# Uganda travel eSIM guide > Visitor mobile data in Uganda: MTN's Entebbe tourist SIM, passport and visa checks, Airtel bundles, eSIM conversion, UCC quality reports and MoMo. Page: https://esimnest.com/uganda/guide/ An arriving visitor can obtain a number at MTN's Entebbe Airport service centre, subject to document checks. A paid bundle is separate from the free tourist card. For journeys through Gulu, Kabale or Kisoro, compare the regulator's measurements and operator tariffs before choosing a connection. By eSimNest Team. Facts last checked 2026-09-30 against the sources listed at the end. ## Getting an MTN tourist SIM after landing MTN Uganda says its tourist SIM is available at its airport service centre. The card is free, but service requires a bundle or credit. MTN asks for a foreign passport and visa; an agent helps with registration. Keep the documents and phone at the counter until the line works for the road from Entebbe. MTN says the tourist card remains valid only as long as the holder's visa and deactivates when it expires. It permits one free card per stay and replacement of a lost card at a service centre. Visa-exempt visitors should ask how MTN applies this condition, which its FAQ does not explain. ## What the MTN tourist bundles include MTN publishes paid tourist bundles. At the time of checking, Starter was UGX 30,000 for 10 GB and 150 voice minutes over 30 days; Business was UGX 85,000 for 30 GB and 450 minutes over 30 days. The operator lists larger bundles too. Check the live offer before paying. The operator says tourist customers may also buy ordinary voice, data-only and international calling bundles. Its FAQ gives *160*20# and *165# as purchase menus, with payment through airtime or Mobile Money. Those USSD menus require a working MTN line, so ask the Entebbe agent to load the first bundle before departing. MTN's terms restrict the tourist SIM to use within Uganda; do not assume its allowance follows you on an onward journey to Kenya or Rwanda. ## An Airtel data alternative for longer stays Airtel Uganda's Chillax page lists data without a calendar expiry. At the time of checking, 5 GB cost UGX 16,000 and 8 GB cost UGX 25,000. Airtel offers these to prepaid, hybrid and postpaid customers through airtime or Airtel Money. The allowance can still run out; check the live menu before paying. The Chillax page gives *100*24# for self-purchase and *131# to check volume, while the My Airtel app provides bundle purchases, balances, transaction history and a shop locator. These pages describe existing Airtel customers' choices; they do not establish what documents a new foreign visitor needs to register an Airtel SIM, or that a tourist eSIM is sold at Entebbe. Ask an Airtel shop to confirm its current foreign-passport process before building the arrival plan around this option. ## Using an eSIM-only phone MTN's tourist FAQ permits conversion of its physical tourist SIM to an eSIM at a service centre. This follows obtaining the card; it is no promise of instant airport eSIM issue. If the handset lacks a physical slot, ask whether airport staff can complete both steps and allow time for the transfer. MTN's general eSIM help suggests dialling *#06# to look for an EID as a compatibility check and describes a service-centre swap. That general page refers to a national ID, whereas its tourist-specific FAQ uses a foreign passport and visa; the latter is the clearer source for visitors. Ask staff which documents apply to the tourist conversion. Bring a stable internet connection or make sure the centre can help download the profile, and keep the original number's messages accessible until the transfer succeeds. ## Check measured service beyond Kampala Uganda Communications Commission publishes mobile quality findings from towns tested in August and September 2024. The report includes Entebbe, Kampala, Gulu, Fort Portal, Kabale and Kisoro, comparing operators on voice and data measures. Use the tables as historical evidence, not a current signal guarantee for every road, park or lodge. The commission's later discussion of its 2024 sector report says coverage gaps can persist in hard-to-reach areas even after infrastructure is installed. That makes an offline map and saved accommodation directions worthwhile before a drive into western or northern Uganda. MTN's tourist page advertises wide service in safari areas, but that is the operator's claim, not a measured promise for a specific trail or park gate. Compare the UCC findings and ask your accommodation which local network reaches its actual location. ## Mobile Money and everyday top-ups MTN says a tourist SIM holder can dial *165# to activate a MoMo account and load Ugandan shillings with an MTN Mobile Money agent. Its tourist bundles can be bought with airtime or MoMo, and its customer payment page gives *165*3# as the MoMoPay merchant menu. This makes a working local line useful beyond maps, particularly where a merchant supplies a MoMo code, but activation and available services should be confirmed with MTN before depending on a wallet. MTN's payment instructions say to enter the merchant code, amount and MoMo PIN and confirm the details. It also warns of transaction fees for payments to informal merchants; check the fee shown before accepting. If you use Airtel instead, its My Airtel app combines balance checks, bundle purchases and Airtel Money functions. Keep a non-phone payment method for the first day, since a newly registered SIM, wallet and payment