Sharjah – known for… its airport?
Honestly, I did not know Sharjah existed until I booked my flight from Doha, Qatar, to Sharjah 🗿.
Apparently, it is known for its libraries and museums.
Sharjah International Airport is the base for Air Arabia, a low-cost carrier serving the region.
Air Arabia is how the airport became popular in recent years (although it is also the third-largest cargo airport in the Middle East).
Anyway, let's focus on SIM cards – which options are available at the airport?
You can get an Etisalat, Du, or Virgin Mobile SIM card for between 49 AED (13.30 USD) and 525 AED (143 USD) at Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).
And eSIMs are available too 😎.
Reasonably priced plans are available, although unlimited tourist SIM cards are the most popular.
If you choose one of them, you can expect to spend around 200 AED (54.50 USD) on a one-week unlimited data SIM card.
Yeah… that is not cheap.
However, data-limited plans (between 2 GB and 10 GB) are sold between 49 AED and 200 AED.
Let's review all your options at Sharjah International Airport.
Original publication: 17th of April 2024. Last updated: 22nd of April 2024.
Table of Contents
Mobile Operators in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has two mobile operators and one Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:
- Etisalat UAE
- Du
- Virgin Mobile UAE (Du MVNO)
All three of them sell SIM cards and eSIMs at Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).
Let's see what their options are.
Where to Buy a SIM Card at Sharjah International Airport
Etisalat UAE, Du & Virgin Mobile UAE SIM cards and eSIMs are sold at lugagge claim and the the arrivals hall of Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).
Sharjah Airport has less passenger traffic than neighboring Dubai International Airport (DXB).
This makes navigating the airport a breeze (although immigration can be slow – especially when they do not open all desks 🫠).
At baggage claim, around belt 4, Etisalat has a store selling SIM cards.
If the queues are long, go through customs, and you will arrive in the arrivals hall.
On your left, you will see this Virgin Mobile store.
On your right, you will find the other and bigger Etisalat store.
To get a Du SIM card, leave the arrivals hall and enter through the waiting hall exit. The Du store is on your right.
Officially, this entrance is an exit only. Speak to one of the security guys and explain that you want to buy a Du SIM card. They will let you in (if you discard your trolly, they will not allow trollies at this entrance/exit).
At the airport, expect to spend at least 49 AED and up to 525 AED on a SIM card or eSIM.
Etisalat and Du sell regular plans at the airport, while Virgin Mobile sells (overpriced) tourist plans only.
Let's review each mobile operator to see what they sell at Sharjah Airport.
Etisalat UAE SIM Cards at Sharjah International Airport
You can get an Etisalat UAE SIM card or eSIM for between 49 AED and 319 AED at baggage claim and the arrival hall of Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).
Etisalat UAE, just Etisalat, is the largest mobile operator in the United Arab Emirates.
It is also the mobile operator with the best coverage and the fastest speeds.
At luggage claim, walk to the back (close to belt 4) to find the first Etisalat store on your lefthand side.
If the queues are too long there, head to the arrivals hall.
After customs, you will enter another hall with currency exchanges and car rental stores.
Do not leave this area because the Etisalat store is on your right.
If you leave this area, you cannot re-enter the building for security reasons.
But if you are reading this guide after leaving the arrivals hall, you can walk into the arrivals waiting area where Du SIM cards are sold- more about that in the Du section.
It does not matter which store you go to because the same SIM cards and plans are sold at both locations.
These five Etisalat plans are sold at Sharjah International Airport:
| Price | Plan | Data 1 | Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 AED | Visitor Line+ | 4 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 125 AED | Visitor Line Premium | 8GB | 120 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 200 AED | Visitor Line Premium+ | 22.5 GB | 525 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 200 AED | 200 AED Visitor Line Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 Flexi Minutes | 7 days |
| 319 AED | 319 AED Visitor Line Unlimited | Unlimited | 300 Flexi Minutes | 14 days |
1 5G NR access
2 for local use and to more than 100 countries (full list)
With each purchase, you also get discounts, data & other perks for Careem, Hala, GoChat & Smiles.
Officially, there is another SIM card available at Sharjah Airport.
It costs 49 AED, giving you 2 GB of data and 30 Flexi Minutes for 28 days.
The store at luggage claim had it blocked out from its options.
The store in the arrivals hall had it listed on its plan list, but I did not ask if they actually sold it.
However, because the big banner only lists five plans instead of six, I suspect it also does not sell the 49 AED plan.
Anyway, I purchased the 200 AED Visitor Line Unlimited from the Etisalat store at luggage claim.
This plan is truly unlimited (on 5G NR) – no daily caps or throttled speeds at all.
You can pay in cash (AED only) or by card. And you can choose an eSIM if you want.
To purchase a SIM card in the UAE, you must show your passport, entry stamp, or resident card (if applicable) upon purchase.
The salesperson will go through the paperwork, insert the SIM card into your phone, activate the plan & take your payment.
After that, you are ready to go (once you have received the welcome SMS)!
However, you may have to restart your phone to enable 5G NR connections if you are stuck on 4G/LTE (5G NR is available at the airport).
That is it! You now have an Emirati SIM card or eSIM.
But as you can see, they are pricey – 2 GB will cost you 13.30 USD.
You would pay the same if you went to Sharjah/Dubai city center to get a SIM card in an Etisalat store.
So, you are better off buying your SIM card at the airport (Etisalat stores often have very long queues – up to an hour).
However, you can also get a travel eSIM for the United Arab Emirates, which can be significantly cheaper than an Etisalat SIM card or eSIM.
For example, 13 USD can get you 5 GB of data instead if you get an eSIM from various eSIM providers.
I write about the best travel eSIMs for the UAE in my Best United Arab Emirates eSIM buying guide.
