How to Use an eSIM in Morocco: Guide

An eSIM is the easiest way to get data in Morocco, right up until a small setting trips you up and you are standing outside Marrakech airport with no internet, wondering what went wrong. The good news: every common problem has a thirty second fix, and every one of them is avoidable if you set things up before you fly.

This is the full walkthrough we send our own customers, written for 2026: how to check your phone, how to install, which settings matter, which Moroccan network you want under you, and what to do when something misbehaves.

Step 1: check that your phone can do eSIM

Dial *#06# on your phone. If you see a long number labeled EID, your phone supports eSIM. In general that means any iPhone from the XS and XR onward, Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, and Google Pixel 3 and newer.

One big exception: iPhones sold in mainland China have no eSIM at all, and most phones sold in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are the same. If your phone came from there, check *#06# before buying anything. The other requirement is that your phone is unlocked. A phone locked to your home carrier will refuse any other SIM, digital or plastic.

Step 2: pick a plan on the right Moroccan network

Morocco has three networks: Maroc Telecom, Orange and inwi. In Marrakech, Fes and Casablanca all three are fine, and 5G went live in the big cities in late 2025. The differences show up where your trip gets interesting:

• Maroc Telecom is the coverage king outside the cities: the Atlas mountains, the road south, and the Merzouga desert region where it stays on 4G in town and along the highways.
• Orange is quick in the city centers and thinner in the deep south.
• inwi is fine in cities and the weakest bet for the desert.

Many travel eSIM brands do not tell you clearly which network you will land on, and travelers find out in the dunes. Ours is simple: our Morocco eSIM connects to both Maroc Telecom and Orange, so you get the city speed and the desert coverage in one plan, from $1.67. If you want the full price comparison against Airalo, Holafly and the rest, we wrote a separate Best eSIM for Morocco guide.

Step 3: install at home, on wifi, before you fly

This is the rule that prevents ninety percent of problems. The QR code needs internet to install, and the easiest internet you will ever have is your own wifi the night before the flight.

1. Buy your plan. The QR code arrives by email in seconds.
2. On iPhone: Settings, then Cellular, then Add eSIM, then scan the QR code. On Android: Settings, then Network and Internet, then SIMs, then Add eSIM.
3. Label the new line something obvious like Morocco.
4. Do not delete anything. Your home SIM stays where it is.

Installing early does not burn your days: plans start counting when the eSIM first connects to a Moroccan network, not when you install. And whatever happens, never delete the eSIM profile to fix a problem. Deleting is permanent, the same QR code will not reinstall, and you would need support to reissue it. Every other setting can be toggled safely, that one cannot.

Step 4: the three settings that matter when you land

Wheels down in Marrakech. Three switches:

1. Turn the Morocco eSIM line on.
2. Set it as your mobile data line.
3. Turn data roaming ON for the eSIM line. This is the number one reason travel eSIMs appear broken. Travel eSIMs technically roam onto Moroccan networks, so roaming off means no data, full stop.

And one switch to double check the other way: data roaming OFF on your home SIM line, unless you enjoy surprise bills. Keep the home line itself active though, so bank codes and calls still reach you. That split, home SIM for texts and calls, eSIM for all data, is exactly what dual SIM was invented for.

If it does not work: the five fixes in order

1. Airplane mode on for ten seconds, then off. Fixes most first connection sulks.
2. Restart the phone. Fixes most of the rest.
3. Check data roaming is on for the eSIM line. Again. It is always this one.
4. Manually select a network: Settings, then the eSIM line, then Network Selection, turn off automatic and pick Maroc Telecom or Orange.
5. Check the APN. If your plan came with APN details in the email and the phone did not apply them, type them in manually.

Still stuck? Message support on wifi. Ours answers fast, and riad wifi is always good enough for a support chat even when it cannot load a video.

What actually works in Morocco: calls, WhatsApp, wifi

Good news on the app front: WhatsApp calls and FaceTime work normally in Morocco. The old VoIP ban ended years ago. Your data eSIM handles WhatsApp messages, voice notes and calls happily, which is how you will talk to riad owners, drivers and desert camps, because all of Morocco runs on WhatsApp.

Remember that a travel eSIM is data only: it has no phone number of its own. You cannot receive SMS on it, which is why you keep your home SIM active for bank verification codes. For everything else, data is all you need.

On wifi: riads and cafes almost all have it, and it is usually fine for messages and planning, less fine for uploading a day of videos. Thick riad walls do wifi no favors, and evening speeds drop when every guest returns. Treat wifi as backup, not the plan.

Data amounts, quickly

• 1 GB a week: maps, WhatsApp, bookings. $1.67 with us.
• 5 GB a month: adds Instagram and daily photos. $7.03.
• 10 GB a month: heavy posting and hotspot moments. $12.19.
• Unlimited: from $2.10 a day for the upload everything crowd.

The desert day, honestly

Merzouga town and the highway south have 4G on Maroc Telecom, and the camps at the dune edge mostly manage a signal. Ride a camel twenty minutes into Erg Chebbi and you will hit true silence, on every network on earth. Download offline maps, tell someone your plan, and enjoy the only place on your trip where nobody can reach you. The stars are better without a screen anyway.

The checklist

• Before flying: dial *#06#, confirm EID, confirm phone unlocked, buy plan, install on wifi, label the line.
• On landing: eSIM line on, data line set to eSIM, roaming on for eSIM, roaming off for home SIM.
• If stuck: airplane mode, restart, roaming check, manual network, APN.
• Never: delete the eSIM profile.

The bottom line

Using an eSIM in Morocco is genuinely easy once the three settings are right, and a nightmare of guesswork when they are not. Install at home, roam on the eSIM, keep the home SIM for codes, and pick a plan that puts Maroc Telecom under your feet when the city ends. Ours does both networks at once, from $1.67, with the QR code in your inbox before you finish packing.

Safe travels. The mint tea is always sweeter when your maps still work.