eSIM Saudi Arabia
The eSIM for Saudi Arabia, from 3,95€, runs on the STC network, 1 to 20 GB, prepaid with no contract and no registration — you're online the moment you land in Jeddah or Riyadh.
Your Selection
Your plan only starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination — so you can buy today and travel in three weeks.
How does Simbye eSIM work for Saudi Arabia?
Set it up before you fly
The eSIM arrives by email after you buy. One tap on the link installs it, or you scan the QR code with a second device. Do it calmly at home on Wi-Fi — you don't need a Saudi network for this yet. After that the eSIM sits in your phone as a second line and waits.
Switch it on after landing
Whether you arrive in Riyadh at King Khalid International, in Jeddah at King Abdulaziz International, in Medina at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz, in Dammam at King Fahd International, or at a smaller airport like Abha, Taif or AlUla: turn off airplane mode, switch on data roaming for the Simbye line and pick that line for mobile data. You'll be online in a minute or two, and there's no APN to enter by hand.
Validity, hotspot and topping up
Validity starts with your first connection to a Saudi network, not with your purchase — so you can install weeks ahead. Hotspot is allowed: laptop, tablet or your travel group's phones all share the same allowance. When it runs low you top up at any time, without buying a new eSIM.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in Saudi Arabia?
In Saudi Arabia this eSIM connects to the STC network on its own — there is nothing for you to set up.
| Networks | Download | Upload | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|
| STC | 105Mbit/s | 16Mbit/s | 63ms |
Source: nPerf averages, 01.01.2025 – 31.12.2025.
You don't have to compare networks or pick anything by hand. The moment you switch off airplane mode in Saudi Arabia, the eSIM finds its network by itself — here that is STC. Depending on where you are and what phone you carry, that runs on 4G or 5G. There is no APN to type in. Two things matter: data roaming has to be switched on for the Simbye line, and your phone has to use that exact line for mobile data.
Wherever people live and work, the network is there: Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, the east coast around Dammam and Khobar, plus Taif, Abha in the south and the desert oasis of AlUla. The main highways between the cities are covered too. It thins out once you leave the road — in the open desert, in the Rub al-Khali and in the mountains of the Asir region. And when millions of people are in Mecca at the same time during Hajj or Ramadan, everything around the holy sites slows down for everyone, locals included — this eSIM runs on STC alone, so there is no second network to switch to. A local SIM would run into the same congestion.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Saudi Arabia?
An eSIM gets you online as you step off the plane in Saudi Arabia, with no passport, visa number or fingerprint at a counter — the trade is that codes for local apps like HungerStation need a Saudi +966 number.
| Feature |  Simbye eSIM |
Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| ID and registration | Not needed, you buy online | Passport, visa or border number and usually a fingerprint in store |
| Available from | Before you fly, set up at home on Wi-Fi | Only after arrival, at the terminal or in town |
| Time spent on arrival | None, you're online as you leave the plane | Queue at the counter, depending on crowds and hour |
| Choice of network | STC, the phone connects automatically | One operator, fixed when you buy the card |
| Phone number | No Saudi number, data-only | Comes with a Saudi +966 number |
| Codes for local apps like HungerStation | Won't reach you, those need a +966 number | Work |
| Your home number | Stays active, the eSIM runs alongside as a second line | Swap the card; with a single slot your home number goes offline |
| Topping up | Online at any time, no shop visit | Credit in a shop, at a kiosk or in the operator's app |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
How much data do you need in Saudi Arabia?
Trip length
How you use your phone
What does an eSIM for Saudi Arabia cost?
from 3,95€
5 plans · 7–30 days
Simbye offers 5 plans for Saudi Arabia from 3,95€ to 28,95€ — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for Saudi Arabia range from 1 GB to 20 GB.
Validity runs from 7 to 30 days and starts with your first connection in Saudi Arabia.
Data plans
- 1 GB 7 days 3,95€ 0,56€ per travel day
- 3 GB 30 days 9,95€ 0,33€ per travel day
- 5 GB 30 days 16,95€ 0,56€ per travel day
- 10 GB 30 days 19,95€ 0,66€ per travel day
- 20 GB 30 days 28,95€ 0,96€ per travel day
Good to know
- Networks
- STC
- Setting it up
- A link in your email, or the QR code — one tap is enough
- Network technology
- 4G/LTE — and 5G where the network already offers it
- APN and settings
- Nothing to set. The eSIM brings everything with it
- Hotspot
- Allowed — for a laptop, tablet or a travel companion
- Adding more data
- Top up any time, without setting anything up again
- Calls and texts
- Not included — WhatsApp calls run over the data
- Your own number
- Stays in the phone and stays reachable
- Contract
- None. The plan ends by itself
- Worth knowing
- Roaming on your home contract gets billed here — this eSIM is prepaid, so nothing is added afterwards
Frequently Asked Questions about Saudi Arabia eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
Yes, the eSIM works in Mecca and Medina, including the hotel districts around the mosques and the main corridor between them. Just expect a lot of people to be on the same network at prayer times, during Ramadan and during Hajj. That slows things down for everyone, locals with Saudi SIMs included.
You set up the eSIM by scanning a QR code after buying, ideally on Wi-Fi at home. The eSIM then sits in your phone as a second line and stays switched off until you need it. On arrival you turn it on, enable data roaming for the Simbye line and select it for mobile data — that's the whole setup.
No, you don't have to register or have an Absher account. The registration duty with passport, visa and fingerprint applies to Saudi SIM cards and the local operators' eSIMs. This one is a prepaid roaming connection with no contract and no minimum term: buy online, install, done. You never have to show ID.
Internet calling was blocked in Saudi Arabia until 2017 and has been officially permitted since. Messages, photos and voice notes work reliably. For calls, travellers still report mixed results depending on the app and the moment — so don't rely on it alone for a call that genuinely matters.
For an Umrah trip, most people need only a few gigabytes a week for maps, messaging and photos. If you watch a lot of video, make long video calls home or run a hotspot for the whole family, plan more generously. You can top up at any time, so you don't have to commit up front.
You're on STC in Saudi Arabia — the only network this eSIM uses — on 4G or 5G depending on where you are and what phone you have. You don't need to choose a network by hand, and there's no other network to switch to if something isn't working in a particular spot.
You can get an eSIM in Saudi Arabia by buying it here before you travel, installed within minutes. After checkout the QR code and install link arrive by email; scan the code while you have Wi-Fi at home, then switch the line on when you land in Jeddah or Riyadh. No local shop visit and no Saudi paperwork.
Yes, eSIM is available in Saudi Arabia. An eSIM for Saudi Arabia is a digital SIM card built into your phone. The Saudi mobile networks carry eSIM roaming profiles, so your phone connects on arrival in Jeddah, Riyadh, Makkah and Madinah just as a physical SIM would. All you need is an eSIM-capable handset that is not locked to your home carrier.
An eSIM in Saudi Arabia starts at 3,95€; the final price depends on how much data and how many days you need, and the table above shows every plan with its current price. You pay once at checkout with no contract and no monthly bill, so a short Umrah trip costs less than a long stay.
Which eSIM is best for Saudi Arabia depends on your trip. Weigh coverage where you go, how much data you need, how many days it runs, and whether you need a Saudi number. This eSIM uses STC on 4G and 5G, 1-20 GB for 7 to 30 days, with no ID registration. It is data only, so calls run through messaging apps rather than a local number.
Ready for Saudi Arabia?
Pick a plan, tap the link in your email — you are online from the moment you land.
Choose a planPrepaid, no contract. The plan simply ends on its own.
