eSIM Nigeria
Nigeria from 9,95€ on the Glo Nigeria network: data plans from 1 GB to 3 GB, prepaid and contract-free, set up by QR code — you are online within minutes of landing in Lagos or Abuja.
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 Nigeria?
Pick a plan and pay
Choose 1 GB for 7 days or 3 GB for 15 days and pay like in any online shop. The email with your QR code, a one-click link and the details to type in manually arrives straight after. No copy of your passport, no Nigerian address, no contract.
Set it up at home, switch it on in Nigeria
Install the eSIM calmly over Wi-Fi before you fly — after landing, getting online is often the first hurdle. When you arrive at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Port Harcourt International Airport or Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, all that is left is switching on the eSIM line and data roaming.
Stay online and top up
Your validity only starts with the first connection inside Nigeria, not at purchase. Hotspot is allowed and draws from the same allowance. If you run out, you top up online — the same eSIM stays in your phone and there is nothing to install again.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in Nigeria?
Your eSIM connects to Glo Nigeria on arrival — there is nothing for you to set up.
| Networks | Download | Upload | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glo Nigeria | 7Mbit/s | 4Mbit/s | 122ms |
Source: nPerf averages, 01.01.2025 – 31.12.2025.
The eSIM is set to the Glo Nigeria network, so there is nothing for you to choose. Once you switch on the eSIM line and data roaming after landing, your phone finds the network by itself, usually within one or two minutes. If nothing happens after five minutes, turning airplane mode on and off almost always fixes it, or pick Glo manually in your network settings. You never have to type in an APN.
In the big cities you normally get 4G: in Lagos on Victoria Island, in Ikoyi, Lekki, Ikeja, Yaba and Apapa, in Abuja in Maitama, Wuse, Garki, Asokoro and around Jabi Lake, in Port Harcourt in Trans Amadi, the GRA and around Choba. Ibadan, Benin City, Enugu, Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Calabar, Uyo, Abeokuta and Asaba are covered too. It thins out as soon as you leave the cities: on the long inter-city highways, in the creeks of the Niger Delta, in Yankari National Park in Bauchi and up on the Obudu plateau in Cross River you will hit stretches with slow service or none at all. And there is something no eSIM can fix: power cuts are part of daily life in Nigeria, and when a mast runs on a generator the connection can drop for a while even in the middle of a city. Download your maps, addresses and bookings before you set off.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Nigeria?
For Nigeria, the eSIM skips the service centre: no passport, no registration in your name, and no scramble for naira that smaller vendors insist on. Your line is fixed to Glo and carries data only, so calls run through WhatsApp.
| Feature |  Simbye eSIM |
Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| ID and registration | Nothing to show: you buy online and get the QR code by email | Show your passport at a service centre, the SIM is registered in your name |
| When you are online | Right after landing, as soon as you switch on data roaming | Only after finding a shop and waiting for activation |
| Payment | Before the trip, from home, with your usual payment method | On the spot in naira, mostly cash; foreign cards are often declined by smaller vendors |
| Nigerian phone number | No, this is a data-only plan | Yes, with a Nigerian number |
| Calls and SMS | Not on this line; voice calls run over WhatsApp and similar apps on the data | Included, SMS codes from Nigerian apps arrive |
| Network | Glo Nigeria, fixed | Free choice among the Nigerian operators |
| Topping up | Online whenever you like, no shop to find | Airtime from a street vendor, a POS agent or the operator's app |
| When something goes wrong | Support by email, reachable before you even leave | At the shop on the spot, usually in English, with travel and waiting time |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
How much data do you need in Nigeria?
Trip length
How you use your phone
What does an eSIM for Nigeria cost?
from 9,95€
2 plans · 7–15 days
Simbye offers 2 plans for Nigeria from 9,95€ to 19,95€ — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for Nigeria range from 1 GB to 3 GB.
Validity runs from 7 to 15 days and starts with your first connection in Nigeria.
Data plans
- 1 GB 7 days 9,95€ 1,42€ per travel day
- 3 GB 15 days 19,95€ 1,33€ per travel day
Good to know
- Networks
- Glo Nigeria
- 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 Nigeria eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
No, the eSIM doesn't run on Airtel or MTN: it connects to Glo Nigeria, with nothing for you to choose. Nothing changes for you: QR code by email, switch on data roaming after landing, you are online. A Nigerian phone number is not included either way.
Usually not entirely: buying a Nigerian eSIM remotely still means a Nigerian SIM has to be registered to a person, showing your passport in person at a service centre. Our eSIM is a foreign SIM roaming in Nigeria — bought entirely online, no appointment, but without a Nigerian number.
No, nothing to register or show. Nigeria's registration rules apply to Nigerian SIM cards: visitors identify themselves with their passport, anyone living in the country longer term also needs a NIN. Our eSIM is a foreign SIM roaming on the Glo network — you show ID to nobody, never set foot in a shop.
No, you can't make calls or receive SMS. This is a data-only plan with no Nigerian number. Over the data you can call as usual via WhatsApp, FaceTime or Telegram. What does not work: receiving an SMS code from a Nigerian app, bank or authority.
The network works well in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Benin City, Kano, Enugu, Calabar and other large cities, but not everywhere. On inter-city highways, in the creeks of the Niger Delta, in Yankari National Park and up on the Obudu plateau the connection can get slow or disappear. Download your maps and bookings beforehand.
An eSIM for Nigeria starts at 9,95€, the final price depends on the data volume and number of days, shown in the table above. A short trip with maps and messaging runs on a small bundle; two weeks of video calls and hotspot use needs a larger one.
Yes, eSIM is available in Nigeria. An eSIM for Nigeria is a digital SIM card built into your phone. A travel eSIM connects to a local mobile network, so you have data in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt without signing up for a Nigerian contract. You only need an eSIM-capable, carrier-unlocked phone and the QR code you get after buying.
You can buy an eSIM for Nigeria online here and install it with a QR code, before you fly or after you land, whichever suits you. Pick the plan, pay, scan the code from your email, the line goes live within minutes. There is no shop visit and no queue involved.
How much data you need for Nigeria depends on use: maps, WhatsApp and email in Lagos or Abuja run at roughly 100 MB a day, so a short trip fits in 1 GB. Video calls and photo uploads push you to 300 to 600 MB a day, and streaming or tethering a laptop goes past 1 GB a day. This plan tops out at 3 GB, so heavy video is not what it is built for.
The eSIM that is best for Nigeria depends on your cities, your data use, your length of stay, whether you need a Nigerian number. This one sits on Glo Nigeria and gives you 4G across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt without a SIM shop or paperwork. It is data only, comes in small sizes, so it fits short city trips and not long stays, heavy streaming or travel deep into the countryside.
Ready for Nigeria?
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.
