The best eSIM for Afghanistan
Discover the heart of Central Asia. Here is the plan we would pick today, the live pricing for every plan we track, and the practical things to know before you fly.
The lowest price-per-gigabyte we currently track for Afghanistan. A solid fit for most one-to-two-week trips with maps, messaging, and the occasional photo upload.
| Provider | Data | Days | Price | $/GB | Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 GoMoWorld | 11GB | 30 | $29.99 | $2.73 | Get → |
| GoMoWorld | 7GB | 30 | $19.99 | $2.86 | Get → |
 Saily | 10GB | 30 | $30.59 | $3.06 | Get → |
| GoMoWorld | 3GB | 30 | $10.99 | $3.66 | Get → |
| Saily | 5GB | 30 | $20.99 | $4.20 | Get → |
| Saily | 3GB | 30 | $13.99 | $4.66 | Get → |
| Saily | 1GB | 7 | $5.49 | $5.49 | Get → |
| GoMoWorld | 0.7GB | 7 | $3.99 | $5.70 | Get → |
 Nomad | 10GB | 30 | $69.00 | $6.90 | Get → |
| Nomad | 5GB | 30 | $37.00 | $7.40 | Get → |
| Nomad | 3GB | 30 | $24.00 | $8.00 | Get → |
| Nomad | 1GB | 7 | $9.00 | $9.00 | Get → |
 GigSky | 3GB | 15 | $33.99 | $11.33 | Get → |
| GigSky | 5GB | 30 | $60.49 | $12.10 | Get → |
 Roamless | 1GB | PAYG | $17.45 | $17.45 | Get → |
Prices are live and may change. Google Fi is excluded from the value ranking because it is a full phone plan rather than a travel data plan.
Roshan and AWCC run 3G with patches of 4G across central Kabul - Wazir Akbar Khan, Shahr-e Naw and the diplomatic corridor. Speed and stability vary day-to-day with power and backhaul. Etisalat fills gaps in the south of the city.
Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz have functional 3G/4G in the city cores. The Salang Tunnel route north of Kabul loses signal in the tunnel itself; coverage resumes at the rest stops on either side.
AWCC and MTN run 3G in Herat city and around the Friday Mosque. The Iranian border highway from Islam Qala has gaps; the Minarets of Herat outskirts stay covered.
Kandahar city itself has a basic 3G footprint. The ring-road south to Lashkar Gah and the Helmand desert have minimal coverage. Travel here is restricted regardless.
Bamiyan town and the Buddha niches area have some 3G from Roshan. Band-e Amir lakes, the Shahr-e Zohak ruins and the Hajigak pass run on satellite only.
The Wakhan, Pamir foothills, Nuristan valleys and high-altitude trekking routes have effectively no cellular signal. Satellite messenger is the only reliable option.
Kabul
- Arriving
- Hamid Karzai International (KBL) serves the capital; access and transfers are heavily restricted and typically arranged in advance. There is no rail link. The airport area has 3G with 4G patches from Roshan, AWCC and MTN/Etisalat. Most Western governments currently advise against travel to Afghanistan, so check advisories carefully before any trip.
- On the subway and rail
- Kabul has no metro or rail; movement is by taxi, bus and arranged drivers, with security checkpoints throughout. Coverage holds in the central districts on Roshan and AWCC, though speed and stability vary day to day with the power supply and backhaul. Download offline maps and content before arrival.
- Free public WiFi
- Hotel WiFi is the most reliable connectivity in Kabul, though availability is limited. Public hotspots are scarce. Given the variable cellular speeds, prepared offline maps and downloaded essentials matter more here than in most capitals.
- Coverage in the city
- Roshan and AWCC run 3G with patches of 4G across Wazir Akbar Khan, Shahr-e Naw and the diplomatic corridor, with Etisalat filling gaps in the south of the city. Speed and stability fluctuate with power and backhaul. Travel is restricted regardless; verify current advisories before any movement.
- If you prefer a local SIM
- Roshan, AWCC and MTN/Etisalat sell SIMs, but international eSIM availability for Afghanistan is very limited. A local SIM is the practical option for those who do travel, though most governments advise against visiting at all. Carry a satellite communicator for any travel beyond the cities.
Herat
- Arriving
- Herat International (HEA) serves the western city near the Iranian border; access and transfers are arranged and restricted. The airport has 3G from AWCC and MTN. As with the rest of Afghanistan, check current government advisories, which generally warn against travel, before any trip, and prepare offline maps.
