Before you start

Physical passport; carte de résident once issued
A local address for fixed-line service
A realistic plan for paying foreign online services, which is not an Algerian debit card

Step-by-step

1
Buy the SIM in an operator shop with your passport
Mobilis, Djezzy and Ooredoo all have shops across Algiers. Registration is against an identity document. Ask which operator has the best coverage where you will actually live — the hillside communes and the tunnels behave differently.
In personWho: YouDay 1–2
2
Arrange fixed internet through Algérie Télécom or your building
Fixed broadband is dominated by Algérie Télécom and quality varies substantially by area and by what is installed in the building. Ask neighbours what they actually get before assuming an advertised speed.
In personWho: You
3
Keep a foreign card and a foreign account alive
International card payments from Algerian accounts are limited, and a great deal of ordinary modern life — cloud storage, software subscriptions, flights booked abroad, app stores — depends on a card that works internationally. Do not close your home-country bank account when you move.
OnlineWho: You
4
Expect paying a foreign supplier from a company here to be a file, not a click
Exchange control means company payments abroad require documentary justification through the banking system. If your role involves procuring foreign software or services, build that lead time into every plan; it is the most common source of frustration for foreign managers here.
Via employerWho: You
5
Remember Algeria does not change its clocks
The country stays on GMT+1 all year. Europe moves twice a year, so your offset to Paris or London changes in spring and autumn with nothing changing locally. Recurring meetings with European colleagues drift accordingly.
OnlineWho: You
6
Assume connectivity varies more than you are used to
Mobile data in central Algiers is generally fine and less consistent in the hills and on the coastal roads. If your work depends on stable video calls, have a second operator's SIM as a fallback rather than discovering the gap during a call.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Physical passport
Carte de résident, once issued
Proof of address, for fixed-line service
A functioning foreign bank card, kept from before the move

Things most newcomers don’t know

Keep your home-country bank card — it is infrastructure here, not a backup.

Exchange control limits what an Algerian account can do internationally, and a substantial amount of ordinary life — software subscriptions, cloud services, app stores, flights booked on foreign sites — assumes a card that works across borders. People close their home accounts when they emigrate as a matter of tidiness and then find they cannot pay for things that have nothing to do with Algeria. Keep the account, keep the card, and keep an address that can receive a replacement.

Source: community-reported

Procuring a foreign service for an Algerian company is a documented banking operation.

Payments abroad require justification through the banking system under exchange control, so a software licence or a cloud subscription that a European manager would buy on a corporate card becomes a file with lead time. Foreign managers arriving with a plan to modernise a team's tooling consistently underestimate this. Ask finance how long a foreign payment takes before you commit to a timeline.

Source: Banque d'Algérie; community-reported

Algeria does not observe daylight saving, so your distance from Europe moves twice a year.

The country sits on GMT+1 permanently. When Europe springs forward, European colleagues become an hour ahead; when it falls back, you realign. Nothing changes locally, which is exactly why it goes unnoticed — recurring invites created in Europe drift relative to your working day twice a year in opposite directions.

Source: community-reported

Coverage in the hillside communes is not the same as coverage in the centre.

Algiers is built on steep ground with tunnels and deep valleys, and the communes where most foreign residents live sit above the centre. Operators perform differently across that terrain, and the answer for a colleague in Bab Ezzouar does not transfer to Hydra. Ask people who live on your specific hill which operator they use before committing to a number.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Closing your home-country bank account when you move.
Assuming an Algerian card will pay for foreign online services.
Promising a timeline for procuring foreign software without asking finance about transfer lead times.
Choosing an operator on a colleague's recommendation from a different part of the city.
Assuming a fixed offset to Europe when Algeria does not change its clocks.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.