The registry that every mobile user is in
The Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações, ANC, says on its site that the registration of mobile phone services is carried out under Government Directive number 9/2008, issued on 16 April 2008, which directs that every mobile service user in the country be registered. It reports that it launched its Mobile Service Registration System on 29 November 2019 and invited service providers to a workshop on 5 and 6 December 2019. The ANC describes itself as the telecommunications regulator of Timor-Leste.
The ANC page does not set out what a visitor must show, and the operators' pages we read do not say either, so assume your SIM will be registered against your identity and carry your passport when you buy. Timor Telecom's eSIM page explicitly asks for identification at its shop.
Timor Telecom's plans and its $1 eSIM
Timor Telecom's homepage lists plans by the week and the month, activated by sending a keyword by SMS to 8302. At the time of checking, the Basic plan cost $1.00 for 7 days with 5 GB or $4.00 for 30 days with 20 GB, the Start plan cost $1.50 for 8 GB weekly or $6.00 for 32 GB monthly, and further Plus, Power and Power Plus plans are listed above those. Minutes and SMS to the TT network are included in the Basic plan, and calls to other networks are not.
The eSIM page, which is in Tetum, says to check that the phone is eSIM-compatible and unlocked, visit a TT shop and show identification, pay $1 for a new or replacement eSIM, then connect to Wi-Fi and scan the QR code to activate it. Switching back to a physical SIM also costs $1, and a lost phone's eSIM can be restored in the shop with an ID. The customer line is +670 330 3000. The pages do not describe a tourist-specific plan, so a short stay will normally use the weekly Basic or Start plan.
Telkomcel's call packs and hourly internet
Telkomcel's package page lists Voice Combo packs for calls to all local numbers: $1 for 10 minutes valid 3 days, $3 for 30 minutes valid 7 days, $5 for 55 minutes valid 10 days and $9 for 100 minutes valid 30 days, each with free calls to Telkomcel numbers. Its SMS combos run from 30 cents for 5 SMS for one day to $7 for 130 SMS for 30 days and can be used for international SMS.
For internet, the page describes Haksolok packages with unlimited internet by the hour: $0.25 for 60 minutes and $0.50 for 6 hours, activated by SMS to 155. A Haksolok Day package at $1 gives unlimited internet from 00:00 to 08:59 Timor-Leste time, with a 300 MB bonus quota for use from 09:00 to 23:59. Hourly access suits a visitor who only needs a short burst of messaging and maps.
Visa on arrival, passport and cash rules
The UK Foreign Office says British citizens must have a visa for tourism and are issued a single-entry tourism visa, valid for up to 30 days, on arrival at Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili or at Dili seaport. The visa costs 30 US dollars, payable only in cash. It can be extended for 30 days, and a passport must have an expiry date at least six months after arrival and two blank pages.
It adds that cash or travellers cheques worth 20,000 US dollars or more need Central Bank of Timor-Leste authorisation before arrival. Travelling overland to the Oecussi exclave needs a separate visa, and entering from Indonesia at the Atambua-Batugade crossing has its own visa options. Bring US dollars in cash for the visa fee. Rules differ by nationality.
Roads, rains and crocodiles
The UK Foreign Office says roads are generally in poor condition and that accidents, particularly involving motorbikes and scooters, are common. Main routes are often single-track mountain roads that can become impassable, particularly in the rainy season from November to April, and outside Dili it advises travelling in convoy where possible because of the lack of emergency services, poor roads and cars driving without lights at night. It warns of flash flooding and landslides in the rainy season and of crocodiles in inland waterways and on the south coast and eastern region, occasionally at beaches near Dili.
It also advises not travelling alone or to isolated areas and taking care in areas that are remote and cut off from services. We found no official coverage map. On a trip along mountain roads or to Atauro Island, expect gaps and download offline maps first. Tell your guesthouse where you are going and when you expect to return.
Emergency numbers, and why not to rely on them
The UK Foreign Office lists 112 or +670 331 1380 for police, 110 or +670 331 1044 for an ambulance and 115 or +670 331 0340 for fire, and states plainly that emergency numbers are unreliable in Timor-Leste. It gives the New Zealand Embassy in Dili as a 24-hour emergency contact for British nationals at +670 7732 1015.
In practice, that means saving a hotel or guesthouse number and your embassy's number before you set off. Our East Timor plan page is an alternative if you want data before landing.
Networks our Timor-Leste plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Timor-Leste, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Telemor4G
- Viettel4G