# Iran travel eSIM guide > Iran mobile data guide: passport registration, MCI tourist SIM prices, local eSIM eligibility, outages, payments and emergency numbers. Page: https://esimnest.com/iran/guide/ Connectivity planning for Iran starts with a safety check. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel and warns that mobile and internet services can be disrupted without notice. If travel is unavoidable, arrange a means of communication and navigation that does not depend on a working data connection. A local tourist SIM can provide a number and a published data allowance, but it cannot guarantee access to international services during an outage. By eSimNest Team. Facts last checked 2026-10-03 against the sources listed at the end. ## Plan around possible communications shutdowns The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says Iranian authorities have previously blocked, slowed or shut down mobile, internet and landline services, either locally or across the country, without warning. It specifically advises travellers against relying on mobile data, non-Iranian apps or international calls for personal safety. Save addresses and maps offline, agree meeting places with companions, and give someone outside Iran an itinerary before departure. A second SIM or a roaming plan may help with an ordinary coverage problem, but it cannot be assumed to work through a wider service shutdown. ## Compare MCI's passport-registered tourist SIM Hamrah Aval, also called MCI, publishes a dedicated tourist SIM for inbound visitors. Its page says the phone must be unlocked and the purchaser must present a passport for registration. It lists a maximum of three active tourist SIMs per person. Take the actual passport to the sales point; a photograph may be useful as a backup but is not the identification MCI specifies. Ask staff to confirm the number, data allowance and activation while still at the counter, because resolving registration problems after leaving the outlet may be harder. At the time of checking, MCI listed three bundles with a maximum validity of 30 days: 3 GB with 30 minutes and 30 texts for 990,000 rials; 10 GB with 100 minutes and 100 texts for 1,990,000 rials; and 15 GB with 150 minutes and 150 texts for 2,490,000 rials. These are operator-published prices, not a guarantee of what every outlet will charge. Compare the allowance with the length of your stay and confirm whether the included calls and texts meet your needs before payment. The published tourist product is a SIM with a local number; do not assume that it is issued as an eSIM. ## Sort out the purchase route and payment before arrival A UN Tourism visitor information note prepared for a Tehran event in 2025 identifies Hamrah Aval and Irancell tourist SIMs at Tehran airports and authorised retail outlets, and says a passport is needed. It also described an Irancell booth at the airport. Treat that as a dated pointer rather than proof that a particular counter will be staffed for your flight; ask the airport or operator before relying on it. MCI's current tourist page gives the stronger confirmation of passport registration for its own product. If landing elsewhere, plan how to reach an authorised shop without data. Payment is unusually important here. The FCDO says non-Iranian debit and cash cards do not work in Iran and urges visitors to work out how to obtain sufficient rials legally before travel. A UN Tourism note also says foreign Visa and Mastercard payments are unavailable. Thus, an online checkout or app that appears to accept cards should not be your only way to pay for a local SIM or top-up. Confirm the seller's accepted payment method, the price in rials and whether the pack is active before leaving the desk. Avoid assuming an international card will fund later renewals. ## Check eSIM eligibility separately from tourist SIM eligibility MCI has an eSIM service page, but it describes pre-registration and later final registration rather than a guaranteed instant tourist sale. The operator says foreign applicants need a FIDA unified code as well as an accepted identity document, which can include a passport. It says that, after final registration, MCI supplies a QR code and the phone needs an internet connection to download the eSIM profile. A visitor should therefore ask MCI in advance whether their passport status permits the required FIDA step and whether a tourist line can actually be issued electronically. Do not arrive counting on an immediate QR code. If using an existing travel eSIM for data, install its profile over reliable Wi-Fi before departure and retain the installation instructions offline. Check that the handset is unlocked, supports eSIM and allows the intended combination of lines; the local MCI tourist SIM itself requires an unlocked handset. A dual-SIM phone can keep a home number present for incoming messages while using the chosen data line, but check your home provider's roaming charges and switch data roaming deliberately. The cited pages do not describe a handset registration rule for visitors, so confirm any applicable device rule directly with the operator or the customs authority. ## Monitor the allowance and avoid unwanted renewals MCI's tourist page publishes short codes for checking and extending the line. It gives *300*0# for balance, *300*1# for data and a recharge code using a purchased PIN. The operator says credit may also be