Sri Lanka SIM or eSIM for Indians (2026): does your Indian SIM work?

India is Sri Lanka's biggest source of visitors, with 531,511 arrivals in 2025. If you are one of them, you can switch on a Jio or Airtel roaming pack, buy a Dialog tourist SIM at Colombo airport, or install a travel eSIM before you leave. Here is what each costs, and what keeps working on your Indian number.

Prices side by side

Other sizes: 1 GB for 7 days is ₹199 for a short visit, and for 30 days 20 GB is ₹2,699 and 50 GB is ₹5,899. Unlimited plans give 1 GB a day at full speed, then 512 Kbps: ₹549 for 3 days, ₹899 for 5 days, ₹1,299 for 7 days, ₹1,699 for 10 days, ₹2,599 for 15 days and ₹4,399 for 30 days. Some shorter versions cost more than the 30-day plan: 10 GB for 7 days is ₹1,899, against ₹1,399 for 30 days. The full list is on the Sri Lanka plans page.

How much data you need

Networks and coverage in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's main mobile operators are Dialog, SLT-Mobitel and Hutch, and eSIMKite's Sri Lanka plans list all three among their networks. If you are on Airtel in India, note that Airtel Lanka no longer exists as a separate company: Dialog bought it in June 2024 and merged it in on 30 August 2024, and Bharti Airtel now holds a 10.355% stake in Dialog.

In Opensignal's February 2026 report, Dialog won eight awards outright, including Best Network, reliability, consistent quality and all the coverage awards. SLT-Mobitel won five, including all four speed awards and video experience. A Daily Mirror report, partly a company release, says Ookla also named SLT-Mobitel the country's best mobile network for the third and fourth quarters of 2025.

Commercial 5G started in December 2025, with Dialog and SLT-Mobitel each given 100 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band; Hutch did not take part in the auction. Dialog had more than 220 live 5G sites at launch. Ookla's September 2026 index puts Sri Lanka's average mobile download at 134.32 Mbps, 64th in the world.

Colombo had the most Uber trips in 2024, and Galle, Hikkaduwa, Weligama and Dambulla were popular intercity destinations. Between towns, coverage matters more than top speed, which is where Dialog's awards count.

Bank OTPs, WhatsApp and UPI

eSIMKite plans are data only. Your Indian SIM stays in the phone as the second line, so your number, WhatsApp account and UPI apps stay as they are. More in keeping WhatsApp and bank OTPs working abroad.

• Jio: the ₹951 pack includes 25 SMS and the ₹589 1-day pack 20 SMS. Without a pack, Jio's Sri Lanka rate for incoming calls is ₹2 a minute. Check in the MyJio app whether your plan receives SMS abroad without a pack.
• Airtel prepaid: the 5-day and 10-day packs include 20 SMS, and the IR activation pack costs ₹118 for 28 days at standard charges. Check the Airtel Thanks app before you fly.
• Airtel postpaid: new plans from ₹499 a month include one free roaming trip a year from 8 Oct 2026, with 5 GB, 60 minutes and free incoming SMS for 5 days. Airtel's announcement does not list the countries, so confirm Sri Lanka in the app.
• Vi: check in the Vi app whether your plan needs a roaming pack to receive SMS abroad.
• WhatsApp: messages and calls go over data, and Dialog's 50 GB tourist plan even bundles unlimited WhatsApp. Sri Lanka has blocked messaging apps for short periods during unrest: nationwide in March 2018, and for about 16 hours in April 2022.
• UPI: Sri Lanka is one of the countries where Indian UPI apps can pay merchants (August 2026). Scan a LankaQR code at major hotel chains, shops and supermarkets. PhonePe has worked at LankaQR merchants since May 2024, showing the exchange rate and debiting your account in rupees.
• PickMe rides: since June 2024 PhonePe users can pay for PickMe rides by UPI QR, including rides from Bandaranaike airport. We found no 2026 update on this, so keep another way to pay.

Before you land

• ETA: Indians get a free tourist ETA from 25 May 2026, for 30 days with double entry, but you must still apply online at the official ETA portal before you arrive.
• Local SIM at the airport: Dialog has two stores at Bandaranaike International Airport, straight after the customs desk in the arrival lobby. You need your passport, you can order online and pick up there, and Dialog offers a tourist eSIM too.
• Order ahead: both Dialog and SLT-Mobitel let you buy a tourist eSIM online before arrival, or collect a physical SIM at the airport counters.
• Rides: PickMe runs a 24-hour taxi counter in the Tourist Exit area at Bandaranaike airport (2023 report). Uber operates too, with Uber Auto for tuk-tuks, Uber Zip, Uber Moto and Uber Intercity.
• Payments: set up PhonePe or another UPI app before you leave, so you can scan LankaQR codes from day one.

Set it up at home

1. Check your phone takes an eSIM: iPhone XS or newer, Google Pixel 3 or newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy S and Z models. Dial *#06#: if an EID shows, it does.
2. Buy the Sri Lanka plan and scan the QR code on Wi-Fi before you leave India. It takes about two minutes.
3. Leave the eSIM line off until you land. The plan starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you buy it.
4. On landing, turn the eSIM line on, switch on data roaming for it, and set it as the mobile data line.

Step-by-step pictures for iPhone and Android are in how to install a travel eSIM. With data working at arrivals, you can book a PickMe or Uber before you reach the exit.

When a local SIM or roaming is the better choice

Your Indian SIM is the better choice for calls. Jio's Sri Lanka rate without a pack is ₹2 a minute for calls to India, local calls and incoming calls, so a few calls home cost little, as long as data roaming stays off. For many calls plus some data, Jio's ₹951 pack gives 4 GB with 100 outgoing and 100 incoming minutes for 10 days, and Airtel's ₹1,298 pack gives 6 GB with 200 minutes. Jio's Wi-Fi calling packs, ₹121 for 100 minutes or ₹521 for 500 minutes, cover calls to India over hotel Wi-Fi if your phone supports Wi-Fi calling. A Dialog tourist SIM suits long stays and heavy data use: LKR 1,399 buys 20 GB with call credit and a Sri Lankan number, from a counter right after customs. The travel eSIM is simplest when you want data from the moment you land, with no counter and your Indian SIM kept for OTPs. More in Jio vs Airtel vs Vi roaming packs.

Questions

Get your Sri Lanka eSIMQR code on screen and by emailQR code by email after a document check · 4G/5G · from $2.49

See Sri Lanka plans

Written by the eSIMKite team and checked by Vicky Pathak. Prices checked on 21 October 2026. We sell travel eSIMs, so every outside figure links to where we found it.