Buying an Iraqi SIM card: a guide for pilgrims

Pilgrims travelling to Karbala, Najaf, Kadhimiya and Samarra need a phone line to call family, coordinate with drivers and hotels, and get online. There are two ways: use roaming on your home SIM, or buy an Iraqi SIM card. This guide covers the second: the operators, the special line for pilgrims, data packages, documents, where to buy, USSD codes and the official apps. Everything was checked against Zain’s and Asiacell’s official pages, linked in the text.

Short answer: which SIM should you buy?

• For most pilgrims: the visitor line of one of Iraq’s two main operators: the Hala line from Asiacell or the Zeyarah line from Zain.
• Cheapest start: the Asiacell Hala SIM costs 1,500 dinars and is valid for 30 days.
• For internet: buy a data package, and keep mobile data switched off until you do; data without a package is very expensive.
• Avoid Korek: Iraq’s third operator is caught up in a shutdown dispute (details below).
• Bring: the original passport with your Iraqi visa or entry stamp, and some dinars.

Iraq’s mobile operators

The two main operators with full coverage in the pilgrimage cities, and a special line for pilgrims, are Zain Iraq and Asiacell. Both have fast 4G and official shops in the pilgrimage cities and at the airports.

Why we don’t recommend a Korek SIM

The third operator, Korek Telecom, is in a dispute with Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) over licence debts. In August 2026 the CMC announced it would move to shut down Korek’s network and told subscribers not to top up or renew Korek lines. Korek offices in several southern and central provinces have since closed, and its future depends on paying part of its debt. At the time of writing the outcome is unclear, so we don’t recommend a Korek SIM for a pilgrimage.

The visitor line: Hala or Zeyarah?

Regular Iraqi lines are usually for citizens and foreigners with residency. Most pilgrims don’t have residency, so their main option is the visitor line that both operators offer:

• Asiacell: Hala Line; official Hala Line page
• Zain: Zeyarah Line; official Zeyarah Line page

Hala vs Zeyarah

Item	Asiacell: Hala	Zain: Zeyarah
SIM price	1,500 IQD	Not stated on the official page; ask in the shop
Validity	30 days from activation	15 days; renewable once on day 15 for another 15 (30 days max)
5,000 IQD bundle	30 min to Asiacell + 10 min international	30 min to Zain + 10 min international; minutes valid 7 days
Local calls (per second)	3 IQD to Asiacell; 3.9 IQD to other networks	3 IQD to Zain; 3.9 IQD to other networks
International calls	Depends on the country	From 350 IQD per minute
Local SMS	50 IQD to Asiacell; 60 IQD to other networks	50 IQD to Zain; 60 IQD to other networks
International SMS	400 IQD to Iran (other countries vary)	200 IQD (all countries)
Data packages	All packages in the *344# menu	Not stated on the official page
Top-up	Asiacell cards (5, 10, 25 and 100 thousand IQD)	All Zain top-up cards

Hala line (Asiacell)

The Hala line is for pilgrims and visitors, costs 1,500 dinars and is valid for 30 days from activation. Its 5,000-dinar bundle includes 30 minutes to Asiacell numbers and 10 international minutes to one of these countries: Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Turkey, India and Pakistan. To activate it, send a free blank SMS to 296.

Hala users can also buy every package in the *344# menu, including data and social-media packages.

Zeyarah line (Zain)

The Zeyarah line is valid for 15 days. To renew it, send the 4-digit code from the SIM pack to 2024 on day 15 exactly; renewal is free and keeps the line active for another 15 days. The line can be used for at most 30 days from registration. Keep the SIM pack: without that code you can’t renew.

Zain’s 5,000-dinar bundle includes 30 minutes to Zain numbers and 10 international minutes to the same list of countries; activate it by sending 1 to 1010. The minutes are valid for 7 days; each time you subscribe again, new minutes are added to what is left and the 7 days restart. Check remaining minutes with *209#. A single top-up of 10,000 dinars or more also gives 15 free international minutes to Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria and Turkey.

Data packages

Important: without a package, Hala data costs 12 dinars per 10 KB (6 dinars from midnight to 8 am), so a few minutes of browsing can empty your credit. Turn mobile data off before inserting the SIM and switch it on only after buying a package.

Both operators sell “unlimited” packages: a set amount of data at full speed, then slower data until the package ends. Prices and allowances are almost the same at both.

Asiacell unlimited data packages (4G+)

Package	Price (IQD)	Validity	Full-speed data	After the allowance	Code (SMS to 291)
Daily	3,000	1 day	3 GB	up to 3 Mbps	6
Weekly	12,000	7 days	20 GB	up to 3 Mbps	5
4 weeks	40,000	4 weeks	100 GB	up to 3 Mbps	4
Monthly Plus	45,000	30 days	150 GB	up to 3 Mbps	10
4 weeks Premium	50,000	4 weeks	250 GB	up to 5 Mbps	8
Monthly Platinum	60,000	30 days	350 GB	up to 5 Mbps	11

Zain unlimited data packages (4.5G+)

Package	Price (IQD)	Validity	Full-speed data	After the allowance	Subscribe / stop renewal (SMS to 21777)
Daily	3,000	24 hours	3 GB	up to 3 Mbps	10 / 010
Weekly	12,000	7 days	20 GB	up to 3 Mbps	20 / 020
4 weeks	40,000	4 weeks	100 GB	up to 3 Mbps	40 / 040
Monthly (45k)	45,000	30 days	150 GB	up to 3 Mbps	54 / 054
4 weeks (50k)	50,000	4 weeks	250 GB	up to 5 Mbps	57 / 057
Monthly (60k)	60,000	30 days	350 GB	up to 5 Mbps	60 / 060

These packages are listed for regular prepaid lines. Asiacell states that the Hala line has access to every package in the *344# menu, but the Zeyarah page says nothing about data packages. If you buy a Zeyarah line, ask the seller which data package works on it before you pay. For a one-week trip, the 12,000-dinar weekly package is usually enough.