obtained through its official representatives and authorised agents. Ask the seller to show the balance and next top-up route on your own phone before leaving. Keep the operator name and mobile number written down so a shop can identify the line even when an app is unreachable. Irancell separately offers prepaid and postpaid mobile-data packages through its own purchase page, with validity filters ranging from one day to several months. Its guidance says package details can be checked in the MyIrancell app or by a USSD code, and warns that some packages bought in the app or by USSD renew automatically. It says packages bought on the website do not auto-renew. This is useful if an Irancell line is available to you, but the public package page does not by itself establish the visitor registration steps or a current tourist tariff. Confirm both with Irancell before buying. ## Check the route, not just the city MCI provides a location-based 5G map and says its footprint is still expanding. That is a reason to inspect Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz or any other actual stop individually, not to describe the whole country as having 5G. A handset may fall back to another mobile technology away from a covered point. For intercity travel or a drive towards a border area, download the route and essential addresses before leaving a working connection. The FCDO's warning about localised shutdowns is separate from an ordinary weak-signal gap, and neither is solved merely by choosing a larger data bundle. A UN Tourism note for Tehran participants listed Wi-Fi at its specified airport, hotel and conference venue, and identified Snapp and Tap30 as local ride-hailing apps. Those details are useful for a Tehran arrival but should not be extended to every airport, hotel or city. Obtain the correct terminal and hotel Wi-Fi information directly from those venues, and set up any needed transport app while connected. The FCDO warns that non-Iranian apps can become inaccessible during restrictions, so save your destination in Persian as well as English and retain a way to show it without mobile data. ## Keep emergency numbers outside your phone apps The FCDO lists 110 for police, 115 for ambulance and 125 for fire services in Iran. Save them as contacts, but also write them on paper with your accommodation and local contact details. The MCI tourist bundles above include a voice allowance. Emergency calls: Many travel eSIMs carry data only, and a data-only profile may not place a normal phone call. Keep a voice-capable SIM for emergencies, such as your home SIM or a local plan, and save the local emergency number from this guide. Plans and current prices for Iran: [eSIM for Iran](https://esimnest.com/iran/). ## Questions ### Do I need a passport to buy an Iranian tourist SIM? Yes for MCI's published tourist SIM: its registration instructions require a passport. UN Tourism's Tehran visitor note also says a passport is needed for local tourist SIM purchases. Bring the original document and check activation at the point of sale. ### Is an MCI tourist SIM automatically an eSIM? No such equivalence is stated on MCI's tourist page. MCI's separate eSIM page describes pre-registration, a FIDA code requirement for foreign applicants and a later QR code. Ask the operator whether your specific visitor line qualifies before planning around eSIM delivery. ### How much data is in MCI's tourist packages? At the time of checking, MCI published 3 GB, 10 GB and 15 GB packages, each with a maximum validity of 30 days and an accompanying voice and text allowance. Confirm the current price and availability at the authorised seller. ### Can an overseas bank card pay for an Iranian top-up? Do not rely on one. The FCDO says non-Iranian debit and cash cards do not work in Iran. Ask the operator which legal local payment or physical credit options are available before your allowance runs out. ### Will a roaming eSIM avoid an Iranian internet shutdown? There is no dependable basis to assume so. The FCDO warns of local or nationwide mobile and internet disruptions and advises alternative communication and navigation. Keep essential information available offline. ### Does Iran have 5G everywhere? MCI publishes a location-based 5G map and says coverage is expanding. Check the precise places on your route; its map does not support a countrywide 5G guarantee. ### Which number should I call in an emergency? The FCDO lists 110 for police, 115 for ambulance and 125 for fire. Save these and carry a paper copy. ## Sources - [UK FCDO Iran safety and security](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iran/safety-and-security) - [UK FCDO Iran travel advice](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iran) - [Hamrah Aval tourist SIM](https://mci.ir/tourism-simcard) - [UN Tourism Iran visitor information note](https://pre-webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2025-06/UN_Tourism_Global_Forum_on_Urban_Tourism_-_General_Information_Note_06112025_clean.pdf?VersionId=oQN7CzWdUN_4Azm1A5RZcIjBQKjW5VPF) - [Hamrah Aval eSIM service and FAQ](https://mci.ir/esim) - [Apple eSIM travel guidance](https://support.apple.com/en-al/118227) - [Irancell mobile internet packages](https://irancell.ir/o/1001/mobile-internet-packages) - [Hamrah Aval 5G coverage](https://mci.ir/5g) - [UK FCDO Iran getting help](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iran/getting-help)