eSIM Nepal
Nepal eSIM from 9,95€ on the Nepal Telecom and Ncell networks, 1–3 GB prepaid with no contract and no registration – scan the QR code and you are online as you land in Kathmandu.
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 Nepal?
Set it up at home
The eSIM arrives by email: a link to tap, plus a QR code and the details to type in by hand. Set it up on WiFi before you fly, while you still have internet. After that it sits quietly on your phone and uses nothing.
Switch it on in Nepal
After landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu – where almost every international flight arrives – turn on the Simbye line and enable data roaming for it. Connecting usually takes one to two minutes. If you cross overland from India, do the same once you are past the border.
Validity and topping up
Validity starts with your first connection in Nepal, not when you buy. When your data runs low you top up online, in the app or on the website. The eSIM stays the same – nothing to set up again, no new code to scan.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in Nepal?
In Nepal your phone switches between Nepal Telecom and Ncell on its own – there is no operator for you to pick.
The Simbye eSIM uses 2 networks in Nepal: Nepal Telecom · Ncell.
| Nepal Telecom |
|---|
| Ncell |
The eSIM is registered on both Nepal Telecom and Ncell. When you switch it on, your phone automatically takes whichever network comes in strongest where you are, and it changes over on its own as you travel. You never pick an operator and you set nothing by hand. If nothing arrives after you land at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, two things fix it almost every time: turn airplane mode on for ten seconds and off again, and check in your settings that data roaming is switched on for the Simbye line. Without that switch the connection stays empty.
The network is fastest where people actually live: the Kathmandu Valley with Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, Pokhara on Phewa Lake, plus Chitwan and Sauraha, Lumbini and Bhairahawa, Butwal, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj and Dharan, and along the overland route from Kathmandu to Pokhara. On the trekking routes 4G reaches higher than most people expect: Lukla and Namche Bazaar in the Everest region are well covered, and so are Ghorepani and Manang in the Annapurna region. Above Namche it thins out honestly – around Tengboche, Dingboche and Lobuche often only a text message gets through, and at Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp you should plan for no signal at all. Nepal Telecom is usually the one still there at altitude, while Ncell plays to its strength down in the cities. That is exactly why it helps that this eSIM knows both networks.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Nepal?
eSIM, unless you need a Nepali number: you are online in the Kathmandu arrivals hall while others queue with passport, visa copy and a photo, and your phone picks whichever of Nepal Telecom or Ncell is stronger.
| Feature |  Simbye eSIM |
Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Nothing to register – the line is registered abroad | Required by law: original passport, a copy of your visa page or entry stamp, and a passport photo |
| When you get online | The moment you land, still in the arrivals hall in Kathmandu | Only after immigration, at the Ncell or Nepal Telecom counter, with a queue and paperwork |
| Nepali phone number | No – data only, no number | Yes, you get a Nepali +977 number |
| Calls and texts | Not over the network; calls over WhatsApp, Signal or FaceTime work normally | Calls and SMS on the Nepali network are included |
| Paying | In advance from home, with the card you already use | Cash in Nepali rupees – change money first or withdraw at an ATM, which charges a flat fee per withdrawal |
| Network choice | Nepal Telecom and Ncell, the phone takes whichever is better | You commit to one of the two when you buy and stay on it |
| Topping up | Online any time, the eSIM stays the same | Top-up codes in a shop or through a Nepali wallet, which needs a +977 number again |
| SIM slot | Your home number stays in and reachable for calls | You have to take your SIM card out and keep it safe for the whole trip |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
How much data do you need in Nepal?
Trip length
How you use your phone
What does an eSIM for Nepal cost?
from 9,95€
2 plans · 7–15 days
Simbye offers 2 plans for Nepal from 9,95€ to 14,95€ — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for Nepal range from 1 GB to 3 GB.
Validity runs from 7 to 15 days and starts with your first connection in Nepal.
Data plans
- 1 GB 7 days 9,95€ 1,42€ per travel day
- 3 GB 15 days 14,95€ 0,99€ per travel day
Good to know
- Networks
- Nepal Telecom + Ncell
- 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 Nepal eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
Yes, an eSIM does work in Nepal. An eSIM for Nepal is a digital SIM card built into your phone. Nepal Telecom and Ncell take foreign eSIMs onto their networks as guests, which technically works like roaming. The only requirements are that your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to one operator.
How much data you need for Nepal varies — plans run from 1 to 3 GB over 7 to 15 days, and smaller sizes cover most trips. Maps, WhatsApp, booking rides and a few photos a day stay light; what empties a plan quickly is video streaming and automatic photo backup, so switch that backup off before you fly.
No, you don't need your passport for the eSIM. Nepal's registration requirement applies to Nepali SIM cards bought in the country – those need your passport, a visa copy and a passport photo. This eSIM is registered abroad, so there is nothing to show and no counter to visit.
No, you don't get a Nepali phone number with it, just data. You cannot make calls or send texts over the network. Calls over WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or FaceTime work as usual, because those run on data.
Uber is not the usual choice in Nepal. You book rides through the local apps – every driver there knows them.
You'll usually have signal on the Everest Base Camp trek up to Namche Bazaar, and less after that. Around Tengboche, Dingboche and Lobuche often only text messages get through, and at Gorak Shep and Base Camp you should count on no signal at all. Lodges up there offer paid satellite WiFi instead. Download maps, permits and bookings for offline use beforehand.
There's no 5G in Nepal in regular service so far. Nepal Telecom and Ncell run 4G, and a commercial 5G launch has been announced but has not happened. For maps, messengers, bookings and video calls, 4G in the cities is comfortably enough.
Yes, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube work normally in Nepal. In September 2025 these services were blocked nationwide for a few days because they had missed a government registration deadline; the block was withdrawn after a few days. They have been reachable since.
You get an eSIM in Nepal by buying it online rather than at a counter in Kathmandu: choose a plan on this page, pay, and it arrives by email in minutes. Scan the QR code and the Nepal profile installs on your phone. Doing it before you fly means you're online the moment you land at Tribhuvan airport.
An eSIM for Nepal starts at 9,95€, and the final price depends on how much data and how many days you pick — the table above on this page shows every Nepal plan with its current price. A small bundle for a week in Kathmandu and Pokhara costs less than a long plan for a full trekking season, and you pay once.
Ready for Nepal?
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.
