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?
Get connected in under 2 minutes
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.
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, your phone has to use that exact line for mobile data.
Wherever people live, 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.
Why roaming on your home contract gets expensive here
Whatever country you fly in from, the data allowance in your mobile contract does not automatically travel with you to Saudi Arabia. Operators either bill you through day passes or through separately booked data bundles, and both run on top of your normal tariff. What the rate is in your case is in your own contract documents — check before you fly, that's the only reliable figure.
Then there's trip length. An Umrah trip often runs one to two weeks; a business trip to Riyadh is sometimes three days. Day passes suit the short trip and get unpleasant on the long one; a fixed-validity data bundle behaves the other way round. That's why this eSIM comes in several sizes: 1 to 20 GB, with 7 to 30 days of validity.
And there is the purely practical point: if you land at King Abdulaziz airport in Jeddah at three in the morning off a night flight, you don't want to show ID or stand in a queue at a counter. At that moment the eSIM is already in your phone, prepaid and without a contract, and only needs switching on.
Where the network reaches — and where it doesn't
Coverage is solid wherever people live, work: Riyadh including Diriyah and the financial district, Jeddah with the old town of Al-Balad and the Corniche, Mecca and Medina with the hotel districts around the mosques, the east coast around Dammam, Khobar and Dhahran, plus Taif, Abha in the south and AlUla with the Hegra site. Between the cities the main highways are covered, and so is the corridor of the Haramain high-speed railway from Mecca via Jeddah to Medina.
It thins out as soon as you leave the road: open desert, the Rub al-Khali, hiking trails in the Asir mountains, remote stretches of Red Sea coast and construction areas in the north-west. No operator has continuous signal there, local ones included. If you're planning a desert tour or a trip to the Edge of the World, download the map offline beforehand.
The third case isn't about signal, it's about crowds. During Hajj and Ramadan the networks around the holy sites are at their limit, because millions of people are messaging, streaming and taking photos at once. That is not a fault in your eSIM. In those weeks, agree on a fixed meeting point with your group rather than relying on location sharing.
How much data do you need in Saudi Arabia?
So you can work it out instead of guessing: how much an hour costs in the apps you actually use on holiday.
Just staying reachable
1–3 GB
Messages, the map now and then, checking mail. Everything else runs on the hotel Wi-Fi.
An ordinary holiday
5–10 GB
Navigating, social media, uploading photos, a few videos in the evening.
Out a lot, or a laptop along
20 GB and up
Streaming in the evening, video calls home, keeping a laptop or tablet online through your phone.
Data used per hour
The Netflix and Spotify figures come from the providers themselves (Netflix Help Center, Spotify Support, retrieved 28 Aug 2026). The rest are network-operator estimates (o2, Vodafone, EE) and vary with picture quality and reception.
What does an eSIM for Saudi Arabia cost?
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.
| Plan | Validity | Price | Per travel day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | €3,95 | €0,56 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | €9,95 | €0,33 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | €15,95 | €0,53 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | €18,95 | €0,63 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | €28,95 | €0,96 |
- 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.
