Oman SIM card from the UAE: tourist SIM, GCC roaming or a data eSIM
An Oman SIM card for tourists costs OMR 5 for 8GB at 
Omantel (VAT included) and OMR 5 plus 5% VAT at 
Ooredoo, collected in Oman (15 Oct 2026). A GCC pack on your UAE number is AED 99.00–100.00 for 3 days. A data-only eSIM on Omantel 5G starts at AED 16.99 for 1GB and 7 days. We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here, and eSIM Go is not affiliated with e&, du or Virgin Mobile UAE.
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
Four ways to get data in Oman from the UAE
You have four options: an Omantel or Ooredoo tourist SIM from OMR 5, 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. Both tourist SIMs are sold in stores in Oman.
| 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 13.33 per GB | Roaming switched on and a pack bought before you fly | Costs more per GB than the eSIM |
| 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 16.99 by card; from AED 7.25 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.
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 Oman: most chosen plans
Your card is charged exactly AED 16.99; 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 16 Oct. A longer plan usually costs less per day: pick by your trip length, not by the lowest daily price.
Omantel or Ooredoo tourist SIM: what to check
An Oman SIM card from Omantel or Ooredoo starts at OMR 5 for 8GB; Omantel’s lasts 14 days and Ooredoo’s 10 (15 Oct 2026). We do not convert Omani rials to AED.
| Pack | Data | Minutes | Validity | Price (OMR) | about OMR per GB incl. VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ooredoo Tourist 5 | 8GB | 50 local + 50 international | 10 days | 5 + 5% VAT | 0.66 |
| Ooredoo Tourist 10 | 18GB | 100 + 100 | 15 days | 10 + 5% VAT | 0.58 |
| Omantel Tourist Explore | 8GB | 50 | 14 days | 5, VAT included | 0.63 |
| Omantel Tourist Discover | 18GB | 100 | 14 days | 10, VAT included | 0.56 |
Source: Ooredoo Tourist Pack and Omantel prepaid page (checked 15 Oct 2026). The per-GB column is our arithmetic.
Check three things. Registration: Omantel sells its Omantel tourist SIM “with a valid passport”; Ooredoo asks for “an original passport”, or “an original ID or passport” for GCC nationals. Scope: Ooredoo’s SIM is “for local use only (no roaming)”, and Omantel’s “does not include roaming”, so neither works back in the UAE. The clock: Omantel’s line is “valid for 30 days from SIM activation”, Ooredoo’s “valid for 30 days only”, while the packs run 10 to 15 days.
On a 3-day trip Omantel’s OMR 5 pack costs about OMR 1.67 for each day you are there, against OMR 0.36 over its 14 days. For a Muscat airport SIM, one r/Oman commenter (11 Dec 2024) wrote of the Omantel desk: “Go to the desk to the left as you’re coming out of arrivals.” That is one person’s experience.
e&, du and Virgin Mobile in Oman: GCC packs and One Country
Five packs from e& and du cost AED 99.00–200.00 and run 3 to 10 days in Oman, 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. The two e& packs add 10 + 10 and 30 + 20 minutes.
| Pack | Line | Data · days | AED | about AED per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| e& GCC 3-Day Pack | prepaid + postpaid | 5GB · 3 days | AED 100.00 | 33.3 |
| e& GCC 10-Day Pack | prepaid + postpaid | 15GB · 10 days | AED 200.00 | 20.0 |
| du GCC data bundle | prepaid | 5GB · 3 days | AED 99.00 | 33.0 |
| du GCC data bundle | prepaid + postpaid | unlimited · 10 days | AED 199.00 | 19.9 |
| du roaming data bundle | postpaid | 10GB · 7 days | AED 100.00 | 14.3 |
| Virgin Mobile UAE One Country | plans of 20GB+ | your plan’s data · 1 month | free | 0 |
Sources: e& GCC packs, du postpaid and prepaid bundles, virginmobile.ae (checked 15 Oct 2026). The per-day column is our arithmetic. The same du 10GB bundle costs AED 200.00 on a prepaid line. Pack rules: e& and du.
Virgin Mobile UAE is the one place where the operator simply wins: Oman is on the Virgin One Country list (34 countries on the page, 15 Oct 2026). You choose one country a month, and it does not renew itself: “Don’t forget to re-activate every month.”