Documents you need

• Your original passport, for both operators. The seller registers your passport details.
• Your Iraqi visa or entry stamp is checked. At both Zain and Asiacell the seller checks (and usually photographs) the Iraqi visa page or entry stamp to record that you are in Iraq. If you have two passports, bring the one with the Iraqi entry stamp.
• Ask the price of the SIM and the package before paying, and don’t pay any unofficial “registration fee”.

Where to buy an Iraqi SIM card

The safest place is the operator’s official shop; official shops, at the airport or in town, are usually cheaper than the small shops around the shrines. At Najaf airport both Zain and Asiacell have shops, and Asiacell lists its shops at Najaf airport and in both arrival halls of Baghdad airport as open 24 hours. In practice, buying at the airport isn’t always possible: sometimes the shop is unattended, out of SIMs, has a long queue, or takes dinars only. So carry some dinars, and if you need your phone from the moment you land (for example to reach your driver), switch on roaming on your home SIM before you travel.

Official Asiacell shops in the pilgrimage cities

City / place	Address	Opening hours	Phone
Najaf airport	Najaf International Airport	24 hours, every day	07737771660
Baghdad airport	Samarra arrival hall and Babylon arrival hall	24 hours, every day	07723136816
Karbala (Al-Jumhuriya)	Al-Jumhuriya Street, opposite Al-Rafidain sweet shop	Every day, 9 am – 11 pm	07730037171
Karbala (Al-Mujamma’at)	Al-Mujamma’at Street, Asiacell head office, opposite TBI bank	Sat – Thu, 8 am – 7 pm	07701191118
Karbala (Al-Naqib)	Opposite the Teacher Training Institute	Sat – Thu, 8 am – 11 pm	07730013731
Karbala (Al-Jami’a)	Al-Harith shopping centre	Every day, mall hours	07730013434
Najaf (Rashid)	Rashid office street, near Al-Jazeera boys’ middle school	Sat – Thu, 9 am – 9 pm	07700499080
Najaf (Kufa–Najaf)	Kufa–Najaf main road, Al-Harith area	Sat – Thu, 9 am – 9 pm	07700995030
Najaf (Al-Furat)	Al-Ghadeer Street, near Foodland restaurant	Sat – Thu, 8 am – 4 pm	07701191164
Samarra	Al-Jubairiya area	Sat – Thu, 10 am – 7 pm	07747003047

Official Zain shops

Zain’s branches and agents are listed on the official Zain store locator; choose a city to see them on the map, and check the address and hours there before you go.

Phone shops around the shrines

Phone shops around the shrines are usually not official agents, and their prices are usually higher than the official shops’. If you buy from one:

• Know the official price first; the Hala SIM is 1,500 dinars.
• The SIM should be activated in front of you, on your own phone.
• If the seller wants to keep your phone while you’re away, or asks for more than your passport, walk away.

Useful USSD codes

Task	Asiacell (Hala)	Zain (Zeyarah)
Activate the 5,000 IQD bundle	Free blank SMS to 296	Send 1 to 1010
Check balance	*133#	*100*1#, or *100# then 1
Top up with a recharge card	*233*card code#	*101#card code#
Top up another number with a card	Asiacell app (credit transfer)	*101#16-digit code#recipient number#
Remaining bundle minutes	Asiacell app	*209#
Special offers	*350#	Zain app
All packages menu	*344#	Zain app
Buy an unlimited data package	*299# or send the package code to 291	Send the package code to 21777; monthly packages with *321#
Stop data auto-renewal	Asiacell app	Send the cancel code (e.g. 020) to 21777
Renew the line	Not needed; 30 days	4-digit code from the pack to 2024, on day 15
Support	In the app (24-hour chat)	107

Official Zain and Asiacell apps

With each operator’s official app you can check your balance and remaining allowances, buy packages and top up. Install it before you travel.

eSIM or physical SIM?

• Zain sells eSIMs, but only in person at a shop: you scan a QR code and the line is activated. Check that your phone is compatible on Zain’s eSIM page first.
• Asiacell’s app lets you order a new SIM with delivery, but the official page doesn’t say whether this works for the Hala line and foreign visitors.
• For most pilgrims, a physical SIM from an official shop is the simplest and safest option.

Practical tips before and after buying

• Before you travel, make sure your phone isn’t carrier-locked and takes two SIMs; with a second SIM slot your home line stays active for bank SMS.
• Make a test call and note your new number before leaving the shop.
• Keep mobile data off until you have bought a data package.
• Carry some dinars from the start of your trip, especially if you plan to buy the SIM at the airport; even without a SIM you’ll need them for the taxi and first expenses. See our Iraqi dinar guide for rates and how to get them.
• At busy times such as Arbaeen, shop queues are long and the network near the shrines is congested; buy your line on the first day, and if the airport doesn’t work out, go to an official shop in town.

Frequently asked questions

Summary

• Short trip, simple calls: Asiacell Hala with the 5,000-dinar bundle.
• 15 to 30 days with international calls: Zain Zeyarah; keep the SIM pack for renewal.
• Heavy internet use: Asiacell or Zain unlimited packages; for Zeyarah, ask the seller first.
• Always: bring your passport, buy from an official shop and check the line works before you leave.

This guide was checked against Zain’s and Asiacell’s official pages in October 2026. Rates and packages may change; ask the seller for the price before you buy.

Book your hotel and trip with Nebras

For the best hotels in Karbala, Najaf, Kadhimiya and Samarra, or a complete independent trip with private transfers, get in touch with Nebras.