Going to Kuwait for more than a few days and don’t have the option to have an eSIM? Here’s what Kuwaiti SIM card to get, where to get it, and what to expect.

First Choice: Get a Kuwaiti eSIM!

For some reason, getting a real SIM card in Kuwait is quite expensive. That’s why your first option should be to get an eSIM. If you’ve never used this technology before, now is the time to try. Within the world of eSIMs, there are two approaches: the Global eSIM and a Kuwaiti eSIM.

If you don’t use much data, are only staying in Kuwait for a few days, and maybe will soon visit other countries for a short period, get the Global eSIM from eSIM.sm. We learned about this a few months ago during a trip to the Faroe Islands, another country with very expensive SIM cards. You load some money and only pay when you’re using data. Their rate for Kuwait is $2.25 per GB. So if you only look up a restaurant and the bus route back to your hotel in Kuwait, you’ll only spend about €2 tops during a week. None of your money or data will go to waste. And the best part? For the next country you visit, you just continue subtracting from the same credit.

If you do use a lot of data by for example working from your mobile internet or watching data-heavy content online, I recommend getting a Kuwaiti eSIM.

You can get a Kuwaiti eSIM from eSIM.sm as well, with a 5% discount applied via this link. Alternatively, you can type in my discount code for eSIMS.sm, which is IrisTheHitchhiker. You can get 3GB for 10 days for €6.91 or US$8.10.

Alternatively, you can get a Kuwaiti eSIM from Airalo. They have Kuwaiti eSIMs of 3GB for 7 days for €8.50 of US$9.97 without discount codes applied. If you want a discount code, you got it:

Lastly, if you’re traveling around the Middle East/Western Asia for a bit, Airalo also has the Menalink package where you have one eSIM for 13 countries. For example, you can do 3GB for 7 days for €12.50, or buy more GB or a longer duration to match your travels here.

Last Choice: How We Bought a Physical SIM Card in Kuwait

I’ve found out the hard way in Andorra last year that I don’t have an eSIM-compatible smartphone. So if you’re living with a brick smartphone from the stone age like me, here’s what you can do to get online in Kuwait.

There are three telecom providers in Kuwait: Zain, Ooredoo, and STC. They all cost the same and have roughly the same coverage in this small country/city state. The SIM card plus plenty of data for 30 days costs 6 KWD or €16.62 or US$19.49.

Oof, that’s a lot of money.

But they all give packages of like 60GB. Plenty of data to watch videos in 4K all day long, if that’s the way you vibe. This is unlike in the UAE, where a prepaid SIM card was expensive and you got little data in return, along with issues taking video calls.

I had trouble finding Kuwaiti SIM card vendors in the first two days of my stay, as Google Maps told me none of them were in the areas I frequented. But once you have a SIM card, you see their company logos everywhere, of course. These are their logos IRL:

So, where can you buy a SIM card in Kuwait? Just go to the nearest mall and the ground floor will have all three companies available to you. Or ask someone on the street and they’ll likely know the nearest place that sells them. Kuwait is this rare mix of where people generally leave you be and don’t try to sell you things, unless you ask.

How we bought a Zain SIM card near the Old Souq

After walking around the souq and eating 100 fils falafel sandwiches all afternoon, it was time to solve my no Kuwaiti SIM card issue. Jonas had a halloumi sandwich at one restaurant called مطعم طعمه (Restaurant Tasty, freely translated). Afterwards, we asked a young man who worked there where we can buy a SIM card. I tried in Arabic, but he ended up giving me Google Translate on his phone. Once he understood what we sought, he gestured us to follow him.

At the end of the covered souq, there was an unassuming phone shop on the edge of Safat Square. The young man told the older guy behind the counter what we needed and we switched to English. Zain, Ooredoo, STC, he had all three telecom providers in Kuwait. All of the SIM cards also cost the same: “Six KD”.

We’d read online that it should be 5 KWD, but whatever, let’s get this SIM card. So I asked if I can have one from the smallest stack of neatly-packaged SIM cards: the Zain one.

Just one more question: how much data? “Sixty gigabytes, 100 minutes calling” he said. I was sure I misheard, but Jonas didn’t seem surprised. He said I’d be using it for everything then probably, since the WiFi at the apartment isn’t too impressive.

The vendor asked for my passport and he spent the following ten minutes trying to register my brand-new Zain SIM card and snapping pictures of my passport.

Meanwhile, I had had a parallel conversation with the young guy from the restaurant in my basic Arabic. He’d asked us where we were from, and I answered in Arabic that I’m from the Netherlands and Jonas from Germany. He said he’s from Syria. I asked if he was from Damascus, and he said yes.

Then he told me he’d been to Italy. The sea. Libya. When he was a boy. I just understood words at this point, not phrases. I repeated the sea, and then Duolingo pavloved the words “Al BaHr Al Abiyad Al mutawassiT” to him. He said yes, that sea (the Mediterranean). So I understood that he’d traveled to Italy as a refugee in one of those horrible boat journeys from Libya. The last time I met Syrians who’d made the journey to Europe, they’d gone to Greece (where we met) and made the journey from Turkey, which is a lot shorter than Libya.

I translated all of this to Jonas as well. I wish I had more skills to ask how he ended up in Kuwait and such, but sadly I don’t. And before I knew it, he was translating with his phone “Do you know if there’s a visa for your countries?” and mentioning Germany, Holland to us, with a different tone than before.

