Last updated on 30 October 2026
All three Armenian operators sell a tourist plan for 2,500 dram (about €6.22) with unlimited data for 15 days: Ucom uWelcome and Team Be Free at their counters at Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport, and Viva TOURIST UNLIM. Each comes with an Armenian number. The POVNOMAD Armenia eSIM starts at €2.90 for 1 GB over 7 days and €5.90 for 3 GB over 15 days, data only, installed before you fly. As of 29 October 2026.
Put plainly: if you land at Zvartnots and stay a week or more, the local SIM is the better deal. For €6.22 you get more data than any eSIM we sell for Armenia, where our largest plan is 20 GB for €25.90. The eSIM is worth it for a short trip with little data, when you want to be online the moment you land, or when you arrive overland from Georgia, where the airport tariffs are not on offer.
Local SIM, travel eSIM or roaming: what is the difference in Armenia?
| Local SIM (airport tourist plan) | Travel eSIM (POVNOMAD) | Roaming on your home contract | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 2,500 AMD (€6.22) for 15 days with unlimited data | €2.90 for 1 GB/7 days, €5.90 for 3 GB/15 days, €14.90 for 10 GB/30 days | Armenia is outside EU roaming, you need a travel pass from your provider |
| What you need | passport, unlocked phone, a free SIM slot | eSIM-capable, unlocked phone | a pass booked with your provider |
| Where you get it | operator counter at Zvartnots airport | online, installed at home | no purchase needed |
| When you get online | after the counter | on landing | on landing |
| After 15 days | renews automatically if your balance covers it; at Team 5,000 AMD (€12.45) for 30 days | runs 7 to 30 days, depending on the plan | depends on the pass |
| Calls and SMS | yes, with an Armenian number: 300 minutes and 300 SMS at Ucom and Viva, 2,000 minutes and 500 SMS at Team | no, data only; WhatsApp calls run over data | yes, at your provider’s rates |
| Hotspot | Ucom writes that tethering might be limited; Team and Viva say nothing on it | yes, no separate limit | depends on your contract |
| Network | Ucom, Team or Viva | Vivacell 4G (variable), according to the product page | depends on your provider |
As of 29 October 2026. Operator terms from ucom.am, telecomarmenia.am and an archived copy of viva.am (10 April 2026), POVNOMAD prices and network from the Armenia product page. Converted at the Central Bank of Armenia rate for 29 October 2026 (€1 = 401.70 AMD). The ECB publishes no reference rate for the dram.
How much does a tourist SIM card cost in Armenia?
All three operators publish a tourist plan at the same price. The differences sit in the minutes, in what happens after 15 days and in where you can buy it:
| Plan | Price, first 15 days | Data | Minutes | SMS | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ucom uWelcome | 2,500 AMD (€6.22) | unlimited, 512 kbit/s after 200 GB | 300, to local networks, USA and Canada | 300 | Ucom service centre at Zvartnots airport, open 24 hours |
| Team Be Free (airport) | 2,500 AMD (€6.22) | unlimited, 512 kbit/s after 200 GB | 2,000, to Armenian networks, USA and Canada | 500 | Team service centre at Zvartnots airport only |
| Viva TOURIST UNLIM | 2,500 AMD (€6.22) | unlimited | 300 | 300 | not stated on the archived page |
Sources: ucom.am, uWelcome tariff plan and Ucom service centre list, telecomarmenia.am, Be Free 2500/15 days, all retrieved 29 October 2026. Viva from an archived copy of viva.am of 10 April 2026, because viva.am blocked our request on 29 October 2026. Euro amounts at €1 = 401.70 AMD.
Two details matter. Ucom states on its page that uWelcome is on sale through 31 October 2026. Whether Ucom extends it or replaces it, we could not see on our check date. Team sells its airport plan as “Be Free 5000 airport”: the first 15 days cost 2,500 AMD, after that Team charges 5,000 AMD (€12.45) for 30 days if your balance covers it. All three plans renew on their own as long as there is credit on the SIM, so leave little credit on it before you fly home.
Compare that with travel eSIMs bought before departure, as of 29 October 2026:
| Plan | POVNOMAD | Airalo | Holafly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | €2.90 (7 days) | €5.00 (3 days) | – |
| 3 GB | €5.90 (15 days) | €14.00 (7 days) | – |
| 5 GB, 30 days | €8.90 | €23.00 | – |
| 10 GB, 30 days | €14.90 | €36.00 | – |
| 20 GB, 30 days | €25.90 | €45.00 | – |
| Unlimited, 7 days | – | €36.00 | €36.90 |
| Unlimited, 15 days | – | €59.00 | €58.90 |
Read on 29 October 2026 on povnomad.com, airalo.com/armenia-esim and esim.holafly.com/de/esim-armenien/. POVNOMAD sells no unlimited plan for Armenia, Holafly sells unlimited plans only. Airalo slows its Armenia unlimited plans to 1 Mbit/s after 3 GB a day. “–” = no such plan.
A local tourist plan for 15 days costs €6.22. A travel eSIM with unlimited data for the same 15 days costs €59.00 at Airalo and €58.90 at Holafly. Our 3 GB for €5.90 is the only eSIM in the table that costs less than the local plan, and it gives you a fraction of the data. Our Armenia eSIM provider comparison covers all plan sizes.
Do you need a passport for an Armenian SIM card?
