Magti's welcome packages at Tbilisi and Kutaisi
Magti's page for tourist SIM cards says SIMs are available at Tbilisi and Kutaisi airports. At the time of checking, the Welcome Package cost 30 GEL and included a 4.5G SIM, 3,000 MB of data, 30 minutes of international calls, free local calls to Magti, Silknet, Cellfie and fixed lines, and free local SMS and MMS, valid for 15 days. A data-only package cost 15 GEL for 5,000 MB with free local SMS and MMS, also valid for 15 days.
Magti says the card works on its 2G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G networks across the country. The page gives a customer line, 11 00 11 or +995 32 217 00 00. It does not describe the ID that the sales desk will ask for, so we cannot say what a passport scan or original will be needed for. The Welcome Package comes with 15 days of validity, so a longer stay will need a top-up or a second package.
Local eSIMs from Magti, Cellfie and Silknet
Magti says activating a number on an eSIM costs 10 GEL, and that a purchased eSIM can be activated up to five times before a replacement is needed. It can be done through the MyMagti app or portal or at a Magti service centre, and the page notes that a phone can hold several eSIMs but only two lines can be active at a time. The page does not state any document requirement.
Cellfie shows a five-step purchase flow that goes from choosing a number and a tariff through identification to payment, with the choice of an eSIM that activates immediately or a physical SIM collected in a Cellfie shop. It lists eSIM-capable handsets from Apple, Samsung, Google, Huawei and other makers. In July 2024 Cellfie announced an eSIM for 1 GEL that included 5 GB in Georgia and 5 GB of roaming data; that is an old promotion, so do not assume it still exists.
Silknet says you can pick a number on its website and activate an eSIM within minutes, and a news item says its SIM cards can be bought at Georgian Post branches. The Silknet pages we opened did not state prices, ID rules or whether non-residents can buy online.
Do you need a passport to buy a SIM?
Several visitor guides say that Georgian law requires identification for any new SIM. We did not find a regulator statement or an operator page that confirms this for tourists, so treat it as unconfirmed. What the operators' pages do show is that Cellfie's purchase process includes an identification step.
The practical answer is to carry the passport in hand luggage and expect to be asked for it at the airport or in a shop, whichever operator you choose. If a vendor tells you no ID is needed, check what the line will be allowed to do before relying on it for a longer stay.
5G in Georgia: three auctions, three operators
Civil.ge reported that the first 5G auction, announced on 28 July 2023, drew a single bidder, Cellfie Mobile, while Magti and Silknet objected to conditions about mobile virtual network operator access. The Communications Commission's later account says Magti was the sole participant in the second auction in 2024, and that the third auction, completed on 27 June 2025, went to Silknet for combined 700 MHz and 3400 to 3800 MHz spectrum at a bid of GEL 48,802,257.
According to the Commission, Silknet is obliged to cover densely populated settlements, tourist areas, ports, airports, railway stations and main highways gradually. That is a commitment, not a current coverage report. A visitor to Tbilisi, Batumi or Kutaisi should expect 4G as the reliable baseline and 5G in some areas, depending on the operator.
The same regulator published a study in February 2024 saying that high-volume and high-speed packages cost more in Georgia than in Europe, while entry-level services were comparable. For a short visit, that points to choosing a modest bundle rather than the largest one on offer.
112 and mountain trips
The Georgian tourism administration's safety page says 112 is the free emergency number available 24 hours a day from any phone. It also describes certified guides trained in safety protocols for hiking and climbing. Neither source says whether a data-only eSIM can place an emergency call, so choose a plan with a voice component if you intend to rely on it, and test that calling works before you leave a city.
Before heading for a high valley, download offline maps and save the guesthouse's number. We found no official coverage statistics for mountain roads, so do not assume a signal at a pass or a trailhead.
Setting up a travel eSIM alongside your home SIM
Apple says that an iPhone must be unlocked to accept a travel eSIM, that you need Wi-Fi to install it, and that data can be assigned to a chosen line while iMessage and FaceTime stay on the home number. Google says Pixel 3a and later phones can pair a physical SIM with an eSIM. Samsung says eSIM activation is done under Settings, Connections, SIM manager. If you are unsure whether your handset is eSIM-capable, check before buying. Our Georgia plan page is there if you prefer to set up before the flight.
Networks our Georgia plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Georgia, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Beeline5G
- Cellfie5G
- Cellfie Mobile5G
- Cellfie Mobile LLCLTE
- Geocell5G
- GEOCELL5G
- Geocell Ltd5G
- Magti4G
- Mobitel LLC5G