- On the subway and rail
- Herat moves by taxis and arranged drivers; there is no metro or rail. Coverage holds in the city core on AWCC and MTN, with the same day-to-day variability seen across the country. The highways out, including the Iranian border road from Islam Qala, have gaps.
- Free public WiFi
- Hotel WiFi is the main connectivity option in Herat, with limited availability. Public hotspots are rare. Offline preparation is essential given the patchy cellular service.
- Coverage in the city
- AWCC and MTN run 3G in Herat city, around the Friday Mosque (Masjid-e Jami) and the Citadel. The Iranian border highway from Islam Qala has gaps, and the desert routes thin out. Coverage is concentrated in the city core; the surrounding province drops quickly.
- If you prefer a local SIM
- AWCC and MTN sell SIMs in Herat. International eSIM support for Afghanistan is minimal, so a local SIM is the practical path for those travelling, though advisories generally counsel against it. A satellite communicator is essential for any rural travel.
Grab an eSIM before you arrive in Afghanistan to skip local SIM queues. Most urban areas offer 4G or better, while rural regions can slow down, so keep offline maps handy. Activating the eSIM in advance ensures you are connected the moment you clear customs.
Afghanistan presents extreme connectivity challenges for travelers. AWCC, Roshan, MTN, and Etisalat operate mobile networks with 3G and limited 4G availability concentrated in Kabul and a handful of provincial capitals. Even in Kabul, coverage can be inconsistent and speeds unpredictable due to infrastructure damage and ongoing security concerns. Outside major cities, connectivity drops to basic 2G or disappears entirely across large swaths of the country.
Travelers should check government travel advisories before any trip to Afghanistan, as conditions vary significantly by region and can change rapidly. Most international eSIM providers do not include Afghanistan in their coverage maps, and those that do may only offer roaming on one or two networks with limited reliability.
If you must travel here, download all maps, translation tools, and critical documents offline before arrival. Do not rely on mobile data for safety-critical navigation or communication in areas outside Kabul.
- Check your government travel advisory before planning any trip to Afghanistan
- Most eSIM providers do not cover Afghanistan - verify coverage explicitly before purchasing
- Download all maps, guides, and essential apps for offline use before arriving
- Mobile coverage outside Kabul and major provincial capitals is extremely limited or nonexistent
- Carry a satellite communication device if traveling outside urban centers
Average Data Cost
~$4-$8/GB
Network Quality
3G/4G in Kabul with inconsistent reliability. Provincial capitals may have basic 3G. Rural and remote areas have little to no coverage.
eSIM Availability
eSIM support is extremely limited. Very few international travel eSIM providers include Afghanistan, and local carriers have minimal eSIM adoption.
Major Carriers
Recommended Providers for Afghanistan
Plans for Afghanistan
From $3.99
Plans for Afghanistan
From $5.49
Plans for Afghanistan
From $9.00
Plans for Afghanistan
From $10.00
Pay-as-you-go: $10.00/GB
Plans for Afghanistan
From $6.99
Plans for Afghanistan
From $17.45
Pay-as-you-go: $17.45/GB
- 1
Buy and install at home on WiFi.
Installation is not the same as activation. You can install the Afghanistan eSIM days ahead and only switch it on after you land, which avoids burning days of validity in transit.
- 2
Screenshot your current APN before you swap.
If you ever need to switch back to your home line quickly, that screenshot saves a support call from a foreign airport.
- 3
Decide on your dual-SIM strategy.
Keep your home line on for SMS-based bank logins, two-factor codes, and emergency calls. Set the travel eSIM as the data line only. Most modern phones can do both simultaneously.
- 4
Disable iMessage on the travel eSIM line.
Otherwise iMessage will try to re-activate against the new line on arrival and you will spend the first ten minutes troubleshooting it instead of finding the taxi rank.
- 5
Download offline maps for Afghanistan.
Google Maps and Apple Maps both support offline regions. Pull them down on home WiFi so a flaky activation never leaves you without a route from the airport. Our offline maps guide walks through it step by step.
- 6
Activate at the airport, not before.
Once the validity timer starts it does not pause. A 15-day plan you turn on the morning of departure burns a full day of validity before you even land.
We are building this section from real, verified traveler submissions rather than stock testimonials, so it stays empty until we have notes we can stand behind. If you have used an eSIM in Afghanistan recently, a one-paragraph note on what worked (and what did not) helps the next traveler.
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Pricing on this page is pulled live from our database and refreshed every four hours. Coverage notes are sourced from carrier roaming agreements and updated when carriers change partners. Provider rankings are determined by price-per-gigabyte and plan flexibility, not by who pays the largest commission.