- A Georgian number is the cheapest way online for most visitors. Tourist packs from Magti, Silknet and Cellfie run from about 10 GEL to about 50 GEL (about $4-19) in 2026, and a week of unlimited data is about 8-15 GEL on any network.
- Every Georgian number is registered to its owner, so bring your passport to the airport desk or the city shop.
- All three networks sell local eSIMs: Cellfie charges about 1 GEL, Magti and Silknet about 10 GEL. An international app eSIM works the minute you land but rarely comes with a Georgian number.
- Magti reaches furthest into the valleys of Svaneti, Tusheti and Kazbegi, yet no network covers the high passes, so carry offline maps.
- The EU's free roaming rules stop short of Georgia, so a plan from home can charge a lot here: check it before you fly.
Local SIM or eSIM? Georgia makes both easy, and for most visitors a Georgian number wins on price. Show your passport at a Magti, Silknet or Cellfie desk and pay about 15-30 GEL (about $6-12) in 2026. You get one to two weeks of data, often with local calls. An international eSIM app helps if you want data the moment the plane lands. But it rarely gives you a number that drivers and hosts can ring.
This guide puts the three networks and their 2026 visitor packs side by side, using each operator's own price pages. Then come the places to buy on arrival, how local eSIMs work and what to check before you pay for an app. We also show where the signal fades in Svaneti, Tusheti, Kazbegi and Khevsureti. Topping up, WhatsApp, roaming and hotspots close it out. Tariffs change often, so use every figure as a guide.
Local SIM or eSIM in Georgia: which should you get?
Three questions decide it. How long do you stay, do you need a Georgian number, and does your phone take an eSIM? The number matters more than people expect. Hosts, drivers and guides here call and text local numbers all day, and some apps and shops confirm things by text.
| Your trip | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A week or more, any phone | Local SIM from a city shop or an airport desk | The cheapest data, plus a Georgian number and local minutes |
| Landing at night with no plan for Wi-Fi | App eSIM installed at home, then a local SIM in town | Data works as soon as you land |
| One SIM slot, phone supports eSIM | Local eSIM from Magti, Silknet or Cellfie | Your home SIM stays in the phone for bank codes |
| Two or three days in Tbilisi | A short local pack or an app eSIM | Both cost little for a short stay |
| Trekking in Svaneti or Tusheti | Local Magti SIM plus offline maps | The widest reach in the valleys, though no network covers the passes |
Magti, Silknet and Cellfie: the three mobile networks in Georgia
Georgia has three mobile networks, and each runs its own masts, so the choice is short. In 2025 Magti held about 41% of active mobile lines, Silknet about 36% and Cellfie about 23%, out of nearly 5.9 million.
Magti is the largest, and the one most guides recommend for the regions. It says its network reaches 99% of the populated land under Georgian control. Silknet is also the big landline, internet and TV company, and older guides and shop signs still call its mobile side Geocell. Cellfie was once Beeline Georgia. It claims the country's first 4G and 5G launches and has partnered with the Vodafone Group since December 2024.
| Magti | Silknet | Cellfie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other names you may see | MagtiCom (the company) | Geocell (old mobile brand) | Beeline (old brand) |
| Share of mobile lines, 2025 | ~41% | ~36% | ~23% |
| Packs made for visitors | Two, sold at Tbilisi and Kutaisi airports | Five, from 3 to 30 days | None as such; cheap standard packs |
| Local eSIM in 2026 | About 10 GEL (about $4) | About 10 GEL (about $4) | About 1 GEL (well under $1) |
| Strong point | Widest reach in rural areas | Unlimited data in its visitor packs | Cheapest standard data |
Georgia SIM card for tourists: 2026 packages and prices
These are the visitor offers each operator listed on its own website in October 2026. All are prepaid, with no contract. Dollar figures are rounded.
