Are you planning a trip to Uzbekistan and flying to Tashkent and wondering if you can buy a sim card on arrival at the airport? This is a complete guide for buying a sim card for Uzbekistan on arrival at Tashkent Airport in 2024.
Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per June 2024, my recommendation, the best e-sim cards for Uzbekistan, a vlog about my arrival and experiences at Tashkent Airport and everything else you need to know before buying a sim card for traveling to Tashkent.
Traveling with a working data connection on your phone is so much more convenient and therefore looking for the best way to stay connected when traveling abroad is one of the first things I do. To save money on high roaming costs you can also order a sim card for Uzbekistan on the internet or buy a sim card at Tashkent Airport on arrival.
Traveltomtom is on a journey to travel to every country in the world and everywhere I go I document all my travel tips. Therefore I already wrote more than 200 sim card guides for travelers to find the best way to stay connected.
That is why on Traveltomtom you can already find more than 200 sim card guides from all over the world: Asia, Tajikistan, Dubai, Thailand, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, Tel Aviv, Turkey, Istanbul, London, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Europe, USA, Philippines, Greece, Mexico and many more.
Of course Traveltomtom also wrote an extensive guide for buying a sim card for traveling in Uzbekistan in 2024, including 4G/5G coverage maps, all about e-sim cards for Uzbekistan and more info about the best Uzbekistan sim card for tourists.
So next time you are planning your trip abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and e-sim card advice for your holiday destination. Bookmark me!
Some links in this article about the best sim cards for traveling to Tashkent are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using an affiliate link I earn a small commission. This is at absolutely no extra cost to you.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying a Beeline prepaid sim card for tourists at Tashkent Airport. There are only 2 options at Tashkent Airport. Is Beeline the best sim card for Uzbekistan in 2024? It is not Traveltomtom's first choice.
So what is the best prepaid tourist sim card for traveling in Uzbekistan? Find the answer in the link.
If you want to arrive prepared and rather buy a sim card for Uzbekistan on the internet then look into ordering an e-sim card for Uzbekistan. Prices for Uzbekistan e-sim cards start from $4.5 USD, see below for more info.
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Uzbekistan via Airalo, SimOptions, Nomad.
If your are visiting multiple countries in Central Asia on your trip then check out international prepaid sim cards. These sim cards are valid in multiple countries. Traveltomtom also listed the best sim cards for traveling in Asia in 2024.
Best e-sim cards for Uzbekistan
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Uzbekistan in 2024 is an e-sim card. But keep in mind they only work in e-sim compatible phones. If your phone is e-sim compatible you arrange everything online and you are connected in just a couple clicks.
You order an e-sim card for Uzbekistan on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have an Uzbekistan e-sim card installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Uzbekistan it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Keep in mind that on arrival at Tashkent Airport you can only buy an e-sim card from Ucell. Beeline only offers physical prepaid sim cards for tourists.
Make sure your phone is e-sim compatible before ordering an e-sim card for Uzbekistan.
Airalo
Airalo is a trusted e-sim card provider and they have the following Uzbekistan e-sim card plans:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $4.5 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $7.5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $9.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $13.5 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $22 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $34 USD
Click here for more info or to order an Uzbekistan e-sim card via Airalo.
These Uzbeknet e-sim cards are data-only and incoming and outgoing calls are not supported. Uzbeknet operates on the Beeline 4G/LTE network in Uzbekistan.
SimOptions
SimOptions is another trusted e-sim card provider. They sell international e-sim cards that are valid in up to 141 countries around the world, including Uzbekistan:
- 6 GB data for 10 days = $17.90 USD
- 6 GB data for 8 days = $19.90 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $34.90 USD
- 6 GB data for 15 days = $39.90 USD
Click here to order an international e-sim card for Uzbekistan via SimOptions.
These international e-sim cards are much more expensive but valid in multiple countries. Some of the SimOptions e-sim cards come with a phone number, outgoing calls/sms are NOT supported, but incoming calls/sms are technically supported. For incoming international calls you need credit, but top up is not possible. However, receiving sms is no problem. For more info click on the link.
Nomad
A third trusted e-sim card provider is Nomad and these are the Nomad e-sim card plans for Uzbekistan for 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $8 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $11 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $15 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $22 USD
Click here to order an e-sim card for Uzbekistan through Nomad.
The Nomad e-sim cards operate on the Beeline 4G/LTE network, incoming and outgoing calls are not supported.
Before ordering an Uzbekistan e-sim card make sure your phone is first of all unlocked and second, make sure your phone is e-sim card compatible. E-sim cards only work in unlocked phones. Pretty much all newer smartphones are e-sim card compatible.
Arrival at Tashkent International Airport
Tashkent is probably one of the easiest to navigate airports. Uzbekistan is a very easy going country and so is the Tashkent Airport. There is free WiFi at Tashkent Airport and it is working pretty fine.
After you get off the plane you arrive in a huge hall, more like a huge hangar. In this hall you will find everything. First you have to get through passport control, right behind passport control there are the luggage belts, sim card shops, tourists information and ATM’s. Then when you collect your baggage you go through a security check where they scan your hand luggage and before you realise you are standing outside.
Check out my vlog about arriving at Tashkent Airport and my experiences buying a sim card for tourists in my YouTube video above.
Where to buy a sim card at Tashkent Airport
There is one place where you can buy a sim card at Tashkent Airport and there are 2 sim card shops. Both sim card shops are in the Baggage claim area and can’t be missed. When you walk through passport control they are in the middle of the baggage claim hall.
