Booths at Port Vila, stores in town and tourist packages
The Vanuatu Tourism Office says that in Vanuatu there are two main telecommunications companies, Vodafone and Digicel, and that both have a booth at the international airport arrivals as well as stores in the city centres of Port Vila and Luganville. Stores open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and on Saturday from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. Both offer tourist packages, recharge cards are sold in most stores and by street vendors under umbrellas in the operator's colours.
The office also mentions roaming agreements with some international mobile phone companies and public phones in airports and post offices, with phone cards sold at the post office. Another answer on the same page says the airport booths sell local SIM cards and roaming services. Because the store hours are short, a flight that lands at the weekend or in the evening may need the airport booth, so ask when you book whether the booth is staffed for your arrival. The tourism office page does not give prices for the tourist packages.
Digicel's vatu bundles
Digicel Vanuatu's bundle page lists 4G all-in-one plans and states that tourist SIMs can also buy them. At the time of checking, the 3-hour plan cost VUV 50 for 100 MB, the 24-hour plan VUV 125 for 200 MB, a 3-day plan VUV 250 for 400 MB, VUV 550 for 1,250 MB (labelled 7 days on its plan cards but 3 days in its table), and 7-day plans VUV 750 for 2,000 MB or VUV 1,000 for 3,000 MB. The SMS and minutes in the all-in-one plans are Digicel-to-Digicel only.
Its table lists data-only plans at VUV 350 for 3 GB over 3 days, VUV 500 to 600 for 3.5 to 6 GB over 7 days and VUV 1,000 to 3,000 for 6 to 20 GB over 30 days, although the plan cards on the same page show a 10 GB 7-day plan at VUV 600, so confirm the allowance before paying. For navigation and messaging, the data-only plans give more megabytes per vatu, while the all-in-one plans suit a visitor who mainly calls Digicel numbers. The page does not describe a SIM price or identification rules, so confirm both in store.
Outer islands: reception is uneven, so carry both SIMs
The Vanuatu Tourism Office says almost all of Vanuatu is covered, but in the most remote areas reception can be spotty and one network may have better coverage in one area than the other. It recommends considering both a Digicel and a Vodafone SIM for the best coverage in remote areas. On a phone with two SIM slots, or one SIM and one eSIM, that is simple to do.
Its guidance for outer islands adds that you can get a local SIM but they do not work everywhere, that there are no ATMs in the remote islands so you should take plenty of cash, and that you should let friends and family know you may be out of contact for a few days. Ferry services between islands do not always follow a fixed schedule, and Air Vanuatu operates domestic connections between Port Vila, Luganville and Tanna and many other islands. The UK Foreign Office says Air Vanuatu was not operating flights when we checked and that inter-island boat services are infrequent and can be unreliable, so confirm transport before you rely on a plan.
Volcano alert levels, cyclones and earthquakes
The UK Foreign Office says Vanuatu sits in the Ring of Fire with over 2,000 seismic events reported a year, that a major earthquake struck Port Vila on 17 December 2024 causing building damage and temporary closures, and that there are active volcanoes on seven islands: Ambae, Ambrym, Epi, Gaua, Lopevi, Tanna and Vanua Lava. It says alert levels can change unexpectedly and that the cyclone season runs from November to May, bringing risks of flooding and landslides.
For a phone, the point is to enable official alerts and carry a way of receiving them in the field. If your trip includes a volcano visit on Tanna or a boat crossing in cyclone season, ask the operator or host for the current alert level on the day. A data plan helps only where there is signal, which is another reason for a spare SIM.
Entry rules, biosecurity and what not to bring
The tourism office says citizens of many countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the EU and the USA, do not need a visa for stays up to 120 days, that others must apply in advance with a visa-on-request fee of 5,150 VT, that a passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the stay and that you may be asked for onward travel. It points to immigration.gov.vu for the exempt-country list.
It also says all food, plants and animal products must be declared on arrival and that undeclared items can be seized, and that visitors should not bring vapes or e-liquids. Check current rules with the biosecurity authority and customs before you pack, since enforcement advice can change.
Emergency numbers
The UK Foreign Office lists 115 for an ambulance, 113 for fire and 111 or 22222 for police in Vanuatu. Our Vanuatu plan page is an option if you want data before landing.
Networks our Vanuatu plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Vanuatu, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- DigicelLTE