Buying and registering an MTN SIM
MTN Liberia's SIM services page says a new SIM card costs 100 LRD and that the buyer gets a welcome after completing the SIM registration process, with 50 US cents of mobile money and refill bonuses of 300 per cent on voucher top-ups and 400 per cent on mobile money top-ups for the first three months. The welcome pack page says to register the SIM at a point of sale or with a registration agent and then refill to activate the bonus, and that registration is not needed again on later refills.
The page does not list the documents needed to register, so we cannot say what a visitor must show, though a passport is the usual document to carry. Dialling *160# gives access to self-service options including viewing your registration details. Its store locator lists service centres in towns including Monrovia, Buchanan, Gbarnga, Ganta, Zwedru, Pleebo, Greenville and Voinjama, with opening hours for Monday to Saturday.
MTN's dollar-priced data bundles
MTN's data bundle page, activated by dialling *352#, lists daily, weekly, bi-weekly and monthly bundles in US dollars. At the time of checking, $0.35 bought 70 MB for one day, $1 bought 350 MB over three days, and $2 bought 1 GB for seven days. Larger bundles ran up to $25 for 9.3 GB and $50 for 23.3 GB over 30 days. The table on the page is laid out in a way that makes some prices and allowances hard to match, so check the amounts on the *352# menu before paying.
Outside a bundle, rates are much higher. The welcome pack page lists data at $0.05 per MB, while the tariff page lists a Classic plan at $0.01 per MB, so the plan you are on matters. For a short stay, buy a bundle first and keep background data off until it is active.
The eSIM page: free, but for existing subscribers
MTN Liberia's eSIM page says the offer is available to all subscribers, prepaid and postpaid, and that eSIMs are completely free for MTN users. It explains that you can check compatibility by dialling *#06# and looking for an EID, and that many eSIM phones support dual-SIM use. It does not describe buying a new line as an eSIM, or what a visitor needs to do.
That wording suggests converting an existing MTN SIM rather than a tourist product, so we make no claim that a visitor can buy an MTN eSIM on arrival. The simplest plan for most visitors is a foreign eSIM for data on one slot and, if you want a local number, a registered MTN physical SIM on the other.
Visa in advance, health screening and cash
The UK Foreign Office says you must have a visa to enter Liberia, applied for through the Liberian Embassy in the UK, with a passport valid for at least six months when you apply, and that an extension of up to 60 days costs 25 US dollars at the Immigration Office in Monrovia. It says a yellow fever certificate is part of the application. Its page describes applying through the embassy, so plan the visa before you fly.
Its page, updated on 27 May 2026, also notes that Liberia's health authorities announced heightened screening of arriving travellers because of Ebola outbreaks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which the WHO has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It asks travellers to declare cash or travellers' cheques worth 10,000 US dollars or more, and says you cannot take more than 7,500 US dollars in cash out of the country. Rules differ by nationality.
Crime, convoys, cash and mobile money
The UK Foreign Office says the crime rate in Liberia is high, that foreigners can be targeted, that assaults and robberies have been reported in taxis, and that you should avoid walking in Monrovia after dark and arrange airport transport in advance. Outside Monrovia, most foreign nationals hire a car with a driver and travel in a convoy of at least two vehicles, and roads become impassable in the rainy season from May to November. It also says you should carry photo ID or a copy of your passport photo page.
On payments, it says few places accept cards and mobile money apps offer an alternative but not all vendors use them, that ATMs often run out of money, and that visitors should bring enough US dollars to cover all expenses. Together with the bank cash shortages it describes, that makes cash planning as important as a data plan.
Emergency number, and why to have a backup
The UK Foreign Office gives +231 770 800 911 as the police number and says emergency services are unreliable in Liberia. It gives no ambulance or fire number. Save your accommodation's number and your embassy's contact, and ask your host which hospital to use. Our Liberia plan page covers data before you arrive.
Networks our Liberia plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Liberia, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Lonestar Cell MTN4G
- MTN4G
- Orange4G
- Orange L4G
- Orange Liberia4G