The online arrival and departure card, in force since March 2026
The Ministry of Homeland Security's media release of 11 March 2026 announced the Online Arrival and Departure Card platform, to be fully implemented on 17 March 2026, after which the paper-based system would be discontinued. Travellers can use it at travel.gov.tt, create an online account, upload the biodata page of their passport and submit up to 72 hours before travel. After submission they receive a digital receipt with a QR code to present to immigration on arrival or departure.
The release says all passengers arriving or departing by air or sea must submit the form, and that systems at airports and through airlines will assist travellers who have difficulty. Because an account and a passport image are needed, do it on a proper connection before leaving, not at the arrivals desk. Save the QR code as a screenshot.
Why a counter asks for identification
The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago's generic concession document, which sets the conditions for public telecommunications operators, says in condition C43 that a concessionaire shall maintain an up-to-date register of all users of telecommunication services including all users of SIM cards. It must obtain at a minimum the user's full name, residential or postal address and one form of national identification, and take all reasonable measures to verify what the user provides.
The condition is written in general terms and does not name visitors. In practice it means to expect a passport request and an address, such as your hotel, at a SIM sale. It is a licence condition on operators rather than a rule published for tourists, so the operator's counter staff will tell you exactly what they need.
bmobile's Tourist SIM and where it is sold
bmobile's FAQ says its Tourist SIM is sold at 18 retail locations. The list includes Cell 4 Less, Cellmaster, Cell Serve, Cellular Planet, Colours in Motion, Rollocks in Canaan, Tobago, and Hellopost at Movie Towne. The airport location is Cellmaster Limited at Duty Free, Piarco International Airport. The FAQ does not state the price, hours or identification required.
TSTT introduced eSIM for bmobile on 25 July 2023 and said all prepaid and postpaid packages support it. Customers visit select bmobile locations where staff supply a QR code and help with activation. The release listed outlets including Cell 4 Less at Grand Bazaar, Cell Master at Gulf City Mall, Cellular Planet at West Mall and the bmobile Customer Experience store in Lowlands, Tobago. It did not give prices. A local eSIM is therefore a shop-assisted purchase, not an instant online one.
Digicel's My Tourist eSIMs, and a table worth reading twice
Digicel's Trinidad and Tobago tourist page lists four eSIM plans, each with a complimentary eSIM that is emailed after registration. At the time of checking: the 3-day plan cost TTD 125 (US$20) with 30 GB and 100 minutes, the 7-day plan TTD 200 (US$35) with 28 GB and 150 minutes, the 14-day plan TTD 250 (US$40) with 42 GB and 200 minutes and the 30-day plan TTD 365 (US$55) with 25 GB and 300 minutes. Free Digicel calls and local SMS are included.
The data figures do not rise with the length of the plan, which is unusual: the 30-day plan lists less data than the 3-day plan. It may reflect promotional allowances, so confirm the current data allowance at checkout rather than choosing on the headline number. Digicel says accounts can be managed in the MyDigicel app.
The regulator's price schedule and the pay-as-you-go trap
TATT publishes a mobile prepaid price schedule built from operators' websites with VAT-inclusive prices. The edition of 18 December 2024 lists bmobile standard domestic voice at $1.56 per minute to bmobile, to Digicel and to fixed lines, and notes that roaming rates and bundles are excluded and that customers are charged VAT up front on top-ups.
At that standard rate a 20-minute call comes to about $31, so long calls add up quickly and a bundle with included minutes is usually the better route. The schedule is dated and operators change prices, so use it for the order of magnitude rather than as a current tariff.
Emergency numbers
The UK Foreign Office lists 999 for police, 990 for fire and 811 for an ambulance in Trinidad and Tobago. Both operators' tourist plans include minutes.
Our Trinidad and Tobago plan page offers an alternative if you would rather set up data before you land.
Networks our Trinidad & Tobago plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Trinidad & Tobago, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Digicel4G