International Roaming Packs for BSNL SIM: Guide to plans, How-to enable, and receiving SMS OTPs abroad

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, or BSNL for short, is a telecom service provider in India. BSNL offers prepaid and postpaid international roaming plans when users go abroad for travel, to study or to reside long-term. Learn more about what plans BSNL offers and how to use them.

An international roaming pack is one way to make your mobile use simple abroad, so get the same ease when you have international money transfers too. Check out Wise, the fast, easy, and secure way to send money to India with just one low transfer fee.

List of BSNL International Roaming Plans

BSNL offers international roaming services in 476 networks in 195 countries. The company has arrangements with local telecom service providers in countries overseas to provide the coverage. For example, BSNL uses T-Mobile in the US, Hutchison 3G in the UK, and Optus and Telstra in Australia. Since BSNL partners with these companies, the rates depend on the service provider in the foreign country.

However, unlike other Indian service providers who let you keep the same SIM, BSNL prepaid and postpaid subscribers must replace their normal SIM with an international roaming one before heading abroad. The applicable charges are variable and depend on the foreign operators. The updated list is available on the BSNL website.¹

Here is a list of international roaming packs offered by BSNL:²

Prepaid subscribers must activate their international roaming facility by recharging with STV ₹57 or ₹167.

Postpaid subscribers will need to apply for international roaming services by submitting a service request form, plus identification documents and a security deposit. BSNL will also charge ₹99 per month over and above the actual international roaming usage. Jump to our section on how to activate international roaming below for more details.³

Best BSNL roaming plans for Tourists

For those going on holiday abroad, BSNL users may want a short-term international roaming plan. Tourists must follow BSNL’s procedure of replacing their normal SIM with an International Roaming SIM. Here are the prepaid BSNL international roaming packs for trips overseas:

Recharging with STV ₹57 activates international roaming on BSNL SIM cards. Subscribers can then select their destination country and operator to know the international tariff and choose the plans offered by the local telecom service provider.

STV ₹65 offers the following facilities to BSNL prepaid subscribers.⁴

• Voice calls to Canada, China, Singapore, and the US @ ₹1.49 per minute
• Voice calls to Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Hong Kong @ ₹2.49 per minute
• Voice calls to Bahrain @ ₹6.49 per minute
• Voice calls to Nepal @ ₹9.50 per minute
• SMS @ ₹3 per SMS

Best BSNL roaming plans for International Students

International roaming plans are a good idea for students who are going abroad to study. It will allow them to stay in touch with family and ease the process of settling in at the university. Since most students will eventually purchase a local number and SIM, the BSNL international roaming pack does not need a long validity.

Before leaving India, students must replace their local BSNL SIM with an international roaming SIM card and activate international roaming by subscribing to STV ₹57 or STV ₹165 before purchasing their preferred IR pack. There are no special or preferred packs for students.

Getting started in a new country as a student can be difficult and require lots of payments. Make international payments easier with Wise. Whether it's to pay tuition, a security deposit or travel, you can send money to local bank accounts straight from the Wise app. Unlike some of the big banks, with Wise, you only have to pay one low transfer fee, and the money is converted at the mid-market exchange rate, so you can save money on every transfer.

Best BSNL roaming plans for NRIs

Non-Resident Indians (NRI) can keep their Indian bank accounts and services alive by receiving SMS on their Indian number even when abroad. BSNL offers international roaming which allows for incoming SMS for free:

Since NRIs must keep their IR facility active, they should recharge their BSNL SIM cards from abroad every 90 days. Phone and data service will be charged an additional amount.

An international roaming pack can keep an Indian number active when abroad, but what about your NRI finances? Wise is the fast, simple, and secure way to send money directly to India. Transfers on popular routes can arrive within seconds and you will always receive the mid-market rate on currency exchange. That means no hidden fees or markups that eat into your transfer amount. Check out Wise to make transfers to your NRI accounts cheap and easy.

How to activate international roaming on BSNL

BSNL has partnered with telecom services in multiple countries to provide international services. This allows BSNL subscribers in India to use their IR services when abroad. However, BSNL subscribers must enable international roaming services by replacing their normal SIM card with an international roaming-enabled SIM card.

BSNL postpaid subscribers must submit a service request form to BSNL with the following documents:

• two self-attested photographs
• an attested copy of their passport
• A refundable security deposit of ₹5,000

In addition, BSNL charges subscription fees of ₹99 over and above international roaming usage.⁵

All BSNL subscribers must do the following steps to use the international roaming services abroad:

1. Check that your international roaming facility has been activated. You can call the toll-free number 1503 to ensure successful activation.
2. After arriving at your destination abroad, you must switch ON the phone and proceed to Settings or Menu.
3. Click on BSNL Mobile and select Network.
4. Select the “International” option to get “BSNL/Cellone” and “Partner Network.”
5. Select “BSNL/Cellone” and get a message “Cellone International Selected.”
6. Wait for two minutes to get the network automatically.
7. You can select the network manually if it does not appear automatically.

How to deactivate international roaming BSNL SIM

Generally, BSNL international roaming packs get deactivated after their expiry if not renewed. Each pack comes with a specific validity date. BSNL postpaid subscribers can disable their international roaming services by calling BSNL customer care number 1503.⁶

Best BSNL plan for receiving OTPs abroad

BSNL subscribers must keep their SIM cards active when traveling abroad to keep receiving OTPs, which is especially helpful for accessing Indian accounts. The best BSNL plan for receiving OTPs abroad is STV ₹167. This plan keeps the SIM active for 90 days, and you can subscribe to local telecom services and use your BSNL phone to make calls locally and internationally.

BSNL Wifi calling when traveling abroad

BSNL does not support VoWifi but it does provide VOIP calling service through the Wings app. BSNL Wings supports international roaming - with free incoming calls, and outgoing calls @ INR 1.20 per min when calling India from abroad. BSNL Wings must be registered and activated prior to use. Click here for BSNL Wings tariff and registration process.

If you are using your BSNL IR pack for international, be super mindful about the specific data usage limits in your pack. As an alternative to mobile data, you can always use the local Wi-Fi to make calls using apps like WhatsApp and Messenger.

How to recharge a BSNL account from abroad

You can recharge a BSNL account through the My BSNL app. Download the BSNL app from Google PlayStore or the iOS App Store and register your BSNL phone. The app allows you to recharge your BSNL account from anywhere. If you are already abroad, you can use the local service provider’s internet where you are traveling to recharge the BSNL account.

BSNL Customer Care Contact

BSNL subscribers can contact BSNL customer care when roaming abroad through the following ways:⁷

• Phone - +91-9434024365
• Website - www.ir.bsnl.co.in

Meet Wise: International account for expats with roots abroad

For NRIs, managing finances can be complex. Meet Wise, a multi-currency platform that allows you to hold Indian rupees alongside other currencies in a single account. Available to residents of supported countries, Wise enables you to easily send money to India and even a linked debit card for spending abroad. Wise offers international exchange at mid-market rates and transparent fees, making it a valuable tool for managing your finances as an NRI.

Get Started with Wise 🚀