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Egypt eSIM help: setup, fixes and straight answers

Everything about the Egypt eSIM from this site: the setup at home, the switch after landing, the fixes and the refund rule.

  • Data only
  • Data roaming on for the eSIM
  • No passport step
  • Install within 30 days

The short answer

Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi before you fly and keep the line off. After landing, switch it on, choose it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line only. If it does not work and cannot be fixed, you get a full refund.

Checked September 30, 2026

What do you need?

Set up your eSIM in four steps

  1. Check your phone

    It must support eSIM and be unlocked. Dial *#06#: an EID means it has an eSIM.

  2. Buy a plan

    Pick the days and data here and pay on the store. The total, tax included, is shown before you pay.

  3. Install at home

    Scan the QR code on Wi-Fi within 30 days of buying, and keep the eSIM line switched off.

  4. Switch on in Egypt

    Turn the line on, choose it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for the eSIM line.

eSIM or a local SIM card: which fits you?

  • Where you get it

    This eSIM
    Online, before you fly
    Local SIM card
    A network shop in Egypt
    Roaming on your home line
    Your home carrier

  • What you show

    This eSIM
    Nothing
    Local SIM card
    Passport and a document for your permitted stay
    Roaming on your home line
    Nothing

  • Price

    This eSIM
    From US$8.99, prepaid
    Local SIM card
    Set by the shop, in pounds
    Roaming on your home line
    Your carrier's roaming rates

  • Your number

    This eSIM
    Stays on in your phone
    Local SIM card
    A new Egyptian number
    Roaming on your home line
    Your own

  • Phone registration

    This eSIM
    Not needed with a foreign line
    Local SIM card
    90-day exemption per visit
    Roaming on your home line
    Not needed

APN settings: only if data will not flow

The store does not publish an APN for these plans. If mobile data does not start after the checks in the not connecting guide, do not type in an APN from another network's page: write to the store's support with your order page link, and it tells you what to set.

Coverage in Egypt: what to expect

All four Egyptian networks run 4G, and all four launched 5G in June 2025. The regulator measures quality on main and secondary roads and approved 3,102 new base stations in 2024. Coverage is limited in some remote places, such as the Marsa Matruh to Siwa road and Siwa itself, and the regulator funded new sites for Sinai towns and roads. The eSIM roams on an Egyptian partner network, wherever it has signal.

Illustration: two signal towers, one over the Nile valley and one over the Red Sea coast.

Registration and IMEI: what you can skip

Egypt's phone registration rules let a tourist use a phone with a foreign SIM without fees. A phone used with an Egyptian tourist SIM gets a 90-day exemption on each visit. The eSIM on this site is not an Egyptian SIM, and it asks for no passport.

Troubleshooting

The QR code will not scan

Check you are on Wi-Fi, then scan again from another screen, or enter the details by hand from the order page. Some phones need the eSIM added from the settings, not the camera.

The eSIM installed, but there is no signal

Make sure the eSIM line is switched on, then turn airplane mode on and off. Give the phone a few minutes to find the network.

There is signal, but no data

Turn on data roaming for the eSIM line, and choose the eSIM line for mobile data. Both are needed on these plans.

Data works, then stops

Check whether the plan's data or days have run out on your order page. Once the allowance is used, the network may slow or stop mobile data until the plan ends.

My phone keeps using my home SIM for data

Set mobile data to the eSIM line, and turn off switching mobile data between lines, so the phone never falls back to your home line.

I deleted the eSIM by mistake

Write to the store's support with your order page link before you try anything else. A QR code can usually be installed only once.

Still no connection after all the checks

Write to the store's support with your order page link and your phone model while you are still in Egypt. If it cannot be made to work, you get a full refund.

Refunds: what can be refunded

The store refunds in full an eSIM that is not delivered, or one that does not work and cannot be fixed. A working eSIM you no longer want is not refunded, and neither is one your phone cannot install.

If the eSIM does not work and we cannot fix it, you get a full refund.

Sources

Where the facts on this page come from.

  1. Telephony, questions and answers on phone registration
  2. NTRA, mobile SIM card sales regulations for individuals
  3. State Information Service, Egypt launches 5G services (4 June 2025)
  4. NTRA, mobile network quality report, fourth quarter of 2024
  5. NTRA, telecom services in the Sinai Peninsula
  6. Government of Canada, travel advice for Egypt

Still stuck?

Orders, QR codes and refunds are handled by BaobabSIM support. Write with the link to your order page and your phone model.

Email support

contact@baobabsim.com

Quick answers

Do I need a passport for this eSIM?

No. The eSIM is delivered online and asks for no passport.

Does the eSIM have a phone number?

No. It is data only; your own SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts.

Should data roaming be on?

On the eSIM line, yes. On your home line, keep it off.

When should I install it?

At home, on Wi-Fi, within 30 days of buying. Keep the line off until you land.

Can I use WhatsApp on my own number?

Yes. WhatsApp keeps your number and uses the eSIM's data.

Who answers if something goes wrong?

The store where you paid. Write to its support with your order page link.