Check your line before you drive. du’s FAQ says “International Roaming is activated by default for UAE nationals only” and suggests you “SMS roaming to 5102 to check if your line is activated”.
A week in Oman: roaming pack vs eSIM
2.2× cheaper than prepaid packs 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. In the Gulf your e& or du roaming pack can be as cheap as an eSIM, and Virgin Mobile plans from 20 GB include one country free. An eSIM wins on short trips, on prepaid lines and against 10-day GCC packs. Packs at the operator’s AED price, as listed on 15 Oct 2026; the eSIM at its AED price on 16 Oct, charged in AED by card. Work out your own trip.
A weekend or a full week in Oman: what fits
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 Oman eSIM is AED 48.99 for 30 days, and 3 days of unlimited is AED 66.99, at full speed up to 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps. For 10 days, du is AED 199.00 unlimited and e& AED 200.00 for 15GB; our 10-day unlimited plan is AED 144.99, with the same 3GB-a-day limit. The same GCC packs work in Qatar; the Qatar SIM card guide compares them with Ooredoo and 
Vodafone visitor SIMs.
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 Oman eSIM plans also include 10GB for 30 days at AED 88.99. Charged in AED by JET SHARING (USA). Your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee; see how to pay.
For repeat weekends, du’s FAQ asks “If I travel within the GCC and come back to the UAE, then travel to the GCC again, can I still use the bundle?” and answers “Yes, if you travel within the validity period of the bundle.” So the AED 199.00 du GCC bundle can cover two weekends inside its 10 days. du’s data-only bundles “will only be activated during your travel”; for the postpaid 10GB bundle du’s API and FAQ disagree, so buy it shortly before you fly and check the activation note in the du app. An eSIM installed before you fly connects when you land in Oman, and its days count from that first connection.
For a road trip we have no data on which network a phone joins at a border crossing, so install the eSIM at home. Several countries: Gulf roaming.
Data only: your UAE number for calls
Our eSIMs for Oman are data-only — keep your UAE number on your main SIM for calls and SMS. They carry no number, no minutes and no SMS.
In the GCC, e& charges AED 0.808 a minute to receive a call and AED 2.203 to call the UAE, and du AED 0.81 and AED 2.21 (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. If you call Omani numbers a lot, a tourist SIM with its 50 or 100 minutes beats a data-only eSIM. Setup is in keep your UAE number.
Our eSIMs are for use outside the UAE; they do not provide service in the UAE. On Android, our Oman plan needs the APN set by hand; iPhone sets it automatically. Steps: eSIM installation guide. 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 Oman?
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 Oman as roaming for it.
The third is the APN. The plan does not set it by itself here: add globaldata 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 Omantel; 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 16.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, AED 48.99. If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, AED 124.99, with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.
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
How much is an Oman SIM card for tourists?
Omantel’s tourist packs cost OMR 5 for 8GB and OMR 10 for 18GB, both for 14 days with VAT included. Ooredoo’s cost OMR 5 and OMR 10 plus 5% VAT for 10 and 15 days (15 Oct 2026).
Can I use my UAE SIM in Oman?
For mobile data, only with a roaming pack: e& GCC 3-Day is AED 100.00 for 5GB, du’s GCC bundle AED 99.00 for 5GB, and Virgin Mobile UAE gives Oman free on plans of 20GB and up (15 Oct 2026). Without a pack, e& lets you unlock pay-as-you-go data for 24 hours by SMS; du and Virgin Mobile block data abroad.
Can I buy an Oman SIM card at the land border?
We have no data on SIM sales at the border crossings. Ooredoo sells its tourist SIM “at any store in airports, or other stores across the country”, so check before you drive.
Sources checked: Omantel and Ooredoo Oman, tourist packs: omantel.om, ooredoo.om (15 Oct 2026) · e&, GCC packs and roaming rates: eand.ae (15 Oct 2026) · du, roaming bundles and FAQ: du.ae (15 Oct 2026) · Virgin Mobile UAE, One Country: virginmobile.ae (15 Oct 2026) · r/Oman, thread “SIM or eSIM in Muscat, what are the cheapest options?”: reddit.com (11 Dec 2024).
Get an eSIM for Oman, from AED 16.99 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