I even tried many of them extensively for my Emirati eSIM review series.
Du UAE SIM Cards at Sharjah International Airport
You can get a Du SIM card or eSIM for between 49 AED and 319 AED at baggage claim and the arrival hall of Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).
Du is the other mobile operator in the United Arab Emirates.
It is popular with the migrant worker community because it is often (slightly) cheaper than Etisalat UAE.
You actually have to exit and re-enter the airport to purchase a Du SIM card because they are not sold at luggage claim (like Etisalat) or the arrivals hall after customs (like Etisalat again and Virgin Mobile).
After you exit the airport, turn left immediately and speak to one of the security guys.
Officially, this entrance is an exit only.
But if you explain that you want to buy a Du SIM card, they will let you in (if you discard your trolly, they will not allow trollies at this entrance/exit).
Otherwise, you would have to detour to go to the proper entrance (departure) and walk back to the arrivals waiting hall at the back.
Once you enter, the Du store is on your right.
When I approached the store, the employee was browsing TikTok 🗿.
She asked to take a number… even though nobody else was in the queue.
Seriously, the screen showed that nobody was waiting until I grabbed a number.
After another minute of scrolling, it was my turn 🫠.
She told me about the standard two unlimited data plans.
| Price | Data 1 | Minutes 2 | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 199 AED | Unlimited | 100 Flexi Minutes | 7 days |
| 299 AED | Unlimited | 200 Flexi Minutes | 14 days |
1 5G NR access
2 for local use and to more than 90 countries (country list is listed below)
I tried taking a photo of these plans because they are the most visible when you approach the store.
But apparently, the photo I took was kind of… blurry 🗿.
Fortunately, the photos I took at Abu Dhabi-Zayed International Airport (AUH) were much better 🤣.
Your Flexi Minutes allowance can be used to call Emirati phone numbers but also numbers in these countries:
She also told me about the available Flexi Prepaid Monthly plans (which I have not seen at Abu Dhabi or Dubai International Airport (DXB)).
Although 16 plans are available, they are less generous than the unlimited tourist SIM cards mentioned earlier.
Anyway, these Flexi Prepaid Monthly SIM cards are sold at Sharjah Airport:
| Price | Data 1 | Minutes 2 | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49 AED | 2 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 59 AED | 2 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 69 AED | 2 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 79 AED | 4 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 79 AED | 2 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 89 AED | 4 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 99 AED | 4 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 99 AED | 6 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 109 AED | 6 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 109 AED | 4 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 119 AED | 6 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 129 AED | 6 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 139 AED | 10 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 149 AED | 10 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 159 AED | 10 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
| 169 AED | 10 GB | 30 Flexi Minutes | 28 days |
1 5G NR access
2 for local use and to more than 90 countries (country list is listed above)
If you are confident you will not use a lot of data in the UAE, getting one of these Flexi Plans can save you money.
Because the unlimited plans are pricey (199 AED is 54.20 AED, and 299 AED is 81.40 AED at the time of writing).
The ICP column stands for Internet Calling Pack and gives unlimited calls through BOTIM.
I purchased the 199 AED Unlimited Plan, giving unlimited data for 7 days.
This plan is truly unlimited (on 5G NR) – no daily caps or throttled speeds at all.
However, I only had 5G NR access for the first two days.
I was “stuck” on 4G/LTE the last two days – even at locations Du claims to have 5G NR access.
It was odd because it looked like 5G NR access was turned off on my third day in the UAE 🤔.
And it did not get fixed on my fourth day either.
Anyway, you can pay in cash (AED only) or by card. And you can choose an eSIM if you want.
To purchase a SIM card in the UAE, you must show your passport, entry stamp, or resident card (if applicable) upon purchase.
The salesperson will go through the paperwork, insert the SIM card into your phone, activate the plan & take your payment.
After that, you are ready to go (once you have received the welcome SMS)!
However, you may have to restart your phone to enable 5G NR connections if you are stuck on 4G/LTE (5G NR is available at the airport).
But… why did I not mention Du's free SIM card offer?
Yes, Du actually gives out SIM cards for free, giving you 1 GB of data for 24 hours.
It is not a lot, but it is better than nothing 🤣 – it used to be only 20 MB pre-COVID times.
Apparently, this offer is only available at Dubai International Airport when arriving at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 – not Terminal 2 (which hosts low-cost carriers and some regional non-Gulf State ones).
Note: Do not use the automated gates if you want a free Du SIM card because immigration officers give them to you (and they link the starter pack to your passport number). You do not interact with these officers when you use the eGates, so no SIM card will be given.
Anyone arriving at any other Emirati international airport, including Abu Dhabi‘s (AUH), Al Ain's (AAN), Dubai World Central/Al Maktoum (DWC), Ras Al Khaimah's (RKT), or Sharjah's are out of luck 🫠.
Anyway, if you are stuck on 4G/LTE, you may have to restart your phone after inserting your SIM card to enable 5G NR connections (5G NR is available at the airport).
That is it! You now have an Emirati SIM card or eSIM.
But as you can see, they are pricey – 2 GB will cost you 13.30 USD.
You would pay the same if you went to Sharjah city center to get a SIM card in a Du store.
So, you are better off buying your SIM card at the airport (Du stores often have long queues – up to an hour).
However, you can also get a travel eSIM for the United Arab Emirates, which can be significantly cheaper than a Du SIM card or eSIM.
For example, 13 USD can get you 5 GB of data instead if you get an eSIM from various eSIM providers.
I write about the best travel eSIMs for the UAE in my Best United Arab Emirates eSIM buying guide.
I even tried many of them extensively for my Emirati eSIM review series.
Virgin Mobile UAE SIM Cards at Sharjah International Airport
Being added.