Take it with you. Armenian operators register each line to a named owner. Team’s customer FAQ, for example, says the person in whose name a package is registered has to come to a Team shop with their passport to reactivate it after it lapses. Travel guides agree that the shops ask foreigners for a passport when they sell the SIM. We found no published text from the regulator on the rules for foreign visitors on 29 October 2026, so the operator’s counter has the final word.
A travel eSIM bought abroad needs no Armenian registration, because it joins the network as a roaming guest. Install it at home on Wi-Fi (instructions for iPhone and Android). Validity starts on first contact with the partner network in Armenia, and you have 120 days after purchase to activate it.
Can you buy the tourist SIM if you arrive overland from Georgia?
Not the airport plans. Ucom sells uWelcome at its Zvartnots service centre, and Team sells its 2,500-dram Be Free plan only at its Zvartnots service centre. If you come in by bus or train from Tbilisi, via Bagratashen or Ayrum, there is no airport counter on your route. You can still buy a regular prepaid SIM in a shop in Yerevan or Vanadzor, but those tariffs differ from the tourist plans, and we did not compare them.
This is where an eSIM helps: you switch from your Georgia line to the Armenia line at the border and have maps and a taxi app running on the first kilometre. How the border switch works and which eSIM covers which country is in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on one trip. For the Georgian side, see our Georgia SIM card guide.
How do you buy the local SIM the right way?
- Buy at the operator’s own counter in the arrival area. Ucom lists two service points at Zvartnots, in the arrival hall and in the baggage reclaim area, both open 24 hours.
- Ask for the tourist plan by name: uWelcome at Ucom, Be Free at Team, TOURIST UNLIM at Viva. Ask for the total price including the SIM card.
- Check that your phone is unlocked. A phone locked to a German network will not take an Armenian SIM.
- Keep your home SIM in a dual-SIM phone, or SMS codes from your bank will not reach you.
- Plan your top-up: the plans renew after 15 days only if your balance covers the next period.
- Need a hotspot for a laptop? Ucom writes that tethering might be limited on uWelcome. Ask at the counter.
When is the eSIM the better choice, and when is it not?
The local SIM is the better deal if you land at Zvartnots, stay a week or longer and use more than about 3 GB. It is also the right pick if you want an Armenian number for calls to guesthouses, drivers or tour operators. For 15 days of unlimited data you pay €6.22 at the counter. Our 10 GB for 30 days costs €14.90.
The eSIM fits better for a short trip: 1 GB for 7 days costs €2.90, 3 GB for 15 days €5.90. It also fits if you want to be online before passport control, if you cross overland from Georgia, or if you prefer to skip the counter after a night flight.
One honest point: we sell no unlimited plan for Armenia. If you stream video every day for a month, the local plan or an unlimited eSIM from Airalo or Holafly suits you better. Cash is the other thing you need on arrival: which Armenian ATMs charge foreign cards nothing is in our guide to ATM fees in Armenia.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a SIM card cost in Armenia?
The tourist plans of Ucom, Team and Viva each cost 2,500 dram (about €6.22) for 15 days with unlimited data and an Armenian number. Ucom and Viva include 300 minutes and 300 SMS, Team 2,000 minutes and 500 SMS. As of 29 October 2026, at €1 = 401.70 AMD.
Can I buy a SIM card at Yerevan airport?
Yes. Ucom runs two service points at Zvartnots, in the arrival hall and in the baggage reclaim area, both open 24 hours, and sells uWelcome there. Team sells its 2,500-dram airport plan only at its Zvartnots service centre. Ucom lists uWelcome as on sale through 31 October 2026.
Do I need my passport to buy a SIM card in Armenia?
Yes, take it with you. Operators register each line to a named owner, and Team’s FAQ asks the registered owner to show a passport in the shop to reactivate a lapsed package. A travel eSIM bought before the trip needs no Armenian registration. As of 29 October 2026.
Is a local SIM cheaper than an eSIM in Armenia?
For a stay of a week or more, yes. 15 days with unlimited data cost 2,500 dram (€6.22) at the airport. POVNOMAD charges €5.90 for 3 GB over 15 days and €14.90 for 10 GB over 30 days, Airalo €59.00 for 15 days unlimited. For a short trip, 1 GB for €2.90 is enough. As of 29 October 2026.
What happens to the tourist SIM after 15 days?
It renews on its own if your balance covers the next period. At Team the follow-up costs 5,000 dram (€12.45) for 30 days, at Ucom and Viva another 2,500 dram for 15 days. Without enough credit, the plan stops and standard rates apply, at Viva 30 dram per MB.
Does the POVNOMAD eSIM give me an Armenian phone number?
No, it carries data only, on Vivacell 4G according to the product page. Your home number stays reachable if you keep your SIM active next to the eSIM, and WhatsApp calls run over data. Hotspot is included. Plans start at €2.90 for 1 GB over 7 days (as of 29 October 2026).
How do I know if the prices on this page are still current?
We read every operator and eSIM price on 29 October 2026 on the providers’ websites and name the source under each table. Ucom’s uWelcome page lists the plan as on sale through 31 October 2026. Operators change tariffs without notice, so check the counter price before you pay.
This guide is also available in German. As of 29 October 2026. Prices read on that day on ucom.am, telecomarmenia.am, povnomad.com, airalo.com and esim.holafly.com, Viva from an archived copy of 10 April 2026; exchange rate of the Central Bank of Armenia for 29 October 2026. Prices and rules may change at any time.
