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Layover guideAbu Dhabi · AUH

Staying connected in Abu Dhabi

A visitor SIM is registered against your passport and capped at two per network, and an unregistered line gets cut off rather than merely warned.

Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
All of Abu Dhabi

The UAE telecoms regulator, TDRA, allows visitors to register a SIM on a passport, or on a GCC national ID for citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council states. Residents register on an Emirates ID.

Visitors are limited to two SIM cards per service provider. Residents are allowed five.

The registration requirement is enforced. If a visitor does not submit valid registration information within 48 hours of the subscription expiring, the provider must disconnect the SIM and all associated services, with 24 hours notice given first. On a short layover that mostly means having your passport in hand at the point of sale.

  1. TDRA (UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority): consumer FAQs · checked 2026-08-17

The rest of Abu Dhabi

The whole guide
Getting out of the airportThe taxi tariff is published by the authority and the airport flagfall is AED 20 against AED 5 in the city, but the bus is not round the clock: A1 stops at 23:00 and only N2 covers the night.Ride-hailingUber and Yango operate; silver metered taxis are the regulated default, airport taxis carry an AED 20 flagfall.Local laws that catch crew outDrink only inside licensed venues, keep the camera down and the language clean: the UAE prosecutes visitors for behaviour that is unremarkable at home.WeatherDesert climate: pleasant Oct-Mar, brutal 40°C humid heat May-Sep; the state bans midday outdoor work 15 Jun-15 Sep.Eating near the crew hotelsMina Zayed port district is the market-food area: fish souk plus fruit-and-veg souk, haggling is the norm.What to buyGold at Madinat Zayed Gold Centre, oud, dates and spices in the souks; 5% VAT is refundable via Planet at departure.TippingNot expected but common; high-end restaurants add ~10% service charge plus a 6% tourism levy, otherwise 10-15% is usual.