There is a shop from Ucell and there is a tourist information / Beeline store. Both sim card stores are open 24 hours and they accept USD and the local Uzbekistan currency Som, as well as Visa and Mastercard.
If you decide to buy a sim card at Tashkent Airport then make sure to buy your sim card before you go through the last baggage security check. Once you are outside there are no stores anymore and you can’t go back into the baggage claim area anymore to buy a sim card.
Prices prepaid sim cards Tashkent Airport
All the information below is updated in June 2024 and prices are in Uzbekistan Som. As per June 2024 $1 USD = 12,610 UZS and 10,000 UZS = $0.79 USD.
Ucell
At the Ucell shop at Tashkent Airport they offer 4 prepaid sim card plans for tourists. All prepaid tourist plans are valid for 1 month and they include unlimited social media apps: Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp:
- 20 GB data + unlimited calls + 1,500 sms = 50,000 UZS - $4 USD
- 35 GB data + unlimited calls + 2,000 sms = 70,000 UZS - $6 USD
- 50 GB data + unlimited calls + 2,500 sms = 100,000 UZS - $8 USD
- 200 GB data + unlimited calls + 3,000 sms = 150,000 UZS - $12 USD
Ucell sim cards are price-wise a great deal but the Ucell 4G network is much smaller compared to other mobile internet operators in Uzbekistan.
The big plus about Ucell is that they offer e-sim cards for tourists. However, keep in mind they have a very limited 4G/LTE network.
Beeline
At the Beeline store they offer 6 different Uzbekistan sim cards for tourists. All prepaid plans are valid for 1 month:
- 10 GB data + unlimited calls + 1,000 sms + 20 GB social media* = 80,000 UZS
- 20 GB data + unlimited calls + 1,000 sms + 40 GB social media** = 100,000 UZS - $8 USD
- 35 GB data + unlimited calls + 1,000 sms + 70 GB social media** = 130,000 UZS
- 50 GB data + unlimited calls + unlimited sms + 100 GB social media** = 170,000 UZS
- 100 GB data + unlimited calls + unlimited sms + 200 GB social media** = 190,000 UZS - $15 USD
- Unlimited everything = 230,000 UZS - $19 USD
As you can see Beeline sim cards are much more expensive, but the Beeline mobile network coverage is much better than Ucell.
Beeline only sells physical prepaid sim cards for Uzbekistan, they do NOT provide e-sim cards as of June 2024.
Best sim card for tourists at Tashkent Airport
It is a simple conclusion that Beeline is the best sim card at Tashkent Airport in 2024. When comparing Ucell and Beeline we see that the prices for Ucell sim cards are much cheaper, but we are talking about just a couple dollars.
The 4G/LTE network of Beeline is much stronger and therefore it is recommended to spend a couple dollars extra to have faster data speed and better network coverage, especially when traveling around Uzbekistan.
However, the title of this paragraph is the best sim card for tourists at Tashkent Airport and not best sim card for tourists in Uzbekistan.
Traveltomtom’s first sim card recommendation for Uzbekistan is actually not a Beeline sim card but a UZ Mobile sim card and that has all to do with the 4G/5G network coverage. For more info check out my guide for the best sim card for traveling in Uzbekistan in 2024.
Unfortunately there is no UZ Mobile sim card shop at Tashkent Airport. If you really want a UZ Mobile sim card (like me) you have to buy a sim card in Tashkent city at a phone shop or at a UZ Mobile store.
E-sim cards for Uzbekistan are also a great option, especially since you can order them online and there is no need to visit a phone store in Uzbekistan. It really all takes 2 minutes! Then you activate it before your flight to Tashkent and you are online as soon as the plane lands. And remember that e-sim cards start from just $4.5 USD.
Airalo and Nomad have the best value e-sim cards for Uzbekistan. Both have e-sims with 10 GB data for $22 USD.
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Uzbekistan via Airalo, SimOptions, Nomad.
If you want an e-sim card for traveling in Asia then click on the link and check out my list of the best sim cards for Asia in 2024.
Order a prepaid sim card for Tashkent online
Remember that e-sim cards can only be used in e-sim compatible phones. If your phone is not e-sim card compatible and you want to order a sim card for Uzbekistan on the internet then you have to look into international physical prepaid sim cards for Uzbekistan.
These pre-activated sim cards will be delivered to your home address. You put them in your phone during your flight and you are online as soon as the plane touches the ground in Tashkent.
SimOptions is the only sim card provider that sells physical prepaid sim cards that are valid in 22 countries, including Uzbekistan:
- 5 GB for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international prepaid sim card for Uzbekistan directly online via SimOptions.
Also last reminder that if your phone is e-sim compatible you can order an e-sim card for Uzbekistan on the internet and you arrange everything in just a couple clicks. Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Uzbekistan via Airalo, SimOptions, Nomad.
My experiences buying a sim card at Tashkent Airport
When on arrival I saw that there was no UZ Mobile sim card shop at Tashkent Airport I was disappointed. On my trip to Uzbekistan I was traveling around the country by train for 10 days so I wanted to be connected to the best mobile data network in Uzbekistan.
I chose therefore to buy a UZ Mobile sim card the next day in Tashkent city center. However, to stay connected I ordered an e-sim card with 1 GB data for 7 days through Airalo for just $4.5 USD by using the free WiFi of Tashkent Airport.
I am sure the above tips on how to stay connected when traveling to Tashkent where helpful. If you have any additional questions then please leave me a comment below or reach out to me on social media.
Curious what the road to 197 / visiting every country in the world looks like then head to my Instagram @traveltomtom and follow along. As of June 2024 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still more than 40 to go.
Enjoy your trip to Tashkent!