| Operator and pack | Data | Calls and texts | Valid for | Price in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magti tourist offer, small | 5 GB | Free texts in Georgia | 15 days | About 15 GEL (about $6), SIM included |
| Magti tourist offer, large | 3 GB | Free calls to Georgian numbers, 30 min abroad, free texts in Georgia | 15 days | About 30 GEL (about $12), SIM included |
| Silknet Tourist 3 | Unlimited | 30 local min, unlimited texts | 3 days | About 10 GEL (about $4) |
| Silknet Tourist | Unlimited | 30 local min, unlimited texts | 7 days | About 15 GEL (about $6) |
| Silknet Tourist Start | 4 GB | 30 local min, 15 min abroad, unlimited texts | 15 days | About 15 GEL (about $6) |
| Silknet Tourist Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited local calls, 30 min abroad, unlimited texts | 15 days | About 30 GEL (about $12) |
| Silknet Tourist 30 | Unlimited | 500 local min, unlimited texts | 30 days | About 50 GEL (about $19) |
| Cellfie unlimited data, 7 days | Unlimited | Pay as you go | 7 days | About 8 GEL (about $3) |
| Cellfie unlimited data, 30 days | Unlimited | Pay as you go | 30 days | About 26 GEL (about $10) |
Magti's two offers include a free SIM, and its page names the Tbilisi and Kutaisi airport desks as the place to get them. Oddly, the cheaper one carries more data, while the dearer one adds calls. In town, Magti's normal packs suit visitors too. In 2026 a week of unlimited data costs about 10 GEL (about $4). A month costs about 35 GEL (about $13), on top of the SIM.
Cellfie sells no pack labelled for tourists. Its standard prepaid packs are the cheapest of the three, though. A visitor can put them on a new Cellfie SIM like anyone else. Silknet lists five visitor packs, four of them with unlimited data.
Buying a SIM card in Georgia: airports, city shops and your passport
Every Georgian number is registered to a named person, so take your passport. Staff scan it, fit or activate the SIM and switch on the pack you pick. With no queue, the whole thing takes a few minutes.
At the airports
Magti lists desks at Tbilisi and Kutaisi airports, both marked as offering limited services. Treat them as tourist-pack counters. For an eSIM or anything unusual, a city office is the safer bet. Our guides to Tbilisi airport and to Kutaisi airport cover the rest of each arrivals hall.
At Batumi airport, travellers report desks giving away free SIMs with a pack, but Magti lists no office there. If you want Magti, buy it in the city, where it has offices on Rustaveli Street and on Abashidze Street.
In town and in the regions
All three operators run service centres in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi and most regional towns. Cellfie's list of shops and sales points also includes Mestia, Kazbegi and the Sarpi border crossing from Turkey. Magti's office list shows no service centre in Mestia or Stepantsminda. If you want a Magti line, set it up before you drive into the mountains.
eSIM Georgia: getting a local eSIM from Magti, Silknet or Cellfie
A local eSIM gives you a Georgian number and the same packs as a plastic SIM, without opening the phone. All three networks offer one. You scan a QR code, or the operator's app adds the line for you. The eSIM can then sit next to your home SIM.
| Operator | eSIM price in 2026 | How to get it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magti | About 10 GEL (about $4) | Any Magti service centre, or the MyMagti app or website | One eSIM can be installed again up to five times |
| Silknet | About 10 GEL (about $4), plus the number or pack | Silknet's website, with the QR code sent by email, or a service centre | Its 2023 visitor page said you could buy it online from abroad |
| Cellfie | About 1 GEL (well under $1) | Online at any hour, in the MyCellfie app or in a shop | Deleted it by mistake? The same QR code puts it back for free |
Buying online from home sounds simplest. But each operator must tie the number to a real person, and the online check does not always go smoothly with a foreign passport. The sure route is a service centre with your passport, where staff give you the QR code on paper or on screen. Have Wi-Fi to hand, because the phone needs a connection to install it.
Will your phone take an eSIM?
