eSIM and SIM cards in Qatar

Where and what

Ooredoo and Vodafone are the only two networks, and both have kiosks in the Hamad International arrivals hall after baggage reclaim.

• A visitor SIM runs about QAR 65 to QAR 150 depending on the bundle, with up to 25 GB over 30 days at the top end.
• The basic Ooredoo Hala SIM itself is free in an Ooredoo shop, with a minimum top-up of about QAR 10 to start it.
• Your original passport is required. A photograph or a copy is not accepted, and the line is registered in your name.
• An unlocked phone is required, which is not a given for anyone travelling on a carrier-financed handset.
• eSIM is supported by both networks and by the usual travel brands, and for a stopover of two or three days a travel eSIM is genuinely the easier choice.

Coverage and speed

• Qatar is small, flat and entirely covered. 5G reaches essentially everywhere a visitor goes, including the desert road south to Khor Al Adaid.
• The metro has full coverage underground.
• Free wifi is everywhere - the airport, malls, the metro, most cafes - and generally good.

The thing that is different from the UAE next door

• WhatsApp, FaceTime and Messenger voice and video calls work normally in Qatar. Its neighbour restricts them; Qatar does not, and travellers who have read about the Emirates arrive expecting the same problem.
• VPNs are not blocked for ordinary use.
• Content filtering exists for gambling, pornography and some political material, and is not something a tourist runs into.

One rule worth repeating here

• Photographing or filming people without their consent is an offence, punishable by imprisonment or a fine reaching QAR 100,000.
• Do not photograph government buildings, military sites, ports or construction sites.
• Drones need a permit and flying one without it means confiscation and worse.