Getting an Iranian SIM Card: The Ultimate 2024 Guide
One of the most common issues that tourists have in Iran is that of communication and having access to social media applications, as well as the issue of wide network blocking in our country. Having an Iranian SIM Card is the first step in keeping in touch with your family, friends, and the world in general. This article is dedicated to helping you figure out how you can do that.
*This list will be updated whenever something changes. If you still have any questions regarding this matter after finishing this post, don’t hesitate to contact us! And we can help you with everything you need when you come to Sarv Hostel, and be sure to check our Instagram, because who knows what events we may have!
Ways to Get an Iranian SIM Card
Your first option is to buy an Iranian SIM Card at the airport, where two of the main telecom company (which we will talk about in the following paragraphs) have their own booths. This can be helpful because the people at the booths will guide you through the different processes of registration, charging, and everything else However you may be too tired from your flight and not be in the mood for doing a bunch of paperwork, in which case, you can easily visit their offices in whichever city you’d like.
If you don’t get your card at the airport, don’t hesitate to ask your place of accommodation’s front desk for directions to an office and their guidance in which operator to choose, how to go about registering your Iranian SIM Card, and ways to charge it with credit. Sarv and Mahbibi hostels in Isfahan are both about 5 minutes on foot away from a shop where you can get a card from whichever company you prefer, and we’re more than happy to help you through the process!
Iran SIM Card Operators
There are three primary telecom companies in Iran: Hamrahe Aval, Irancell, and RighTel. Each of these has its own perks and benefits, as well as downsides, which we will talk about individually. Suffice it to say that getting an Iranian SIM Card from each company is pretty easy as we have previously mentioned, but now we can talk about each specific operator.
Hamrahe Aval
The very first telecommunication company in Iran (founded in 1994), Hamrahe Aval is one of the most reliable options out there. You can get yourself a prepaid SIM Card, where you charge your card with a certain amount of money, which you can use as credits to make phone calls or send texts. Hamrahe Aval has another option by the name of Tourism SIM Cards, which are not too different from their prepaid cards. In this case, your Iranian SIM Card will already have a certain amount of credit in it and is valid for one month or one year, depending on which card you get.
Hamrahe Aval’s Tourism SIM Cards can be a more convenient option, since you only need your passport to buy and register them, and you can get up to 3 Iranian SIM Cards with one passport. You can find out more in this helpful brochure!
You can have access to 4G and LTE Internet with Hamrahe Aval, and buy their Internet packages so that you’re not just using up your credit. They have 10 primary offices in Tehran, 7 in Isfahan, and 3 in Shiraz.
Registering Your Hamrahe Aval Iranian SIM Card
If you get yourself a prepaid card, you can dial the USSD code *141*1# and make your first call or text message to register. You can always ask for help from the people at the offices, or the people over at your place of accommodation if there’s any problem during the process (don’t worry, there usually isn’t any). If you get a tourism card, you do have to directly visit a Hamrahe Aval office.
In order to activate your Internet, you can either dial *10*231# or send the number 1 to 8088. Then, you need to get your phone’s 15-digit serial number (IMEI) by dialing *#06#, and then send it via SMS to 8008.
Charging Your Hamrahe Aval Iranian SIM Card
To charge your Iranian SIM Card’s credit, you can either get a voucher from some shops and offices and use the pin inscribed on it by dialing *140*#[insert pin number]#, or you can dial *10*121# to buy credit directly. Buying Internet packages is a different ordeal though, you need to dial *100*2# and choose from the different packages. The most convenient option is using the mymci app. The only problem (a problem that remains through the other operators) you have is you don’t have an Iranian debit card. You can ask for help from different people (hotel/hostel receptionists, Hamrahe Aval service people, or helpful locals), which is a bit inconvenient.
A little helpful tip: Dial *198*2# to change the language in all USSD messages to English.
Irancell
Perhaps the largest operator in Iran, not to mention the most accessible is Irancell. You can get a prepaid SIM Card or a postpaid one, where the amount of money you’ve spent on phone calls, messages, and data must be paid at the end of each month (which is not the best option for tourists, but if you’re staying in Iran for a long time, it might make things more convenient).
Similar to Hamrahe Aval, Irancell has a tourist-specific Iranian SIM Card called a Visitor Card, where you can get a prepaid Iranian card that is valid for one month. The pricing differs based on the kind of card you get: How much credit it has, how many Gigabytes are there in its initial data package, and how many minutes of international airtime it has. You can find more information on their website!
You can have access to 4G and LTE Internet with Irancell, and buy their Internet packages so that you’re not just using up your credit. They have 27 primary offices in Tehran, 8 in Isfahan, and 10 in Shiraz.
Registering Your Irancell Iranian SIM Card
Registering your Iranian SIM Card from Irancell is similar to doing so with a Hamrahe Aval card. You dial the USSD Code (*141*1#) and you’re done. However, in order to activate Internet access on your card, you need to dial *555*4*2#. If buying a postpaid Iranian SIM Card is a more reasonable option for you, the steps for its registration are not any different. The only thing is the payment, which you would have to do on a monthly basis through the MyIrancell app or by dialing *7#. To get the Visitor card, you would have to visit an official store or booth, where the service people will do most of the work for you.
Charging Your Irancell Iranian SIM Card
The most convenient option is using the MyIrancell application to buy data packages or top-up your card, however, you can still use USSD codes: Dialing *555*1*2# will let you top-up, and *555*5# will let you buy data packages. Buying vouchers is still an option, but it’s a rather outdated option.
RighTel
The Latest in the game, RighTel is a more recently founded company that offers prepaid and postpaid Iranian SIM Cards with 3G/4G Internet Access. Since they don’t have a booth at IKA, you need to visit their offices or make a purchase through their website. They have 12 primary offices in Tehran, one in Isfahan, and one in Shiraz. One issue with RighTel is its limited coverage compared to its competitors. You don’t have to worry about this when you’re in major cities, but on the road, or in the less threaded parts if Iran, it could be a problem.
Registering Your RighTel Iranian SIM Card
No matter how you get your Rightell card, you don’t need to take any additional steps for its registration or Internet activation, which can be a huge benefit.
Charging Your RighTel Iranian SIM Card
Again, using the MyRightell is the most convenient option you have, but you can also use the *200# USSD code for all recharging or purchasing purposes.
Online Services
In recent years, many services have stepped taken steps to simplify traveling to Iran in all aspects. Simplifying the process of getting an Iranian SIM Card is one of them.
Shatel Mobile is one organization that has been active in Internet services for a while now. They have a Tourism SIM Card available which is quite reliable when it comes to Internet access. You can get this card at some airports and Shatel offices. You can use the *789# USSD code for all recharging purposes.
Another option you have is using Tappersia’s Iran SIM Card which has 10 GBs of data and is active for 30 days. This is quite convenient since it removes the initial hassle of getting an Iranian SIM Card, but you do have to make this purchase alongside an airport pick-up.
Finally, the best thing for you to do in order to not have to worry about topping up your card or getting a data package, and to just simplify all purchases and transactions in Iran, is to using Mahcard, a service that lets you have your own Iranian debit card. With a Mahcard, you can recharge and buy data packages for you Iranian SIM Card by yourself, use online ticket services, and shop more easily.
You can get some more information about Mahcard’s services in our other blog!
Find out about the other essential parts of your trip to Iran in our blogs!
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