Buying a SIM Card in Ukraine

Last updated: 3 September 2023

2022 Update
We are deeply saddened by what is happening across Ukraine at the moment and our hearts go out to everyone whom has been affected by this ongoing tragedy. Obviously, travel to Ukraine is not an option so please consult your local Government website for guidance and official charities on how to best donate.

This post was written in early 2017 following our visit in late 2016, we hope our Ukraine posts continue to provide some historical context about what travel to Ukraine was once like. (latest modification to post was removal of links to prices).

Planning a trip to the fascinating city of Kyiv? Instead of having to rely on hotel and public WiFi zones, have you thought about buying a local SIM card in Ukraine?

There’s no better way to enhance the exploration of a new city than by being connected to the Internet. Perfect for quick Google searches, figuring out the public transport timetable, deciding where to have dinner, and using TripAdvisor to check the reviews of your hostel.

No time to read the entire post?

No worries, click HERE for the SIM card details

If you’re a 3 UK customer then you may know about the Feel at Home service which provides free international roaming for up to 42 countries. Both Roma and I are 3 UK customers and use this excellent service whenever we travel but what happens when you visit a country which isn’t included?

Well, that’s what happened to us when we recently visited Kyiv, Ukraine. We knew that we weren’t going to last a whole week with just WiFi access so a local SIM card was required.

The one thing you need to know about Ukraine is that there are a number of mobile network providers, all with their own offers and tariffs, which one should you choose?

I’m Not An Expert…

I don’t pretend to be an expert in Ukrainian mobile offers but what I CAN offer you is that when we visited we selected a mobile tariff on Vodafone with unlimited internet which served us very well. The deals have been updated since we last visited so here’s the most current offer (January 2019) from Vodafone with UNLIMITED data

The deal that we recommend is the Vodafone Unlim 3G Plus for 100 UAH (£2.83) which is just perfect! You’d be able to access Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube til your heart’s content.

Where Can I Buy a SIM Card?

One of the best things about Kyiv is that you can buy SIM cards everywhere! The moment you set foot on a main street you will see quite a few little kiosks, just like the one below. These little corner shops sell everything you’d expect; drinks, cigarettes, snacks, and yes SIM cards.

A lot of these places are run by older Ukrainians so a conversation in English might be limited but that shouldn’t stop you from getting what you’re after. I walked in, smiled, and said doh-breh-dehn (in my broken Ukrainian), pulled out my phone and said SIM card with enough inflection for it to be a question. 

Success! The lady behind the counter pulled out about 6 different types of SIM card starter packs. I pointed at the Vodafone one and she replied 25 hryvnia and pointed at the price ticket.

Based on our experience in Poland I knew that I needed to buy credit in order to use the short dial code to activate the UNLIMITED data offer.  I also asked for a top up/recharge voucher and purchased one for 40 UAH. I smiled while saying dyah-koo-yoo and left the store intent on activating the SIM card.

The Vodafone SIM card pack included both a Micro and Nano SIM so no issues there. I placed the SIM in the phone, turned it on, and I was up and running in 30 seconds. Piece of cake.

Next step, loading the credit.  I opened the 40 UAH voucher, scratched the barcode to reveal the top up code.  I followed the instructions *100*voucher no# and topped up the balance.

Now, the final step of activating the unlimited data offer.  I dialled *101*444* Call

And that’s it, we were up and running with a local SIM card on a reliable network with plenty of data to use during our stay. 

How Much Data Did We Use?

We were pretty heavy users of our data allowance, I mean you’ve seen how often we post updates so I was pretty surprised to see that the total use was only 2GB! And that’s including daily usage of two devices via mobile hotspot and a lot of uploading to various social networks.

The Essentials

Network: Vodafone SIM Card 
Offer: Jan 2019. Vodafone Unlim 3G Plus
Vouchers: Purchase starter park plus vouchers to get to 100 UAH
Top Up: *100*voucher no# 
Activate Tariff: *101*444#

And that’s it. Totally worth the money!