Internet in Egypt for tourists: eSIM, tourist SIM and what each one asks of you

Why a European plan gets expensive in Egypt

The EU's Your Europe portal sets out where roaming at home prices applies: EU countries, the EEA members Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and also Moldova and Ukraine. Other countries are not covered, although some operators extend their offers to them, and the portal warns that roaming outside the EU and EEA, data in particular, can be expensive. It advises checking the cost with your provider before you travel. Egypt is one of those other countries.

If you are not buying an add-on from your operator, the safe move is to stop your home line from roaming at all. Apple's iPhone guide explains that Data Roaming is what lets the phone use another network when you are outside your carrier's, and recommends turning it off when travelling to avoid charges; it is under Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data Options. The steps for other phones are in the guide on turning off roaming on your home line.

Two real options, and Wi-Fi as the backup

• Travel eSIM: a data plan installed in your own phone from a QR code, ideally at home on Wi-Fi. Your usual SIM stays in place, so your number keeps receiving calls and texts. The phone has to take eSIMs and must not be locked to a carrier: on an iPhone, Apple says to check Settings, General, About, where Carrier Lock should read No SIM restrictions.
• Tourist SIM: a prepaid line from an Egyptian operator, bought in person at one of its shops, including at the airport. It is registered to your passport, and the card goes into the SIM slot, so on a phone with a single slot your home SIM comes out for the trip.
• Wi-Fi: fine in the hotel for downloads and video calls in the evening, but no help for directions or booking a ride once you are out in the street.

The practical difference is when the work happens. The tourist SIM means a queue and paperwork after the flight; the eSIM means installing it before you leave, following the guide on how to install an eSIM. If you are not sure your model takes one, the list of compatible phones covers the main brands.

Buying a tourist SIM on arrival: what the counter will ask

Vodafone Egypt sells a Tourist Line that, according to its own page, is only for tourists visiting Egypt and comes with a data bundle plus local and international minutes. It says you can pick it up at the Vodafone airport store or at any Vodafone shop in the country, and that you check your balance and buy the bundle again by dialling *6060#. Anything used beyond the bundle is charged at out-of-bundle rates, so it is worth checking that balance before it runs out.

The paperwork comes from the regulator, the NTRA. Its sales rules for foreigners say you must go to an operator branch in person with your original valid passport and a residency document; the agent checks that the residency period is still valid, keeps colour copies of both and you sign the contract there. The operator ties the SIM's validity to that residency period, and the line is cut off a month after it ends unless you bring an extension. Each passport can hold up to five voice lines and five data lines per operator. The rules do not say which document a tourist shows in place of a residency permit, so bring your passport and ask at the counter what they accept as proof of your stay.

Your own phone and Egypt's tax on imported handsets

Egypt charges taxes and fees on mobile phones brought in from abroad. In a joint statement, the NTRA and the Egyptian Customs Authority ended the exceptional exemption for one phone carried by each passenger, but said the exemption continues to apply to tourists' phones for a period of 90 days. The same statement cancels the registration of personal phones at customs offices on arrival, so there is nothing to declare about your phone at the airport.

Where the taxes do apply, they are paid through the Telephony app or through bank and e-wallet channels, and the statement grants a 90-day grace period from the date the phone was activated before any measures are taken. For a holiday shorter than that, the phone you bring falls within the tourist exemption. If you are staying longer, the statement points to the Telephony hotline, 15380, for details.

The apps that need a connection in Egypt

Google's help page is clear about what offline maps cannot do: with a downloaded area you get driving directions inside it, but transit, cycling and walking directions are unavailable, and so are traffic and alternative routes. Exploring Cairo or Luxor on foot therefore needs live data. Download the areas you will visit anyway, as described in the guide on using Google Maps offline: none of the operator pages we read promises signal across the desert or along every stretch of the Nile, so a saved map is your backup on day trips.

Uber says its app lets you request a ride around Cairo at any hour, including Cairo taxis booked through the app, and you need data at the moment of booking and while the driver finds you. For translation, Google Translate lets you download languages on Wi-Fi and marks them as Downloaded; anything not downloaded needs a connection, so check in the app before you fly. WhatsApp keeps working with your usual number on a data eSIM, as the guide on keeping your WhatsApp number explains.

How much data per day: measure it on your own phone

No official body publishes a daily figure for tourists, and it depends on how you use the phone, so measure your own. On an iPhone, Apple's guide puts it under Settings, Cellular: scroll to the list of apps and tap Show All to see the cellular data each one has used, with Reset Statistics at the bottom. On a Pixel, Google's path is Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, App data usage, where you choose the period and see each app below the graph. Reset the count, spend a normal day with Wi-Fi off and read the total.

Multiply it by your days in Egypt and add a margin for what you do more of on holiday: maps on foot, ride requests, uploading photos from the temples. Sharing the connection with a companion through the hotspot adds their use to yours. To stretch the data, Apple's Low Data Mode, under Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data Options, Data Mode, pauses automatic updates and background tasks off Wi-Fi, and on a Pixel you can set an alert under Data warning and limit. The data calculator and the guide on how much data you need turn your habits into a number.

What the Egypt eSIM gives you

Snoozim's Egypt plans connect to Orange, Etisalat and Vodafone, and the phone uses whichever of the three has the best signal where you are. They come in 3 GB for 15 days, 5 GB for 30 days and 20 GB for 30 days. The days start counting at the first connection in Egypt, not on the day you buy, and you can top up the same eSIM without reinstalling it. They carry data only, with no Egyptian phone number.

When you land, switch on data roaming for the eSIM line, which costs nothing extra because the plan is already paid, and leave it off on your home line. The plan works only in Egypt, so if you change planes on the way, the guide to mobile data on a layover covers the connection. To give a laptop or a companion's phone internet from yours, see sharing an eSIM through the hotspot.