Buy before you fly, or at the airport?
Buy before you fly. You will already be online for the e-visa at least 24 hours before travel, so installing the eSIM then costs two minutes and removes the stop where you hand over your passport and join a queue after a long flight.
A local SIM is a real option, not a bad one. Zain, Asiacell and Korek all sell to visitors at airport arrivals and in phone shops, and registration against your passport is mandatory — about ten minutes at the counter. The trade is straightforward: you get an Iraqi number and usually pay less per gigabyte, and you spend that counter time before you have data for the taxi.
An eSIM trades the other way. No counter, no registration, no plastic card: the QR code arrives by email when you buy. What you give up is the local number and the lower cost per gigabyte.
Neither is wrong for every trip. A short stay, or a landing at an awkward hour, is the case for having data before you land. A two-week stay that depends on calling drivers and guesthouses is the case for a local SIM as the primary line, with a small plan as backup.
Entry first: the e-visa you need before either option
There is no visa on arrival for Iraq. You apply on the government e-visa portal at least 24 hours before you travel; the visa costs $160 and is valid for 60 days.
You also need a return ticket, or a ticket out of Iraq to a third destination. Without one there is a risk the airline refuses boarding. Your passport needs at least six months left after the date you arrive, and one blank page.
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq runs a separate visa process, covered further down in this guide.
One thing to check before anything else: the FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Iraq, and against all but essential travel to other parts, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. That advice was current on 27 October 2026. Read it for the specific areas on your route, and confirm your insurance still covers you if you travel against it.
eSIM Iraq plans: five sizes, one price list
The Iraq plans are data only, and the list on the Iraq eSIM page is the same five sizes for everyone. Prices as listed on 2026-10-27:
| Data | Validity | Price (USD) | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $3.49 | $3.49 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $9.49 | $3.16 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $14.49 | $2.90 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $26.49 | $2.65 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $41.34 | $2.07 |
Three details from the same page change how you use them:
- The validity period starts when the eSIM connects to a compatible network, not when you install it. Installing a week early is fine.
- Plans can be activated within 180 days of purchase.
- The plan is data only, and hotspot is listed as available — open the plan details before you plan to tether a laptop.
The per-gigabyte price falls as the plan grows, so 20 GB is the cheapest way to buy data here and 1 GB is the cheapest way to have something on landing.
How much data a short trip uses
These ranges come from our own travel data guide and are planning estimates, not guarantees. Settings, video quality and background sync move the real number.
| What you do | Rough daily use | 5 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maps, ride-hailing, chat, booking apps | 300–500 MB | 1.5–2.5 GB | 2.1–3.5 GB |
| The above plus photo uploads and social | 500 MB–1 GB | 2.5–5 GB | 3.5–7 GB |
| The above plus video or a laptop hotspot | 2 GB or more | 10 GB or more | 14 GB or more |
Local reporting puts an ordinary day of maps, messages and a few searches at roughly 300–600 MB, and 10 GB at about a fortnight of normal use. Video calls home are what break that estimate.
Which size fits:
- 1 GB / 7 days — a landing-night connection, or a backup while a local SIM does the heavy work.
- 3 GB — a few days in one city, with photos uploaded on hotel Wi-Fi.
- 5 GB — a week of maps, messages and light photo sharing.
- 10 GB — two weeks of ordinary use, or a week with video calls home.
- 20 GB — a laptop hotspot, nightly video, or photo backup left running on mobile data.
How activation works, step by step
Do the setup at home on Wi-Fi. The steps are the same on iPhone and Android, with different menu names.
- Check the phone. It must support eSIM and be carrier unlocked. A locked handset will not accept an Iraqi SIM either, and that cannot be fixed locally. The eSIM compatibility guide lists the models and the variants that look identical but are not.
- Buy the plan on the Iraq eSIM page and keep the QR code email.
- Install while you still have Wi-Fi. Scan the QR code from another screen, or enter the details manually, and label the line “Iraq”. The installation guide has the exact menu paths.
- Before you fly, turn data roaming off on your home SIM. Iraq sits outside almost every inclusive roaming zone and daily rates are steep.
- On landing: turn the eSIM on, set it as the line for mobile data, and enable data roaming on that eSIM only. A travel eSIM can show signal and still have no internet until roaming is switched on for that line — the data roaming guide shows the toggle for each phone.
- Test it with a page in the browser before you leave the terminal.
- If there is no service, toggle airplane mode, check which line is set for data, then check the roaming toggle. The common eSIM mistakes list follows that order.
Keep your primary SIM active for calls and verification codes, with data roaming off, so your usual number still works for messages and bank codes. Keeping your number while traveling covers what stays on your own SIM and what moves to the eSIM.
Coverage: one network, and where it thins out
The Iraq plan connects to one local network, Asiacell, on 4G. That is the whole coverage statement on our side: one network, listed for the country.
