UK SIM Card in India: Get a UK Number Before You Fly
Srujan YeletiFounder, Unlimit Mobile
8 min read
You can get a UK SIM card in India without visiting a shop. Buy a UK eSIM from Unlimit Mobile online, scan the QR code that arrives by email, and your UK number goes live 48 hours before your travel date. All you need is an unlocked, eSIM-compatible phone. Start with our UK eSIM plans for students.
This guide is for Indian students heading to a UK university: setting up from home, whether your Indian SIM works in the UK, how the options compare, and a checklist for the week you fly.
Can you buy a UK SIM card in India?
Yes, in two ways. You can order a physical UK SIM from a seller in India and wait for it to be posted to you. Or you can buy a UK eSIM online, which arrives by email after you pay and never needs posting.
Unlimit Mobile's UK plans are eSIM only: there is no physical SIM for the UK yet. The eSIM gives you a real UK phone number with unlimited UK calls and SMS and 5G+ data. It is not a data-only travel pack.
What is a UK eSIM?
An eSIM is a SIM built into your phone. It holds your phone number just like a plastic SIM card, but you add it by scanning a QR code or through the Unlimit Mobile app. There's nothing to post and nothing to lose in your luggage.
Why sort out your UK number before you fly?
Your first hours in the UK need a working phone: booking a cab, calling your accommodation, telling your family you've landed. After that, your bank, landlord and university will want a UK number they can call and text. Set it up in India and you land connected. For the rest of your list, see 9 things to do before you fly to the UK for studies.
How to get a UK SIM card in India, step by step
Everything happens online, from home, in this order.
1. Check your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM
Your phone must be unlocked and eSIM-compatible. Search for your model on our list of eSIM compatible phones before you buy. If your phone is locked to a network, ask that network to unlock it before you leave India.
2. Choose your UK plan
UK plans run month by month, with no contract. There are four: Unlimit Mini with 5GB of data, Unlimit Rizz with 20GB, Unlimit Slay with 50GB and Unlimit GOAT with unlimited data. Here are today's prices:
| Plan | Data | 1 month |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimit Mini | 5GB | £7.50 |
| Unlimit Rizz | 20GB | £9.50 |
| Unlimit Slay | 50GB | £16 |
| Unlimit GOAT | Unlimited | £24 |
Every UK plan includes:
- A real UK phone number, with unlimited local calls and SMS across the UK
- 5G+ on a network covering 99% of the UK's population, falling back to 3G/2G where needed
- Coverage in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- No contract, no credit check and no setup or activation fee
- Hotspot, so your laptop can share your data (on compatible phones)
Not sure how much data you need? If you'll mostly be on campus or hall Wi-Fi, a smaller plan may do. If you'll hotspot your laptop, stream or use maps all day, pick more. There's no contract, so you aren't locked in. For more ways to keep the bill down, read how students avoid overpaying for a UK prepaid SIM.
3. Enter your travel date and pay
At checkout you add your details and your travel date. That date decides when your UK number goes live (the timings are below), so double-check it against your ticket.
4. Install the eSIM from your email
After you pay, your eSIM QR code arrives by email. Scan it on your phone, or install it in the Unlimit Mobile app; it takes about two minutes. Do it at home on Wi-Fi, not at the airport. Keep your Indian SIM in the phone: an eSIM phone can keep two numbers active at once.
5. Verify your identity (eKYC)
After you pay, you upload photos of your passport online to verify your identity. Keep your passport to hand and finish this step in India, while you have time.
6. Land connected
Your UK number is already live when you land. Set the UK eSIM as your line for mobile data and you're ready to go.
When does a UK eSIM activate?
It depends on when you travel:
- Flying more than two days after you pay: your UK number goes live 48 hours before your travel date.
- Flying today or within two days: your UK number goes live 1–2 hours after you pay.
Buying a week or two ahead gives you time to install the eSIM and finish eKYC calmly at home.
Can we use an Indian SIM in the UK?
Yes, if international roaming is switched on with your Indian operator. You keep your +91 number and pay your operator's roaming rates for as long as you use it. That's fine for a short trip, but it's a poor fit for a year or more of study: your landlord, bank, GP and university would all be calling and texting an international number.
The simplest setup is to keep both: your Indian SIM for India, and a UK eSIM for daily life in the UK.
