First week
Time
10–20 min
Cost
AED 50–125
Difficulty
Easy
What to bring
Passport (tourist prepaid) or Emirates ID (resident plans)
Not needed: A UAE bank account. Prepaid tops up by card or kiosk
Our pick
Compare all 4 →Prices checked June 2026
Do it
- 1
Pick tourist or resident
On a passport you get a tourist prepaid (90 days, renewable). Once your Emirates ID lands, convert to a resident plan — better rates.
- 2
Visit a store or the airport counter
They scan your passport, register the line (UAE law), and activate on the spot.
- 3
Choose a data bundle
AED 100–125/month buys 12–16GB. Data-only eSIMs are cheaper if you keep your home number for calls.
- 4
Set up the app
Top-ups, bundle changes, and bill payments all happen in the du/e& app — switch it to English first thing.
Words you'll hear
Emirates ID
The resident ID card everything hangs off. Bank, lease, SIM, hospital desk. Guard it like a passport.
Common questions
Prepaid or postpaid?
Prepaid on your passport from day one; postpaid needs the Emirates ID and is where the better data prices live. Switching later keeps your number.
Are the airport kiosks a ripoff?
Convenient but tourist-priced — mall shops sell the same prepaid packs cheaper. If you land at 2am, take the kiosk SIM and re-evaluate in week two.
Why does every app want a UAE number?
OTP culture — banks, delivery, government apps all verify by local SMS. The SIM is genuinely the first unlock of your move.
Full checklist tracking and task completion live in the Settli app for Dubai.