Asia eSIM · SA
Saudi Arabia المملكة العربية السعودية
Hajj, Umrah, and the new NEOM corridor — connectivity for the world's largest religious travel market.
At a glance
- Top carrier
- STC
- Network
- 4G · 5G
- Coverage
- 99%
- Activation
- < 60 sec
- Best season
- November to March. Ramadan and Hajj dates rotate — check the Islamic calendar.
Every Saudi Arabia plan, one table.
All plans run on STC 5G. Hotspot tethering is included on every tier. Top up any plan from your account in under a minute.
1 GB
Jeddah stopover
Validity
7 days
Network
5G
Price
$4.99
7 days
3 GB
Umrah short
Validity
7 days
Network
5G
Price
$7.99
7 days
5 GB
Umrah standard
Validity
15 days
Network
5G
Price
$11.99
15 days
Unlimited
NEOM business
Validity
7 days
Network
5G
Price
$19.99
7 days
10 GB
Umrah + Medina extension
Validity
30 days
Network
5G
Price
$21.99
30 days
15 GB
Hajj pack
Validity
30 days
Network
5G
Price
$29.99
30 days
Unlimited
Long-stay pilgrim
Validity
30 days
Network
5G
Price
$44.99
30 days
Why Saudi Arabia is different
"During Hajj, Mecca sees three million pilgrims concentrated in twelve square kilometres — a single-carrier eSIM will fail at key moments. Only dual-carrier failover stays online throughout Tawaf and Jamarat."
Saudi Arabia is the most challenging mainstream eSIM market in the world. Physical SIM registration requires a valid Iqama (residency permit) — tourists legally cannot buy one. Airport SIM booths exist for visitors, but they require a passport scan and the process takes 20–40 minutes in peak Hajj season, after which you still only get 30 days.
An eSIM bought before boarding in Riyadh, Jeddah, or Medina skips all of it. Our Saudi plans run on STC (the dominant national carrier) with Mobily fallback for the Mecca/Medina holy cities where network congestion spikes during Hajj.
Coverage you can actually measure.
We run Saudi Arabia on 2 carriers so your profile falls back automatically if one signal drops. Coverage figures are measured against our own uptime data, not carrier marketing claims.
STC
4G · 5G
Best urban and highway coverage. Full 5G in Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina.
Mobily
4G · 5G
Critical fallback in Mecca during Hajj congestion.
Activation in under sixty seconds.
The exact same flow our own team uses. Screenshots in the full guide.
- 01
Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM
Install the QR before you board — Saudi internet is VPN-restricted at arrival.
- 02
Label "Saudi Arabia"
Keep home SIM for emergency contact.
- 03
Data Roaming ON
Profile connects to STC within 30 seconds at KAIA or RUH.
Troubleshooting
- VPN apps are legally restricted in Saudi Arabia — do not route traffic through a VPN unless you're on a permitted corporate service.
- Mecca and Medina: during Hajj peak days, all networks slow. Our dual-carrier routing mitigates but cannot eliminate congestion.
- Some Western apps (Skype voice, WhatsApp calls) are blocked at the network level. Use the Saudi-permitted versions where available.
Who Saudi Arabia eSIM is built for.
Hajj pilgrim
Dual-carrier routing covers the entire Hajj route including Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mina, and the Jamarat bridge. Group-buy discounts available.
Umrah pilgrim
15M Umrah visits per year. Our 15-day plan covers a standard Umrah trip with Medina extension.
NEOM / business visitor
STC 5G covers Riyadh business districts and the NEOM corridor. Hotspot tethering allowed for corporate devices.
Travel facts
- Currency
- SAR (﷼)
- Languages
- Arabic
- Timezone
- AST · UTC+3
- Plug
- Type A / Type B / Type F / Type G
- Voltage
- 220 V · 60 Hz
- Visa
- eVisa available to 66 countries. Umrah visa free to many Muslim-majority countries. Hajj visa separate.
Questions people actually ask.
- You can buy a visitor SIM at the airport, but it takes 20–40 minutes of paperwork, requires a passport scan, and costs significantly more than an eSIM. During Hajj season the queues push into hours.
Keep exploring
After Saudi Arabia, travellers go to…
More about Saudi Arabia
More ways to use a Saudi Arabia eSIM.
Head-to-head
Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates
The Gulf's two biggest markets. One is built around pilgrimage, the other around business. Both block WhatsApp calls.
Open
Built for
eSIM for religious pilgrims
300 million religious travellers a year — Hajj, Camino, Jubilee, Lourdes, Fátima, Holy Land.
Open
How-to
Saudi Arabia eSIM setup guide
iPhone and Android step-by-step with country-specific troubleshooting.
Open
Pilgrimage pack
Hajj
The once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. Dual-carrier failover for the world's densest religious crowd event.
Open
Pilgrimage pack
Umrah
The year-round pilgrimage. The largest religious travel market in the world by annual volume.
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