Mauritania eSIM

Yes, as long as you have an eSIM-capable, carrier-unlocked iPhone. That covers the iPhone XS, XR and every model since, including the SE (2020) and newer. After buying you'll get a QR code by email; scan it in Settings to load your Mauritania travel eSIM, then keep your normal SIM active for calls and texts. Because it's a data-only plan, you get mobile internet in Nouakchott and the main towns while your usual number stays on your primary line. If you're unsure whether your iPhone is unlocked, dial *#06# to find your EID, or ask your carrier. Our 24/7 support team can confirm compatibility before you travel.

It works on most recent eSIM-capable, carrier-unlocked Android phones. That includes the Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, the Z Fold and Z Flip range, Google Pixel 3 and later, and many other 2019-onward flagships. Older or budget handsets sometimes lack an eSIM chip, so check your model's specifications first. Installing is simple: scan the QR code we email you to add the Mauritania eSIM, then set it as your data line while keeping your physical SIM for your normal number. You'll have prepaid data ready when you land at Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International. If you're not certain your phone supports eSIM, our support team can verify it before you leave home.

Your Mauritania travel eSIM connects to our supplier's local partner networks, giving you 4G data in Nouakchott, Nouadhibou and the country's other main population centres. Your phone selects the available partner network automatically on arrival — there's nothing to configure manually. Once you scan the QR code and land, registration happens on its own and your prepaid data begins. Because it's data-only, you'll use this connection for maps, messaging, email and calls over WhatsApp, while your home number stays on your primary SIM. Arriving connected spares you local SIM registration paperwork on the ground.

Coverage is concentrated where people live: Nouakchott and Nouadhibou have serviceable 4G, and the larger towns along the main roads — Atar, Rosso, Kiffa — generally have usable data. Beyond that, be realistic: Mauritania is mostly Sahara, and on desert pistes, around Chinguetti and Ouadane, along the iron-ore railway and in the Banc d'Arguin, signal ranges from patchy to non-existent for long stretches, on any network. If you're travelling the desert circuits, download offline maps, carry your itinerary offline, and treat connectivity as something you get back in towns rather than count on between them.

It takes just a few minutes. After purchase we email you a QR code. On your phone, open Settings, choose to add an eSIM or mobile plan, and scan that code to install it. We strongly recommend doing this on Wi-Fi before you fly, so you land already set up. The plan won't start counting down yet: your validity and prepaid data only begin when the eSIM first connects to a network after you arrive in Mauritania. Once you land, enable the eSIM as your data line, switch on data roaming for that line, and turn roaming off on your home SIM. Your phone connects automatically. If anything looks off, our 24/7 support can walk you through it.

Yes, and for Mauritania we strongly recommend it — airport connectivity is limited and buying a local SIM involves registration paperwork. Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi as soon as your QR code arrives by email. Installing is not the same as activating: your data allowance and validity period only start when the eSIM first connects to the local network in Mauritania, not when you scan the code. You have up to 180 days between purchase and first use, so you can set it up well ahead of a desert expedition or work assignment without losing a single megabyte.

For most travellers, yes — where roaming works at all. Mauritania appears on virtually no carrier's included-roaming list; UK, EU and US plans either charge extreme per-megabyte rates there or have patchy roaming agreements. A prepaid Mauritania eSIM gives you working data at a fixed price you see upfront, with no surprise fees and no bill shock. Wholesale data in Mauritania is genuinely expensive, which our pricing reflects honestly — but a known prepaid cost beats an open-ended roaming bill, and you can add a top-up at any time if you run low.

Yes to both. This is a data-only eSIM, so it doesn't make native calls or send SMS, but everything you'd actually use works over the internet: WhatsApp calls and messages and other VoIP apps all run on your prepaid data — and WhatsApp is how much of Mauritania communicates day to day. Your usual phone number stays active on your physical SIM thanks to dual-SIM, so people can still reach you and apps tied to your number keep working. Set the eSIM as your data line and turn data roaming off on your home SIM to avoid your carrier's charges. That way you stay reachable while the Mauritania eSIM carries all your mobile internet.

Yes, personal hotspot and tethering are supported, so you can share your Mauritania eSIM connection with a laptop, tablet or a colleague's phone. Just switch on the hotspot in your phone's settings as you normally would. Keep in mind that anything connected to your hotspot draws from the same prepaid data allowance, and shared devices — especially laptops on video calls — can use it up quickly. Fixed internet in Mauritania can be slow and intermittent, so a hotspot from a 5GB or 10GB plan is often the most dependable connection available for an evening of work in Nouakchott. Top up any time if you run low.

The best eSIM for Mauritania is one that's installed before you land, connects automatically to available local networks and is clear about what you pay upfront, which is exactly what the GulfData Mauritania travel eSIM offers. You get prepaid 4G data in Nouakchott, Nouadhibou and the main towns, with instant QR activation you can set up before you fly. There are no roaming fees and no surprise charges — valuable in a country where conventional roaming is expensive or unreliable. It keeps your normal number active on your primary SIM, supports hotspot sharing, offers top-ups, and works on recent eSIM-capable iPhones and Android phones. Backed by 24/7 support.