Cebu eSIM: What to do the moment you land at CEB
A Cebu eSIM connects only once data roaming goes on for that particular line. Do that after landing at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and the plan's clock starts. Activation is first-usage, so the count begins at that first connection abroad. The home SIM stays in the phone and keeps hold of your calls and texts.
12 plans for the Philippines, from 1 GB at $3.99 to 20 GB at $22.99, plus 6 unlimited-data tiers. 5 GB for 30 days costs $9.99 — 6th cheapest of 29 in Asia, against a $10.99 median. Our retail prices from the operator catalogue, checked 13 September 2026.
Philippines · Smart 5G · from $3.99
The law asks for a passport, a local address and a return ticket. A roaming profile is bought from none of that.
Last eSIM issued 1 day ago
Landing at Mactan-Cebu International Airport
One toggle is all that is left to do once you are on the ground at CEB. Switch data roaming on for the eSIM line, and the profile takes it from there. It runs on Smart, the single Philippine partner network here, listed as 5G. No APN value appears anywhere in the listing for this profile. A profile that sat installed for a fortnight still begins with every one of its days. Coverage carries on across the main islands, including Bohol, Palawan and Boracay. A ferry over to Bohol keeps you on this same profile, checked 5 September 2026.
Which plan for Cebu
For a fortnight of island hopping, the workhorse plan is 5 GB over 30 days. It appeared at $9.99 in the Philippines catalogue, checked on 5 September 2026. The Philippines ladder splits evenly, with six fixed blocks against six unlimited windows. Fixed sizes climb from 1 GB over 7 days up to 20 GB over 30. The unlimited windows run 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 days long. The 30-day window carries the 3 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB and 20 GB fixed blocks. Only the 1 GB and 2 GB sizes sit on shorter windows, at 7 and 15 days.
The Philippine SIM registration rule
The Philippine registration rule stops at local SIM cards, and never reaches an eSIM like this. The law asks the buyer for a passport, a local address and a return ticket. All three are collected where a Philippine SIM is sold, at the counter. A roaming profile bought before departure passes through none of those steps. Nobody in Cebu asks you for a local address you do not have. Your line stays outside that register for the whole length of the trip.
The APN field stays empty for the Philippines
No access point name appears anywhere in the Philippines listing. There is nothing to type, on an iPhone or on Android. Smart answers without a typed value, because none is specified for it. When data refuses to start, the roaming switch is the thing to look at. A missing APN cannot be the cause where no APN exists. The entry named no value when it was checked 5 September 2026.
Before you fly to Cebu
- Mactan-Cebu (CEB) puts the phone on Smart, the single Philippine partner.
- Philippine registration asks a counter for a passport, an address and a return ticket.
- The days begin at the CEB connection, whatever date the profile was added.
The country page has the full rule and every plan: Philippines eSIM.