Most phones from the last few years will. Cellfie's list of models starts with the iPhone XS and XR, the Galaxy S20 and the Pixel 3. The phone must also be unlocked, because a handset tied to your home carrier refuses foreign lines of both kinds. Look in Settings for an option such as Add eSIM or Add Cellular Plan. If you find it and the phone is unlocked, you are ready.
Best eSIM for Georgia: international apps or a Georgian eSIM?
International eSIM apps sell Georgian data plans that run on one of the local networks. You buy and install the plan at home, and it starts once the phone finds a Georgian mast. That is their real strength: maps and a taxi app work the minute you land, even at 3 am.
The downsides are plain. Most plans are data only, with no Georgian number, so drivers cannot ring you and local texts never arrive. Per gigabyte they often cost more than the local packs above, and a month of heavy use adds up. We do not rank apps or take commission from any of them. Compare a few on these points.
- Which Georgian network does the plan use? Magti suits the mountains best, and a plan that can switch networks is better still.
- Do the days start counting at install or on landing?
- Is hotspot sharing allowed?
- Can you top up in the app if you run out?
- Does it need data roaming on? Most plans do, because your phone sees them as a foreign line.
A simple mix works well. Install an app eSIM with a gigabyte or two for the first day. Then get a Georgian SIM or eSIM in town for the rest of the trip.
Georgia SIM card for hiking: signal in Svaneti, Tusheti, Kazbegi and Khevsureti
The villages of the high Caucasus mostly have 4G. Signal fades in side valleys, though, and it is gone on most passes. Trekking outfits, the Transcaucasian Trail team and the national tourism office all name Magti as the network for remote areas. Silknet often works in the main villages too. For Cellfie in remote valleys we have too few reports, so check locally.
| Area | Where you usually get a signal | Where it fades or stops |
|---|---|---|
| Svaneti: Mestia to Ushguli | Magti and Silknet in Mestia, Zhabeshi, Iprali and Ushguli, and on the open ridges of the first two days | Adishi, which is weak or dead, and the upper Adishchala valley below the pass |
| Svaneti: day hikes | The Koruldi Lakes climb and the slopes that face Mestia | The Guli Pass ravine, the top of the Ushba glacier valley and the far end of the Shkhara valley |
| Tusheti | Omalo, and Dartlo in summer, both often weak | Two to three days on the trek from Parsma to Mutso, and the ridge up to Oreti Lake |
| Kazbegi | Stepantsminda, Gergeti Trinity Church and most of the Juta valley, with Magti the strongest | Beyond the pass on the way to the Gergeti glacier, the head of the Juta valley and the Truso valley past Ketrisi |
| Khevsureti | Shatili near the guesthouses, and weak spots in Roshka | The Chaukhi Pass and the Abudelauri valley; check locally for other side valleys |
The road into Tusheti over the Abano Pass needs its own warning. Load maps and send your messages before you leave the Alazani valley. Omalo is the first place you can count on, and even there the signal can be weak. Some remote guesthouses offer Wi-Fi by satellite. That is fine for messages but slow for much else.
Our Svaneti Trek covers the Mestia to Ushguli route on foot, led by a guide in your language. It spends a night in Adishi, the stop where your phone will most likely go quiet. It runs as a private trip for just your party, whatever its size, starting on the day you choose.
For the longest stretch with no network at all, our Tusheti to Khevsureti trek crosses the Atsunta Pass from Omalo to Shatili. Horses carry the camp, the gear comes from us, and the guide carries a satellite messenger for the silent days.
Topping up a Georgian SIM and checking your balance
Georgian SIMs are prepaid. You add credit first, then buy a pack with it. The easy ways are the operator's app (MyMagti, My Silknet or MyCellfie), its website with a bank card, or a self-service payment machine. These machines stand in supermarkets and small shops and take lari notes. Pick the operator, type the number, feed in the cash and keep the slip.
Each pack starts with a short code that you dial, or with a button in the app. Silknet, for example, keeps all its visitor packs under one menu code, *017#. Cellfie and Magti show a code beside each pack on their price pages, and Cellfie adds one for checking what is left.