Keep your Indian number for bank OTPs
Your Indian bank and payment apps still send one-time passwords (OTPs) to your Indian number. On an eSIM phone, both numbers stay active on one phone. Before you fly:
- Ask your Indian operator whether you'll receive SMS in the UK, and what it costs.
- Turn off data roaming on the Indian line, so your data runs on the UK eSIM.
- Set the UK eSIM as your default line for data, and pick which number you call from.
Our guide to using an eSIM abroad with your Indian number walks through the iPhone and Android settings.
UK SIM options for Indian students compared
Here's how the usual ways of getting connected compare for a student moving from India.
| Option | UK number? | Works when you land? | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming on your Indian plan | No, you keep your +91 number | Yes, if roaming is on before you fly | You pay roaming rates for as long as you use it, and UK contacts must call an international number |
| UK SIM bought from a reseller in India | Usually | Depends on the seller's activation steps | It has to be posted to you; check which network it's on and how you top up once it runs out |
| SIM picked up at a UK store or airport | Yes | No, only once you've bought it after landing | Queues after a long flight; pay-monthly contracts usually need a credit check |
| Data-only travel eSIM | No | Yes | No UK number for calls or texts, so banks, landlords and universities can't reach you on one |
| Unlimit Mobile UK eSIM | Yes | Yes, it goes live before you land | Needs an unlocked, eSIM-compatible phone; there's no physical SIM for the UK yet |
Whichever you choose, check three things: that you get a UK number, that it works when you land, and that it needs no UK credit history. More on that last one in getting a UK SIM card without proof of address or a credit check.
What is the best SIM card for Indian students in the UK?
The best one fits a student's first year, not a holiday. Look for:
- A real UK number, so banks, landlords and universities can call and text you.
- Set up before you fly, so you're connected at the airport.
- No contract and no credit check, because you have no UK credit history yet.
- Month-by-month plans, so you can stop when your course or plans change.
- Room for your Indian SIM, so bank OTPs keep arriving.
- Help at any hour, since you'll be in a new time zone.
An Unlimit Mobile UK SIM card for international students is built around that list: a UK number on 5G+, no contract or credit check, and real people on email and WhatsApp 24/7. Studying in the USA or Canada instead, or still comparing countries? See our student phone plans.
Already have a UK number?
If you've lived in the UK before and still have an active UK number, you can port your UK number to Unlimit Mobile for free and keep it. Don't cancel your old service first: the number must stay active until the transfer completes.
Flying with friends from your batch?
The Rizz, Slay and GOAT plans can cover up to five lines on one order, so friends flying together can check out once.
Your pre-departure phone checklist
- Check your phone is unlocked and eSIM-compatible.
- Buy your UK plan and enter the right travel date.
- Install the eSIM from the email while you're on home Wi-Fi.
- Finish eKYC with photos of your passport.
- Ask your Indian operator about receiving SMS abroad, and keep your Indian SIM in the phone.
- Turn off data roaming on your Indian line before you board.
- Once your UK number is live, share it with your university, accommodation and family.
- Save Unlimit Mobile's email and WhatsApp support for help after you land.
For everything else to sort before you move, from documents to your first week, read our checklist for moving to the UK for university.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a UK SIM card in India before I travel?
Yes. Buy a UK eSIM from Unlimit Mobile online and the QR code arrives by email. Your number goes live 48 hours before your travel date, or 1–2 hours after you pay if you fly within two days.
Can we use an Indian SIM in the UK?
Yes, with international roaming switched on, at your Indian operator's roaming rates. The easiest setup is to keep your Indian SIM for bank OTPs and add a UK eSIM for daily life, since an eSIM phone keeps two numbers active.
Which SIM card is best for Indian students in the UK?
Choose one with a real UK number that you can set up before you fly, with no contract and no credit check. Unlimit Mobile's UK eSIM gives you that, with unlimited UK calls and SMS and 5G+ covering 99% of the UK's population.
Do I need a contract or a credit check for a UK SIM?
Not with Unlimit Mobile. UK plans are prepaid month by month, with no contract and no credit check. After you pay, you verify your identity by uploading photos of your passport.
Can I get a physical UK SIM card from Unlimit Mobile in India?
Not yet. UK plans are eSIM only, so you need an unlocked, eSIM-compatible phone. Check your model on our eSIM devices page before you buy.
Is the UK plan monthly or for the whole year?
UK plans run month by month. There's no contract, so you pay for each month and stop when you no longer need it.
