Staying Connected

For many transactions in India, you need to be able to receive One Time Passwords (OTPs) on your phone. Whether it is to book train tickets, order food, call a cab or make digital payments. Most Indian services will only send OTPs to an Indian (+91) number. Your foreign phone can give you data but not those OTPs. For a short trip, your data phone is fine. For longer stays you should get a local SIM to be functional.

Your phone gives instant data, no Indian number, hence no OTP

Before you fly, get a travel eSIM or enable international roaming. This gets you data and the ability to receive calls in India (expensive though). When you land, get a local SIM if you are staying for more than a few days.

Local SIM gives you an Indian phone number, but you need some paperwork

Airtel or Jio are the two recommended options. Airport desks will guide you through the paperwork. What to expect:

  • Airport counters of Airtel and Jio are there in all international airports.
  • Warning: Airport counters are convenient but 2 to 3 times pricier than the city offices!
  • You will need your passport and visa and a local address: your hotel address works.
  • The seller will take a picture of you (or you can give them a photo if you insist on not being photographed).
  • Activation will take 2 to 4 hours if you buy at the airport. A city office of Airtel or Jio will take 4 to 24 hours.
  • Local carriers sell eSIMs too, which skip the physical card but need the same in-person passport verification.

A practical combo: travel eSIM or roaming for landing-day data, local SIM once you're settled.

Wi-Fi

Most city hotels, restaurants and cafes now offer free Wi-Fi. Mobile data is cheap and reliable in cities, but may be patchy or unavailable in remote areas.

Practical notes

  • Keep your passport and visa handy for any SIM setup.
  • Mobile data in India is among the cheapest in the world. A generous 28-day, 2GB/day plan will cost you about Rs 600.
  • You can recharge your pre-paid plan when it expires, either through the vendor app or at many of the roadside vendors.