In almost every country, buy a tourist SIM at the airport arrivals hall from an official carrier counter, and bring your passport — registration is legally required nearly everywhere. If your phone supports eSIM, buying before departure is usually simpler and only slightly more expensive.
What should you sort out before leaving Dhaka?
Check whether your phone is carrier-locked. A locked handset will not accept a foreign SIM, and discovering this in an arrivals hall is a bad moment. Check whether it supports eSIM too — most phones from the last few years do.
Turn off mobile data roaming before you land unless you have deliberately bought a roaming package. Bangladeshi operators do offer roaming, but for stays longer than a few days a local SIM is almost always cheaper.
Which carrier should you choose in each country?
Coverage differences between the major carriers in each country are small in the places tourists actually go. Choose on price and convenience rather than agonising over networks.
| Country | Main carriers | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | AIS, TrueMove H, dtac | Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang arrivals |
| Malaysia | Maxis (Hotlink), Celcom, Digi | KLIA arrivals hall |
| Singapore | Singtel, StarHub, M1 | Changi arrivals, or any 7-Eleven |
| India | Airtel, Jio | Airport counter — tourist SIMs need documentation |
| UAE | Etisalat (e&), du | Dubai or Abu Dhabi arrivals |
| Nepal | Ncell, Nepal Telecom | Kathmandu airport arrivals |
| Sri Lanka | Dialog, Mobitel | Colombo airport arrivals |
| Indonesia | Telkomsel, XL | Denpasar or Jakarta arrivals |
What documents do you need to register a SIM?
Your passport, in nearly every case. Many countries require SIM registration by law, and tourist SIMs are registered against your passport number at the point of sale.
India is the strictest of the common destinations — tourist SIM registration there typically requires your passport, visa and sometimes a local reference or hotel address, and activation can take some hours rather than minutes. Plan for that rather than being surprised by it.
Is an eSIM better than a physical SIM?
For short trips, usually yes. You buy it before departure, it activates when you land, and there is no queue and no tiny plastic tray to lose. It also lets you keep your Bangladeshi number active for OTPs — which matters more than people expect, because banking and government services send codes there.
Physical SIMs are still often cheaper for longer stays, and are the better choice if you need a local number for calls rather than just data.
Common questions
- Can I keep my Bangladeshi number active while abroad?
- Yes, and you usually should. Bank and government OTP codes go to that number. With a dual-SIM or eSIM phone, keep the Bangladeshi SIM active for receiving SMS while using the local SIM for data — just keep data roaming switched off on the Bangladeshi line.
- Do I need my passport to buy a SIM card abroad?
- In nearly every country, yes. SIM registration against an identity document is a legal requirement in most of Asia and the Middle East. Carry your passport when you buy one.
Last updated 1 September 2026. Visa rules, fares, schedules and access notices change without notice — confirm anything time-sensitive against the official source before you commit money or travel. Questions: +880 1602-351814.