I answered “Laa ‘aeref”.

He didn’t understand my poor pronunciation – ع always gets me – until the second attempt. Then he repeated what I said after me, but better, and nodded. He was a little sad, but of course it’s always worth a shot.

The SIM card thing was now registered. Jonas gave me the pokey thing to open the SIM card tray. I’d already made space before our departure from the Netherlands for this second SIM. The vendor gave me the nano SIM and I put it in. It immediately worked, no issues. He pointed out my Kuwaiti phone number on the back of the SIM card packaging. This came in useful for setting up Talabat orders later.

We paid him, and I asked him the name of his shop (Panasonic), and continued our day in Kuwait City, this time empowered to just Google things myself without asking Jonas.

Zain Kuwait SIM Card FAQ + Internet Freedom

Should I buy a Kuwaiti SIM card at the airport?

If you can’t set up a much cheaper eSIM, then yes, get your eSIM at the Kuwait International Airport. There doesn’t seem to be an airport surcharge. We didn’t do this because we arrived at an ungodly hour when everything was closed.

Should I download the app of my Kuwaiti provider?

Yes. We Googled the USSD codes for Zain to try and find out if I really received 60 GB of data, but neither *142# nor texting GO to 999 gave me that answer. So I downloaded the Zain Kuwait app (Google Play + Apple Store) and tried signing up.

However, the signup sends you an email and you have to retrieve the code within a very short timeframe. This took a couple of tries. Once I had it set up with my Kuwaiti phone number (keep the packaging), I got these nice screenshots from my internet usage. I wasn’t making much of a dent. The Zain app is full of ads, though.

How can I top-up my Kuwaiti SIM card?

The standard tourist visa is only 30 days, just like the SIM card, so I assume you’re asking this because you’ll work/live/return to Kuwait. The Zain app tells you how to top it up. The home screen has a button to recharge. Recharging can be done with credit card or PayPal. The minimum amount is 2 KWD for 7 days validity.

How can I check my balance and remaining data?

The *142# USSD code did tell me I had 0.1 KWD balance left, but for everything else, check it in the app as mentioned above.

Can I roam with my Kuwaiti SIM card in other GCC countries?

Like an EU SIM card can? No, unfortunately, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries don’t work cooperate in that regard (yet). You can shell out for roaming packages in the Zain app, but it costs a lot of Dinars. For now, you should just get a SIM card in the next Khaleeji country you’ll visit. I’ll do the same in Bahrain.

How can I keep my Kuwaiti SIM card between visits?

After the 30 days, your balance expires. After the expiry, the opinions divert for how much time you have before your Kuwaiti phone number goes into the recycling bin. Some fine print on the Zain website says 60 days, while an old thread on the Indians in Kuwait forum gives a range from 7 days to 90 days.

You can avoid this by recharging your Zain SIM card via app a day before the SIM card expires. Just add the smallest bundle (2 KWD, valid for 7 days), and perhaps send a text for good measure, and Bob’s your uncle for another 67 days.

Is the internet blocked or monitored in Kuwait?

Yes, the government of Kuwait filters certain websites. Especially websites with adult content. Other topics (e.g. LGBT, religion, culture, the country, history), might also be filtered. Since most people travel to Kuwait only for a few days, I believe you can do without ‘cornography’ as the kids call it these days for a while. The internet filtering targets the locals and residents who call Kuwait home.

Also, as with any country with a royal family, I wouldn’t go posting about the Emir.

One positive thing is that VoIPs, such as video calling over WhatsApp or Zoom are totally okay in Kuwait (as of writing). This wasn’t the case in the UAE back in 2021, unless avoided with the help of a VPN.

Should I download a VPN before traveling to Kuwait?

Yes, you should have a VPN while traveling in Kuwait. While the internet in Kuwait might not be super strictly filtered, it’s still a good idea to turn it on for privacy reasons. Just in case. Also, non-Kuwaiti websites might block access when you try to visit them from lesser-known countries, such as Kuwait. This might be the website of your bank in your time of need, so it’s really important to be able to pretend you’re in e.g. your home country. Using a VPN is completely legal in Kuwait.

So, keep your VPN on, it’s nice! Except in this one case: when trying to amend your flight booking. We tried to add one more piece of luggage to our flight from Kuwait to Bahrain, and the website from Jazeera Airways wouldn’t allow payment until we turned it off.

Good info? Please buy me a Shay Loumi!

This website is completely AI-free and researched by myself. There’s also no annoying ads bothering you. If you found something helpful, please donate so I can keep bringing you good travel information for countries such as Kuwait!

PayPal

Bitcoin

bc1q9a6w08a4gkx4gdvnh7w2vlkfzx4tlwfpfe6jm6
Open in wallet bc1q9a6w08a4gkx4gdvnh7w2vlkfzx4tlwfpfe6jm6

Share or save for later? Smart of you!

Similar posts:

Faroe Islands eSIM Options: Don’t Get Screwed, the Faroes ≠ in the EU! How to Get a SIM Card in Mauritania Getting a SIM Card in Madagascar: Orange, Yas (ex. Telma), and Airtel How to Get a SIM Card in Guinea-Bissau How (Not) to Get a SIM Card in Ukraine (Kyiv)