Bissau eSIM
In Bissau you connect to Orange or Telecel, whichever is performing better where you are standing. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Orange and Telecel
- 5G
- 4G only
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Bissau
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $16.89 | $16.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $12.63 | $37.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $11.38 | $56.89 |
How Guinea-Bissau compares across Africa
- Regional typical speed
- 29.5 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Orange, Telecel
- 5G
- No, LTE only
- Cities with their own page
- 1: Bissau
Landing at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (OXB)
- Airport
- OXB / GGOV
Worth knowing about Bissau
- The airport is in the Bissalanca district, in the city sector of Safim, which runs continuously into Bissau, so the transfer is short even though the address is not the capital.
- One runway, 3,200 m of asphalt, and a short airline list: Air Cote d'Ivoire, Air Senegal, ASKY Airlines, euroAtlantic Airways, Royal Air Maroc, TAP Air Portugal and Turkish Airlines, reaching Lisbon, Dakar, Abidjan, Istanbul and Casablanca.
- The FCDO says driving standards and road conditions are poor, including inside Bissau, and advises against road travel at night, which is worth knowing before booking a late arrival.
- The airport sits roughly 9 to 11 km north of central Bissau and is the country's only international airport, with air navigation handled by ASECNA.
- Guinea-Bissau does not strictly enforce SIM registration, although a vendor may still ask for ID at their discretion, so carry your passport when buying a card in Bissau.
- Domestic roaming is not yet working despite a 2023 regulation, so a local SIM stays on its own network and cannot borrow the other operator's masts where its own signal fails.
- Calls over 4G, VoLTE, are not yet offered by either mobile network, and mobile data can be unstable in some areas even though outages are rare.
- Guinea-Bissau runs on cash. Card payments are rare and ATMs are few, so change money at an official bureau de change and carry enough for taxis and meals.
- Bag and phone snatching is relatively common in Bissau, so keep your phone out of sight when walking and use it indoors where possible.
- Police in Bissau regularly ask for identification, and you must carry a passport or residence permit, particularly when driving or riding in a taxi.
- The national demining centre, CAAMI, has declared Bissau free of landmines. Outside the capital, some areas still carry a risk, so stay on paved roads and take local advice.
- The rainy season runs from June to October, and heavy rain makes road and driving conditions difficult, inside the city as well as beyond it.
- Only 770 km of the country's 2,746 km road network is asphalt, and outside the priority corridors many rural roads become impassable in the rains.
- Tollgates operate at the Sao Vicente and Joao Landim bridges and at Jugudul, a corridor near Bissau, and the tolls help fund road maintenance.
- The road to Senegal crosses at Sao Domingos and Mpak, about 128 km from Bissau airport or roughly 2.5 hours by car. There are no fuel stations between Sao Domingos and Bissau, so fill up first.
- Entry requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate, and your passport must stay valid for at least six months after the day you arrive.