The first thing we do when we arrive in a new city is to embark upon what we have come to call a “SIM Safari.” We both have unlocked iPhones and if it’s not too costly, we both get a SIM card so that we can use our smartphones just as we would at home. It’s usually easy, but getting a SIM card in India was a challenge.

There is no way we’d ever pay the international roaming charges of our local Canadian carrier and its travel packs are no great bargain either. A SIM with a pay-as-you-go plan is often reasonable.

Here’s what you need to do in India.

Before you hit a mobile store:

  1. Make sure you have an unlocked phone. If you don’t know, here’s how you find out.
  1. Get a letter from your hotel or hostel that states you are staying there and for how long. The hotel we stayed in knew exactly what we needed.
  1. Make a copy of the photo/identity page of your passport to include in the application.
  1. Make a copy of the Indian visa page in your passport.
  1. You will need two passport style photos to include with your SIM application.
  1. Take a photocopy (take a couple to be safe) of official identification with your home address on it.

In Bengaluru

We went to an Airtel mobile store on Brigade Road near the corner of MG Road. Can’t seem to find the address but by chance I took a photo of its location:

Getting a SIM card in India

We should have come to India prepared with passport-style photos but we did not. We went to a studio near Brigade Road, which was very inexpensive and fairly quick:

G.K. Vale
Portrait Lounge. 28, Church Street Next to Bhimas, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001, India
http://goo.gl/maps/h4bo7

You’re set!

Take all your stuff to the mobile store. They will fill out the application, which you sign in various places.

Once you install your SIM card it will take several hours to activate (It took about 4 for us).

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to Tag Along Travel? Twice a month, you’ll receive an email with links to recent posts.