{"id":45588,"date":"2026-10-10T22:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T20:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/povnomad.com\/tunisia-sim-card-for-tourists\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T22:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T20:56:16","slug":"tunisia-sim-card-for-tourists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/povnomad.com\/en\/tunisia-sim-card-for-tourists\/","title":{"rendered":"Tunisia SIM Card for Tourists: Prices, Passport Rules and the 30-Day Phone Block"},"content":{"rendered":"

A tourist SIM from Ooredoo in Tunisia costs 15 TND (about \u20ac4.46) for 3.5 GB over 15 days, SIM card included, and you register it with your passport. Keep a Tunisian SIM in your own phone for more than 30 days and you also have to register the phone on the Sajalni platform, or it gets blocked. The POVNOMAD Tunisia eSIM<\/a> starts at \u20ac2.90 for 1 GB over 7 days, works as roaming and needs neither step. As of 10 October 2026.<\/p>\n

On price per gigabyte, the local SIM wins as soon as you need more than about 1 GB: Ooredoo sells 10 GB for 30 days at 30 TND (\u20ac8.92), we charge \u20ac14.90 for the same amount. The eSIM pays off when you want data the moment you land, when you land at an airport that Ooredoo’s pre-order form does not list, or when you only need a little data for a short trip.<\/p>\n

Local SIM, travel eSIM or roaming: what is the difference in Tunisia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/th>\nLocal SIM (Ooredoo Holiday SIM)<\/th>\nTravel eSIM (POVNOMAD)<\/th>\nRoaming on your home contract<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Price<\/td>\n15 TND (\u20ac4.46) for 3.5 GB\/15 days, up to 60 TND (\u20ac17.83) for 40 GB\/30 days<\/td>\n\u20ac2.90 for 1 GB\/7 days, \u20ac14.90 for 7 days Unlimited Smart<\/td>\nTunisia is outside EU roaming, you need a travel pass from your provider<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What you need<\/td>\npassport, unlocked phone, a free SIM slot<\/td>\neSIM-capable, unlocked phone<\/td>\na pass booked in your provider’s app<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
When you get online<\/td>\nafter buying and activating it at a shop counter<\/td>\non landing, installed at home beforehand<\/td>\non landing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Risk of blocking<\/td>\nphone blocked after 30 days without Sajalni registration<\/td>\nnone; according to Tunisie Telecom, phones in roaming mode are exempt from Sajalni<\/td>\nnone<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Calls and SMS<\/td>\nyes, with a Tunisian number: 35 minutes local and 10 minutes international in the 15 TND pack<\/td>\nno, data only; WhatsApp calls run over data<\/td>\nyes, at your provider’s rates<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hotspot<\/td>\nnot mentioned on Ooredoo’s offer page<\/td>\nyes, no separate limit<\/td>\ndepends on your contract<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Network<\/td>\nOoredoo, advertised with 5G<\/td>\nOoredoo 4G<\/td>\ndepends on your provider<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As of 10 October 2026. Ooredoo prices from the Holiday SIM page on ooredoo.tn, POVNOMAD prices from the Tunisia product page. Converted at the Central Bank of Tunisia’s interbank average rate of 8 October 2026 (\u20ac1 = 3.3646 TND). Sajalni rules according to the Tunisian administration portal Idaraty (updated 7 October 2026) and Tunisie Telecom (archived page, August 2024).<\/small><\/p>\n

How much does a tourist SIM card cost in Tunisia?<\/h2>\n

Ooredoo sells a dedicated tourist SIM, the Holiday SIM, in four packs. The price includes the SIM card:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pack<\/th>\nPrice<\/th>\nData<\/th>\nLocal calls<\/th>\nInternational calls<\/th>\nSMS<\/th>\nValidity<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Holiday SIM 15<\/td>\n15 TND (\u20ac4.46)<\/td>\n3.5 GB<\/td>\n35 min<\/td>\n10 min<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n15 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Holiday SIM 30<\/td>\n30 TND (\u20ac8.92)<\/td>\n10 GB<\/td>\n2 h<\/td>\n10 min<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n30 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Holiday SIM 40<\/td>\n40 TND (\u20ac11.89)<\/td>\n25 GB<\/td>\n3 h<\/td>\n25 min<\/td>\n40<\/td>\n30 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Holiday SIM 60<\/td>\n60 TND (\u20ac17.83)<\/td>\n40 GB<\/td>\n4 h<\/td>\n40 min<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n30 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: ooredoo.tn, Holiday SIM offer page<\/a> and pre-order page, retrieved 10 October 2026. Euro amounts at \u20ac1 = 3.3646 TND (Central Bank of Tunisia, 8 October 2026).<\/small><\/p>\n