Packs and numbers do not last for ever. Unused data disappears when a pack ends, and a number left without credit for months is cut off in the end. If you plan to come back, ask in the shop how long the line stays alive.
Calling Georgian numbers, WhatsApp and texts
A Georgian mobile number has nine digits and begins with 5. On a Georgian SIM you dial those nine digits as they are; from a foreign line, put +995 in front. Magti's larger tourist offer covers calls to all three networks and to landlines. Calls abroad cost extra unless your pack includes some minutes, as that Magti offer and two of Silknet's do.
Much of Georgia runs on WhatsApp. Drivers send their location, hosts share directions, and guides post the next day's plan. It stays on your home number after you swap SIMs, unless you register it again. Still give your Georgian number to anyone who may need to phone you. On a weak mountain signal, a normal call often connects when an app call fails.
Roaming from home, hotspots and Wi-Fi in Georgia
Roaming
Georgia is not part of the EU's roam-like-at-home area. Ukraine and Moldova joined it on 1 January 2026, but Georgia did not. So a plan from the EU, the UK or North America usually treats Georgia as a distant zone. Some operators sell a day pass for it, while others charge by the megabyte at painful rates. Check your tariff before the flight, and turn off data roaming on landing if you will buy a local SIM.
Coming overland? Near the borders with Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan your phone may jump to a foreign mast and start roaming. If you see a foreign network name on the screen, pick the Georgian network by hand in the settings.
Hotspots and Wi-Fi
One unlimited pack shared by hotspot often covers a couple or a family, which beats buying three SIMs. Free Wi-Fi in hotels, guesthouses and cafés is the norm, so many visitors use mobile data mainly on the road.
With several devices, or work to do on the move, a pocket Wi-Fi router is another choice. We can hand you a local SIM or a router with your rental car, or when we meet you at arrivals. On our Self-Drive Georgia trip, a local SIM with data for navigation is already included.
eSIM and SIM cards in Georgia: FAQ
What is the best SIM card in Georgia for tourists?
For most visitors it is Magti. It reaches furthest into the mountains and sells a tourist pack with a free SIM at Tbilisi and Kutaisi airports. If you stay in the cities, Silknet's unlimited visitor packs or Cellfie's cheap standard packs work just as well and can cost less.
Do I need a passport for a Georgian SIM card?
Yes. Every number is registered to its owner, so the desk or shop scans your passport before it activates the line. The same goes for an eSIM bought in a shop.
Does Magti sell eSIM to tourists?
Yes. Magti activates an eSIM for about 10 GEL (about $4) in 2026, in its service centres and through the MyMagti app or website. For a visitor, a service centre in town with a passport is the most reliable way, followed by a data pack.
How much does a Georgian SIM card cost?
In 2026 the visitor packs start at about 10 GEL (about $4) for three days of unlimited data on Silknet. A month with calls costs about 50 GEL (about $19). A week of unlimited data costs about 8-15 GEL (about $3-6) on any network.
Is an international eSIM better than a local SIM in Georgia?
Only for ease on arrival. An app eSIM is live as soon as you land, but it usually has no Georgian number and costs more per gigabyte. Many travellers use one for the first day, then switch to a local SIM in town.
Is there phone signal when hiking in Georgia?
In the main villages of Svaneti, Kazbegi and Tusheti, usually yes. On high passes, in side valleys and on the Atsunta crossing from Tusheti to Khevsureti, usually no. Carry offline maps and tell your hosts your plan.
Does EU roaming work in Georgia?
No. The EU's roam-like-at-home deal took in Ukraine and Moldova in 2026 but left Georgia out. Check your own tariff, or buy a local SIM or eSIM.
Can I keep my WhatsApp number with a Georgian SIM?
Yes. WhatsApp stays linked to your home number even when another SIM provides the data. It only changes if you choose a new number inside the app.