What that means on the ground, from a guide that tracks coverage locally:
- Cities are fine. 4G in Baghdad, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Basra and Najaf handles maps, messages and video calls.
- Highways are mostly covered, with gaps. The long southern runs and the desert stretches west of the Euphrates drop out.
- Mountains and marshes are the real gaps. Around Rawanduz and Barzan, and out on the Mesopotamian marshes, expect nothing.
- 5G barely exists. Deployment has only started in Baghdad and Erbil and is not broadly available.
Coverage reporting puts Asiacell as the strongest network in the south — Basra, Nasiriyah, Dhi Qar and the marshes — and Zain or Asiacell as the safer single choice for a trip covering both halves of the country.
Because only one network is listed, there is no second Iraqi network to fall back on where that one is weak. The practical answer is the boring one: download offline maps for every city and route before you leave the city, and do not count on a live map for a dawn departure.
Kurdistan: a separate visa, and a coverage question
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has its own e-visa process, and a visa on arrival is also possible. Both are valid for travel in the KRI only. If your route crosses between the Kurdistan Region and federal Iraq, the visa question is separate from the data question, and both need answering before you fly.
On data, be careful with promises. The Iraq plan lists the country as its coverage area and one network — it does not list cities, so we cannot confirm from the page how Erbil or Sulaymaniyah perform. Ask support before you buy if the Kurdistan Region is most of your trip.
Local coverage reporting adds context: Korek is the strongest network inside the Kurdistan Region, and it is weaker below Baghdad. The Iraq plan is not on Korek. If you are mostly in the north and need a network that holds in the mountains, a local SIM is the option to compare against, and the plan page will not tell you that.
Security, roaming and the things that catch people out
Home roaming. Turn it off on your primary SIM before landing. Iraq is outside almost every inclusive roaming zone, so a phone that quietly connects on your home tariff can bill you at daily rates instead of using the plan you paid for.
National shutdowns. Iraq has run nationwide internet shutdowns during school exam periods for several years, usually an early-morning cut of one to three hours in May and June, and connectivity has also been disrupted around regional conflict. No eSIM, local SIM or network choice gets around a national shutdown. Keep screenshots of your booking, visa page and driver’s number, and do not build an airport transfer around a 6am call.
A VPN, installed before you fly. Blocking is applied inconsistently across Iraqi providers, and the moment you need a VPN is the moment you may not be able to download one.
Verification codes. Your bank and airline codes go to your usual number on your primary SIM, not to the eSIM, because the plan has no phone number of its own.
Insurance and advice. Check the FCDO page for the areas on your route before you book anything, and read what your policy says about travel against that advice.
eSIM or a local SIM in Iraq?
Both work. They suit different trips, and the difference is a phone number and a counter visit.
| Iraq eSIM | Local SIM (Zain, Asiacell, Korek) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $3.49–$41.34; from $2.07 per GB | SIM 1,500–15,000 IQD; about 20,000–25,000 IQD (~$14–16) for ~10 GB |
| Iraqi phone number | No | Yes |
| Setup | Install at home on Wi-Fi, on when you land | Passport registration at a counter or shop, about ten minutes |
| Where you get it | Online, before you fly | Airport arrivals or phone shops in the cities |
| Best for | Landing night, short trips, a backup line | Stays of two weeks or more, and calling drivers or guesthouses |
The local SIM prices above are reported figures from travellers and Iraq-based guides, and they change; treat them as the shape of the market rather than a tariff.
If your trip is a week or less, or maps and messages are most of what you need, the eSIM covers it and saves the stop at the counter. If you are staying two weeks or more, or you will be arranging drivers and guesthouses by phone, a local SIM is the better primary line — and the 1 GB eSIM at $3.49 is inexpensive cover for the first evening.
If your route continues to another country, compare the global plan instead of buying two country plans.
Frequently asked questions
Does the plan come with an Iraqi phone number?
No. The Iraq plans are data only, so calls and SMS stay on your own SIM and your usual number. That number is the one to give a hotel or driver, and it is where verification codes arrive.
Can I install the eSIM weeks before I fly?
Yes. Validity starts when the eSIM first connects to a compatible network, and the plan can be activated within 180 days of purchase. Installing a week or a month early does not use up any of the data days.
Will it work in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah?
The plan lists Iraq as its coverage area and one network, Asiacell, at 4G, without naming cities. Local reporting describes 4G in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah as strong enough for video calls, but the plan page does not confirm city coverage, so ask support before you buy if the Kurdistan Region is your whole trip.
What happens if the internet is shut down nationally?
Nothing on your phone fixes it. National shutdowns during exam periods and disruption around regional conflict affect local SIMs and travel eSIMs alike. Keep offline maps, screenshots of your documents and a written copy of your driver’s number.
Is 5 GB enough for a week?
For maps, messages, booking apps and light photo sharing, 5 GB covers a week with room to spare. It stops being enough the moment video calls home or photo backup run on mobile data, so switch those to Wi-Fi only or start at 10 GB.