eSIM for India Travel: Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan and Goa

An eSIM for India travel gives you mobile data on Airtel or Jio as soon as you land in Delhi, Mumbai or Goa, without roaming charges, a passport check at a phone shop or a SIM swap. You install it at home, keep your usual SIM for calls and bank codes, and switch your data over on arrival. For a holiday or a business trip of a few weeks, it is the quickest way to get online.

In short:

• An India eSIM runs on Airtel, listed with 5G, and Jio, listed with 4G, which cover the cities and main tourist routes.
• It is data-only. Codes from your bank and home apps still arrive on your usual SIM, so keep it switched on.
• About 1 GB a day is typical: 5–10 GB for a week, 10–20 GB for two weeks.
• A local SIM needs your passport and visa and can take time to activate. A travel eSIM is ready before you fly.

Why use an eSIM in India

Much of an India trip runs through your phone. You book train tickets and hotels, call an auto-rickshaw or cab through an app, find your way through the lanes of Old Delhi, translate signs and menus, and send photos home from the Taj Mahal. Paying by scanning a QR code is everywhere, from cafés to market stalls.

Roaming on your home plan can make all of that expensive. India sits outside many operators’ cheaper roaming zones, so daily passes from Türkiye, the UK, Europe or the US often give little data for the price.

Roamy’s India plans start from $3.60 and run on Airtel and Jio, both listed on the India eSIM page. The plans are data-only, so you don’t get an Indian number, but your usual SIM stays active for calls and texts.

Your phone needs to be unlocked and support eSIM. The eSIM-compatible phones page lists the models.

Mobile internet in India: coverage on the classic routes

India is huge, and coverage depends on where you are. In the cities and along the busy tourist routes, 4G is the norm and 5G is common. In the mountains, deserts and rural areas between towns, signal gets weaker and can drop out.

Delhi, Agra and Jaipur

The Golden Triangle is where most first trips start. Delhi, Agra and Jaipur all have good coverage on Airtel and Jio. Crowds at big sights like the Red Fort or Amber Fort can slow mobile data at busy times, so save tickets and maps before you queue. The Delhi Metro is a fast way across the city, and you will want maps open as you change lines.

Rajasthan beyond Jaipur

Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer have good coverage in town. If you head into the Thar desert for a camel trek or a desert camp, expect weak or no signal. Download offline maps and tell people at home when you will be out of reach.

Goa and Kerala

Goa’s beach towns are well covered, though signal can fade on quieter stretches and inland. In Kerala, Kochi and the larger towns are fine, but the backwaters and hill country around Munnar have patchier coverage, so a houseboat night may be a quiet one.

Trains and the Himalaya

Long train journeys pass through areas with no signal for stretches at a time. Keep your e-ticket and seat details saved on the phone rather than relying on loading them on board. In the Himalayan regions, such as Ladakh or the higher parts of Himachal Pradesh, coverage is limited to towns and some main roads.

OTP codes, UPI and your home number

India runs on one-time passwords. Banks, payment apps, booking sites and many other services send a code by SMS before they let you log in or pay. This is the part of an India trip that confuses many visitors.

A travel eSIM is data-only, so it has no phone number and can’t receive those codes. What it does is leave your usual SIM in the phone. On iPhone, Apple’s page on using Dual SIM with an eSIM explains that both lines can send and receive SMS, while you choose one line for mobile data. Your bank’s codes keep arriving on your home number as long as that line is on. Receiving texts abroad is usually free, but check your own operator’s terms.

Some Indian apps and websites only accept an Indian mobile number when you sign up. A travel eSIM can’t help with that, and nor can roaming. If you need those services for a long stay, a local SIM is the way to get an Indian number.

Paying in India as a visitor

UPI, India’s QR code payment system, normally needs an Indian bank account and number. India’s payments body NPCI offers a prepaid UPI wallet for international visitors called UPI One World. Eligibility and sign-up steps have changed over time, so check the current rules before you count on it. Cards are widely accepted in hotels, larger shops and restaurants, and carrying some cash for small stalls and rickshaws is still sensible.

How much data do you need in India?

Most of your data goes on maps, ride-hailing apps, translation, messaging and photos. Video calls home and uploading videos use far more. As a rough guide:

That puts a typical week at 5–10 GB and two weeks at about 10–20 GB. For a breakdown by app, see our guide on how much data you need for travel.

Roamy’s India plans run from 1 GB for 7 days up to 50 GB for 30 days, and most can be topped up on the same eSIM in the Roamy app. If you would rather not count, India also has Unlimited day passes from $5.61 a day for 1 to 90 days. Each day gives you 2 GB at full speed, then a reduced speed until the next day starts. Unlimited plans can’t be topped up, so pick the number of days you need.

Local SIM card in India or a travel eSIM?

Foreign visitors can buy a local prepaid SIM from Indian operators. Operators ask to see your passport with a valid visa, and the connection can take some time to activate after you buy it. You also swap out your home SIM, which takes your own number, and your bank’s codes, out of the phone unless you have a dual-SIM handset.

A local SIM makes sense if you are staying for months, need an Indian number for local apps, or want to make lots of local calls. For a trip of a few weeks, a travel eSIM is simpler: it is ready before you fly, it connects when you land, and your home number stays on the phone.

India plus Nepal, Sri Lanka or the Maldives

Many trips to India add a neighbour: Kathmandu after Varanasi, a week in Sri Lanka after Kerala, or a few days in the Maldives on the way home. An India plan works only in India, so it stops when you cross a border.

Roamy’s Asia plan lists India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan among its countries. Regional plans cover a set list of countries, which can differ between plan sizes and can change, so check every country on your route on the Asia eSIM page before you buy.

Setting up before you fly

A few minutes at home saves time in the arrivals hall:

1. Check your phone. It must be unlocked and eSIM-compatible.
2. Install on home Wi-Fi. It takes about a minute. On iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later, it’s one tap in the Roamy app. Otherwise, scan the QR code or enter the code manually. Apple’s page on setting up eSIM on iPhone explains the options.
3. Leave it until you land. Validity starts when the eSIM first connects to a supported network in India. Each plan also has an “activate within” window, often 180 days.
4. Switch lines on arrival. Turn data roaming on for the Roamy line and keep it off on your home line, so it doesn’t run up roaming charges. Leave the home line itself switched on for codes.

If something doesn’t connect, restart the phone and check that data roaming is on for the Roamy line before you contact support.

You can pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, card or Roamy Credit, which pays first at checkout. Card payments earn 10% back as Roamy Credit, up to $20 an order (not with promo codes). Prices are in USD with everything included. If an eSIM can’t be issued after payment, it’s refunded, mostly automatically. For help, message us on WhatsApp or email support@roamyesim.com.

Get connected with Roamy

Roamy’s India plans are data-only, run on Airtel and Jio, and install at home in about a minute, with fixed-data plans you can top up and Unlimited day passes for heavier use. Open the India eSIM page to see the networks, plan sizes and current prices, and land in Delhi with your maps, tickets and cab apps ready to go.