIM has not connected to any network, you can get a refund within 30 days of purchase.
Check before you fly
What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in Lebanon?
Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.
The first is the line for mobile data. On iPhone it is Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data; on Android, the SIM manager. Pick the travel line there; your UAE line stays on for calls and SMS, with its mobile data off.
The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats Lebanon as roaming for it.
The third is the APN. The plan does not set it by itself here: add wbdata on Android under the eSIM line’s mobile network settings.
The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find Alfa; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.
Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimgo.ae with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.
What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)
For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 1 GB for 7 days, AED 40.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, AED 144.99.
I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If you need calls or SMS on your UAE number every day, roaming on your e&, du or Virgin Mobile line keeps them, and some packs include minutes (compare the packs). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.
FAQ
Can I buy an Alfa line with a Lebanese ID?
For Lebanese buyers Alfa lists an identity card (“Identity Card without a picture is not accepted”) and a valid passport; foreigners show a passport with an entry visa (16 Oct 2026). The FAQ question names a prepaid line but its answer is written for a postpaid line, so confirm with Alfa.
Where is the touch shop at Beirut airport?
touch’s store finder lists a “POP Airport” store at “Rafic Hariri International Airport - Arrival Area” (16 Oct 2026). The page does not say whether that store sells the Visitor Line, so ask touch before you rely on it.
Is Lebanon in Virgin One Country?
Yes. Lebanon is one of the 34 countries on Virgin Mobile UAE’s One Country page (15 Oct 2026). The pass is free on plans of 20GB and up, covers one country a month, and “It won’t auto renew.”
How much is e& data in Lebanon without a pack?
e& lists Lebanon at AED 1.00 per 10KB, about AED 100.00 per MB (15 Oct 2026, our arithmetic). Most of the world outside the Gulf is AED 1.00 per 30KB on postpaid, so Lebanon costs about three times as much. Data is blocked by default; e& lets you unlock pay-as-you-go data for 24 hours by SMS.
Is 10GB enough for a month at home?
Our largest Lebanon plan is 10GB for 30 days, about 333MB a day (our arithmetic), and there is no unlimited plan. You can top up the same eSIM or buy a second plan. Alfa’s Go+ bundle is 15GB for US$12 (16 Oct 2026) but needs a new line and documents.
Sources checked: touch, Visitor Line and store finder: touch.com.lb (16 Oct 2026) · Alfa, prepaid plans and FAQ: alfa.com.lb (16 Oct 2026) · e&, packs and standard roaming rates: eand.ae (15 Oct 2026) · du, roaming bundles: du.ae (15 Oct 2026) · Virgin Mobile UAE, roaming packs and One Country: virginmobile.ae (15 Oct 2026).
Get an eSIM for Lebanon, from AED 40.99 Pay by card in AED. The seller is registered outside the UAE, so some banks may still add a foreign-merchant fee. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by e-mail after payment. See plans