PIN may not all be ready immediately. ## Plan separately for a regional crossing MTN's tourist terms restrict the SIM to Uganda. For onward travel to Kenya, Rwanda or Tanzania, arrange another connection even if unused data remains. Airtel Uganda describes a One Network Area arrangement for its customers roaming in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Sudan. That is an Airtel service with separate terms; other home plans need checking. Check the roaming status and charges of the actual line you will use on each side of the border. If retaining a home SIM for bank codes, distinguish its voice and SMS setting from the line selected for mobile data. MTN's tourist card may expire with the visa before its purchased allowance is exhausted, according to its FAQ, so avoid buying a longer-use bundle on the assumption that extending a journey automatically extends the line. ## Documents, emergency access and the first data test Uganda Immigration says a tourist-visa application is made online and an approved traveller receives an authorisation by email; its instructions say to bring the passport and approval material for processing at the border. Requirements depend on nationality, so check visa exemption before travel. Save the authorisation offline alongside the Entebbe accommodation address, then present the documents MTN asks for if buying its tourist SIM. Test a webpage and an outgoing call before leaving the service centre, and keep the registration details for any later SIM replacement. UCC's national short-code table identifies 999 as an emergency-service number. The table does not establish whether a particular data-only eSIM can originate a voice emergency call, so do not treat internet access alone as proof of calling capability. Keep a working voice route and the address or coordinates of your location, especially when travelling outside a major town. Compare an advance-arranged data option on our Uganda plan page with the local registration steps if you need connectivity immediately after landing. 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 Uganda: [eSIM for Uganda](https://esimnest.com/uganda/). ## Questions ### Where can I get MTN's tourist SIM on arrival? MTN says its airport service centre supplies the tourist SIM, with an agent helping register it. Bring the foreign passport and visa or entry document specified by MTN, then buy a bundle separately. ### Is the MTN tourist SIM itself free? MTN describes the physical card as free, but calls and data require credit or a paid bundle. Its published 30-day Starter combo was UGX 30,000 at the time of checking. ### Does the tourist SIM work after my Ugandan visa expires? MTN's FAQ says the tourist card is deactivated when the visa expires. Its treatment of visa-exempt visitors is not explained on that page; ask MTN before purchase. ### Can I change MTN's tourist SIM to eSIM? Yes, according to MTN's tourist FAQ. Bring the physical tourist card to an MTN service centre and request a transfer, confirming the document check and handset compatibility there. ### Does Airtel Uganda offer data without an expiry date? Airtel's Chillax table lists no-expiry data allowances for its customers. The data can still be used up, and a new visitor must confirm SIM registration arrangements separately. ### How should I compare coverage for Kisoro or Gulu? Use the UCC's town-level 2024 quality findings as historical evidence, then ask the operator or accommodation about the precise destination. The report does not guarantee present-day service at a specific address. ### Can I pay a merchant with MTN MoMo? MTN says tourist-SIM holders can activate MoMo through *165# and load it at an agent. Merchant payment uses the merchant code and PIN; check any displayed transaction fee. ### What emergency number is identified by Uganda's regulator? UCC's short-code table identifies 999 as an emergency-service number. Do not assume a data-only eSIM can make a voice call without checking its capabilities. ## Sources - [MTN Uganda: tourist SIM registration FAQ](https://www.mtn.co.ug/helppersonal/tourist-sim-registration/) - [Uganda Immigration: visa-exempt nationalities](https://mail.immigration.go.ug/faqs/visa-exempt) - [MTN Uganda: tourist SIM offers](https://www.mtn.co.ug/personal/tourist-sim-registration/) - [MTN Uganda: tourist SIM terms](https://www.mtn.co.ug/terms-and-conditions/tourist-sim-offers/) - [Airtel Uganda: Chillax bundles](https://www.airtel.co.ug/ug/personal/chillax-bundles-uganda) - [Airtel Uganda: My Airtel app](https://www.airtel.co.ug/ug/personal/my-airtel-app) - [MTN Uganda: eSIM help](https://www.mtn.co.ug/helppersonal/mtn-esim/) - [Uganda Communications Commission: quality-of-service reports](https://www.ucc.co.ug/quality-of-service-reports/) - [Uganda Communications Commission: August-September 2024 quality findings](https://www.ucc.co.ug/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/QOS-August-to-September-2024.pdf) - [Uganda Communications Commission: 2024 sector report discussion](https://www.ucc.co.ug/new-communications-sector-report-highlights-efforts-to-bridge-access-and-usage-gaps/) - [MTN Uganda: Pay with MoMo](https://www.mtn.co.ug/momo/pay-with-momo/) - [Airtel Uganda: international roaming](https://www.airtel.co.ug/ug/personal/international-roaming) - [Uganda Immigration: tourist visa](https://immigration.go.ug/index.php/services/tourist-visa) - [Uganda Communications Commission: short codes](https://www.ucc.co.ug/short-codes/)