Moov's eSIM can be bought in person at the capital's airport
Moov Africa Chad's eSIM page directs customers to one of its agencies or the counter at N'Djamena airport. It asks for a copy of a valid identity document and explicitly lists a passport among the accepted documents. Staff then provide a QR code for the handset. This is a local operator's own stated purchase route, not a promise that a counter will be open at every arrival time. Ask Moov about its airport hours before flying and carry the original passport as well as a copy, because the page does not clarify whether a copy alone completes every visitor check. Have enough battery and a working internet connection for activation.
Moov's published activation options at the time of checking include a 2,500 CFA franc eSIM with 1 GB for either a classic or a 'paire' (paired) number, a 5,000 CFA franc option with 2 GB for a classic number, and a 10,000 CFA franc option for a paired number described as 3 GB plus a bonus. These are operator prices, so confirm the current offer and what the bonus means before paying. The public page does not state the validity of each introductory allowance. Ask staff to show the active line, its number, the credited data and the expiry on your phone before leaving the counter.
Choose a Moov bundle by validity as well as data
Moov's Kattir Internet page publishes bundles with validity from one hour to 30 days. At the time of checking it listed 1 GB for seven days at 1,250 CFA francs, 4 GB for seven days at 2,500 CFA francs, 10 GB for 30 days at 7,000 CFA francs and 20 GB for 30 days at 11,500 CFA francs. Those four examples show why the cheapest price alone is a poor comparison: some listed offers expire within an hour or overnight. The page also repeats the same short code beside many different bundles, so verify the selected allowance and validity on the operator's live menu before confirming a purchase.
Keep the local line manageable without an app
Moov publishes USSD controls that can be useful when the web is slow: *128# checks credit, *100# checks the bundle, *111*73# displays the number and *111# opens its service menu. Save the codes or ask the agency to write them down. Check both credit and bundle status after any top-up, since an active SIM and an active data allowance are different things. Moov's Kattir page lists *11*125# beside its data offers, but it does not present a unique activation string for each allowance, so use the menu and read the confirmation carefully rather than memorising a price-code pairing.
Treat travel outside N'Djamena as an offline journey
The Government of Canada says telecommunications are very unreliable outside N'Djamena. That is more useful for planning than a broad operator slogan about nationwide high-speed service: the capital's experience cannot be projected onto a road journey. Download maps, phone numbers and accommodation details before departure, and arrange check-ins with a person who knows your route. A larger data allowance cannot compensate for absent service. Canada also says authorities may restrict internet access during demonstrations, so a second local SIM or roaming profile should not be treated as protection against a wider restriction.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel to parts of Chad. It says authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior is required to travel outside N'Djamena and urges professional security advice before considering such travel. Its road guidance warns against driving after dark and says roads are often impassable during the July-to-October rainy season, especially in the south. The connectivity implication is practical: if a route changes because a road closes, an online map or messenger may be unavailable just when it is needed. Confirm the route, required authorisation and safe communications procedure with a local host before leaving the city.
Separate a Chad plan from an outbound roaming offer
Moov Africa Chad has a page labelled roaming, but it defines the service as keeping a Moov Chad number working when its subscriber travels outside Chad. The rates and partner-network instructions there are outbound terms, not the price a visitor's home provider will charge in N'Djamena. Before flying, ask your home network whether Chad is included, what partner network it uses and whether it allows data, calls and texts. Do the same for any planned cross-border journey. Turn on data roaming only for the line that needs it, and keep a downloaded copy of the tariff or plan terms for reference after arrival.
Moov says its local eSIM can provide calls, internet and Moov Money on a compatible phone, and its FAQ says a physical SIM and eSIM can be used together. Apple likewise explains that supported unlocked iPhones can keep a home line and a travel line active, with a chosen data line. This can preserve a home number for important messages while local data uses Moov, but the home line may still generate roaming charges. Check that the handset is unlocked and eSIM-compatible before departure. Moov says transferring its eSIM to another phone is handled on request in an agency, which matters if a handset fails away from N'Djamena.
Keep registration and device assumptions narrow
Moov's eSIM page names a passport as one acceptable identity document for buying its local line. That is a confirmed operator requirement for this product; it does not establish every other operator's SIM rules. The pages cited here do not describe any handset (IMEI) registration rule for visitors, so if bringing a phone for a longer stay, ask the operator or the customs authority directly whether any handset registration applies. The same caution applies to eSIM-only phones: check both the handset's carrier lock and whether a local eSIM can be provisioned before relying on it as the sole means of contact.
There is also a separate immigration formality for a longer visit. The FCDO says visitors staying more than 72 hours must register with the police and gives the Commissariat Central in N'Djamena as the destination, with a passport photograph required. This is not SIM registration, but it can affect the practical arrival schedule if you plan to visit an operator agency and then travel onwards. Verify entry and stay requirements for your nationality before departure, and keep documents available without needing to retrieve them from an email inbox.
Save emergency contacts before the signal weakens
The FCDO lists 2020 for police and 1212 for ambulance and fire in Chad. Save those numbers, the hotel or local host's number and your insurer's emergency contact in the handset and on paper. The FCDO says medical facilities are poor even in N'Djamena, making a clear route to in-person help important. A local Moov line includes voice calling, but Canada's advice says telecommunications are very unreliable outside the capital.
Networks our Chad plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Chad, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Airtel4G
- Airtel Tchad S.A. (former: Zain)4G
- Tigo4G