Registering a SIM: the proof-of-residence question
MTN Eswatini's registration page says the Eswatini Communications Commission issued a regulation directing every mobile provider to register its customers' SIM cards, and that failing to register results in the number being disconnected. To register, it asks for your ID or valid passport, proof of residence not older than three months and a photograph captured by the agent, at an MTN outlet or from a VELA agent. A confirmation SMS follows, and dialling *1212# shows the registration status.
One person can register up to 10 numbers on one ID, and groups of at least 50 people can register together. The page does not say how a short-stay visitor with no local address should satisfy the proof-of-residence line, so ask at the shop what they accept before you rely on buying a SIM on arrival. The regulator, ESCCOM, describes itself as the authority for telecommunications, broadcasting and postal services and runs a separate registration portal that we could not read in full.
Eswatini Mobile's data bundles
Eswatini Mobile's data bundle page lists daily, weekly and monthly bundles in emalangeni. At the time of checking, a 24-hour bundle cost E2 for 50 MB, E5 for 100 MB or E10 for 250 MB, and a midnight bundle cost E25 for 1 GB or E50 for unlimited data valid until midnight. Weekly bundles ran from E17 for 250 MB to E160 for 5 GB, and monthly bundles from E25 for 500 MB, split between day and night data, to E500 for 50 GB of anytime data.
The page does not describe a visitor SIM or say what registration is needed. Because some monthly bundles split their allowance between day and night, read which part is anytime data before choosing. The operator also sells a 5G home router, which a visitor would not use.
MTN's Lula combos
MTN Eswatini's Lula combo page lists monthly combos. At the time of checking, E25 bought 1 GB of anytime data, 1 GB of bonus data valid 24 hours, 35 voice minutes and 50 SMS, E45 bought 2 GB with 70 minutes and 100 SMS, and E95 bought 6 GB with 140 minutes. Larger combos listed were E150 for 10 GB and E250 for 20 GB with 350 minutes.
These combos include voice minutes, split between on-net and off-net, which matters for a visitor who wants to be able to place a call. Neither the combo page nor the registration page mentions an eSIM, so we do not claim one.
5G in Matsapha and Manzini
Eswatini Mobile's homepage says it has launched a 5G network that brings next-level connectivity to Matsapha and Manzini, with more areas to follow. That is an operator claim, with no coverage map in the text we read, and it is not a statement that 5G reaches Mbabane or the national parks. The operator's coverage page gave us no readable text.
For visitors heading to Hlane or Mkhaya, or hiking in the Highveld, assume patchy signal and save offline maps. The Foreign Office adds that in the wet months from November to April, violent thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail are common in the highlands, with some flooding.
Entry, passport stamps and driving
The UK Foreign Office says British visitors can stay up to 30 days without a visa, extendable by 30 days through the Ministry of Home Affairs, and that you should check the stamp in your passport carries the correct dates, since wrong dates can lead the authorities to bar re-entry for up to a year. It adds that air arrivals may need to complete a health form and that a yellow fever certificate is needed if you arrive from a listed risk country.
For driving, it says you need the 1949 international driving permit as well as your UK licence, that drink-driving limits are stricter than in England and that police run regular roadside checks. A vehicle not registered in Eswatini needs a customs declaration at the border and a road fund levy of 150 emalangeni, payable in South African rand. Rules differ by nationality, so check the high commission for your own passport.
Emergency numbers
The UK Foreign Office lists 977 for an ambulance, 933 for fire and 999 for police in Eswatini. Our Eswatini plan page covers data before you arrive.
Networks our Eswatini plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Eswatini, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- MTN3G
- Swazi Mobile4G
- Swazi MTN4G
- Swazi MTN Ltd.4G