Getting Connected: SIM Cards & eSIM in India

When you land (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa, anywhere), you'll see Airtel and Jio counters right after baggage claim or in the arrivals hall. You can buy there for convenience, or at any official Airtel/Jio store once you're in the city.

The rule is simple: buy your SIM at an official operator store (Airtel, Jio) or at the airport, but never at a street kiosk, where they'll register it on someone else's documents and it will stop working within a week. At a city store a monthly plan with data is cheap (around ₹300–350 for Jio or Airtel, roughly 1.5–2 GB a day, 28 days); at the airport the same plan costs noticeably more (₹800+), but you walk out already connected.

• Official counters handle tourist SIMs properly. Airport desks and brand-name operator stores (Airtel, Jio) process foreign passports every day; they know the verification and paperwork. A random street kiosk often doesn't, and can leave you with a SIM that takes days to activate, or never does.
• Airport is instant; a city store is cheaper. Both are fine; the street kiosk is the thing to avoid.
• You're verified on the spot. Foreign SIMs in India require ID verification before they work; an official counter does it immediately, in front of you, in English.

What to bring to the counter: your passport, your visa, one passport-size photo (they can usually take one if you don't have it), and your hotel/local address. Activation is typically quick but can occasionally take a few hours, which is another reason to do it the moment you land, not on day three. One regional quirk: in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, prepaid SIMs bought in other states may not work; there are separate rules up there.

Practical tip: ask for a plan with plenty of data (Indian data is cheap and you'll use a lot of it for maps and rides). Confirm the validity period out loud before you pay.

About the SIM's lifespan: a foreigner's SIM in India is normally valid only for the duration of your visa, not indefinitely. The long-life "permanent" SIMs are available only to Indian citizens. So plan around your trip dates, and if you visit India again later, expect to get a fresh SIM rather than reactivating an old one.

This is the part most guides skip, and it can save you a lot of trouble.

It's tempting to land in India planning to "just use the airport Wi-Fi" to get online while sorting out a SIM, but the airport Wi-Fi often simply won't connect. Indian airport Wi-Fi often requires an OTP (one-time password) sent to a phone number… which you don't have yet, because you haven't bought your SIM. Big airports such as Delhi do issue a Wi-Fi code against your passport at kiosks or the information desk, but that's one more queue when you're tired and just want a taxi.

The fix is simple: buy a travel eSIM online before you leave home.

• Install it before your flight while you still have reliable internet.
• The moment your plane lands and you switch off airplane mode, you're online: maps, ride apps, messages, everything.
• Use it to comfortably walk to the airport SIM counter, call your hotel, or book a cab while you sort out a local physical SIM at your own pace.
• Think of the eSIM as your safety net for the first few hours, and the airport SIM as your main connection for the rest of the trip.

Any reputable international travel eSIM with an India plan works. You don't need much data on it; it only has to cover your arrival until your local SIM is live.