Orange Tunisie lists no tourist pack on its website. It sells a prepaid data SIM: 400 MB for 7 days at 3.80 TND (\u20ac1.13), 6 GB for 30 days at 16.15 TND (\u20ac4.80) and 25 GB for 30 days at 30.40 TND (\u20ac9.04), with a 5 per cent online discount included. Orange delivers it within 72 hours, which helps residents more than travellers. In April 2026 Orange reopened its larger shop at Tunis-Carthage airport. We could not reach the website of Tunisie Telecom, the third operator, from Germany on 10 October 2026, so we quote no price for it.<\/p>\n

Compare that with travel eSIMs bought before departure, as of 10 October 2026:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Plan<\/th>\nPOVNOMAD<\/th>\nAiralo<\/th>\nHolafly<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1 GB<\/td>\n\u20ac2.90 (7 days)<\/td>\n\u20ac4.00 (3 days)<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5 GB, 30 days<\/td>\n\u20ac7.90<\/td>\n\u20ac11.00<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10 GB, 30 days<\/td>\n\u20ac14.90<\/td>\n\u20ac18.50<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Unlimited, 7 days<\/td>\n\u20ac14.90 (1 GB a day at full speed)<\/td>\n\u20ac32.00<\/td>\n\u20ac37.90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Unlimited, 30 days<\/td>\n\u20ac58.90<\/td>\n\u20ac90.50<\/td>\n\u20ac105.50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Read on 10 October 2026 on povnomad.com, airalo.com\/tunisia-esim and esim.holafly.com\/de\/esim-tunesien\/. Holafly sells unlimited plans only. “\u2013” = no such plan.<\/small><\/p>\n

The local packs cost less per gigabyte, and none of the eSIMs gives you a Tunisian phone number. Our Tunisia eSIM provider comparison<\/a> lists all durations of the unlimited plans.<\/p>\n

Do you need a passport for a Tunisian SIM card?<\/h2>\n

Yes. In August 2024 the Ministry of Communication Technologies and the regulator INT (Instance nationale des t\u00e9l\u00e9communications) told operators to deactivate unidentified SIM cards and to activate new lines only after checking a valid ID. The same package of measures bans SIM sales in the street and at markets (Managers, 14 August 2024<\/a>). As a visitor, your passport is that ID. Ooredoo’s pre-order form for the Holiday SIM asks for your passport number, your arrival date and your arrival airport.<\/p>\n

A SIM card from a street seller or a market stall is therefore one you should not buy. If the line was not registered in your name, the operator can switch it off.<\/p>\n

Why can a Tunisian SIM get your phone blocked after 30 days?<\/h2>\n

Tunisia checks every phone on its networks against the Sajalni device register (IMEI). According to Tunisie Telecom, a phone brought in from abroad that runs on a local SIM gets temporary network access for up to 30 days. Within that time you have to register the phone on the sajalni.tn platform, otherwise it is blocked. Phones in roaming mode are not covered by this obligation (Tunisie Telecom, Sajalni page, archived 14 August 2024<\/a>). The government portal Idaraty, updated on 7 October 2026, confirms the one-month deadline once a SIM sits in the phone and lists the passport number and the date of entry as required details (Idaraty, Sajalni procedure<\/a>).<\/p>\n

For a two-week beach holiday this deadline plays no role. It matters if you spend the winter in Tunisia with a local SIM. A travel eSIM connects to Ooredoo as a roaming guest, so the Sajalni deadline does not apply to it. We found no official figure for a registration fee. The plan options for long stays are in our guide to signal in Djerba, Hammamet, Monastir, Sousse and Tozeur<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How do you top up a Tunisian SIM and add data?<\/h2>\n

Tunisian prepaid SIMs run on short codes that you dial like a phone number (USSD). For the Ooredoo Holiday SIM, the operator lists these:<\/p>\n