Two mobile networks cover Albania: Vodafone Albania and One Albania. Both offer eSIM, but in different ways. Vodafone sells a Tourist eSIM on its website, with an online ID check. One gives you an eSIM in its stores, where you show your ID. Or you can skip both and install a travel eSIM at home before you fly. Albania isn't in the EU, so EU "Roam like at home" doesn't apply there. This guide covers each eSIM provider in Albania, the ID rules, and how to have data as soon as you land.
Just need mobile data in Albania? These data-only Albania eSIMs install before your trip and connect when you arrive.
Albania-only data plans · 10 GB for 7 days, 20 GB for 15 days or 50 GB for 30 days · See all eSIMs for Albania
Which eSIM providers in Albania can you choose from?
Here's what each Albanian carrier says about eSIM on its own website, checked in October 2026.
Vodafone Albania eSIM
Since 15 May 2026, Vodafone Albania sells Tourist eSIM packages that you can only buy and activate on its website. They're prepaid data bundles, from 1 GB for 1 day up to 20 GB for 10 days. Here's how the eSIM Tourist Pack works:
- Check your phone supports eSIM.
- Choose a bundle and pay on Vodafone's website.
- Verify your identity online. Vodafone uses a remote ID check, and you sign the contract with a one-time code sent to your phone number.
- Scan the QR code to install the eSIM, then start using your bundle.
If the online activation doesn't work, Vodafone says you can activate your eSIM in any Vodafone store. Vodafone also sells a SIM Tourist Pack, which is a physical SIM card.
One Albania
One Albania says eSIM is available to all its customers, prepaid and contract, new and existing. The catch: you get it in a One store. Here's how it works:
- Where to get it: visit a One store, open a prepaid or contract number with eSIM, and you get a printed QR code.
- Setup: stay on Wi-Fi the whole time, scan the QR code and follow the steps on screen.
- Keep the QR code. One says to save it. If you change phones, you remove the eSIM from the old one and scan the same code again.
- Switching: existing customers can swap a physical SIM for an eSIM in any One store.
One's Tourist Pack is a physical SIM. You buy it in a One shop, including the one at Tirana airport, and you bring your ID and your phone. Staff activate the SIM for you on the spot.
Can you get an Albanian eSIM as a tourist?
Yes. Either way, you'll go through an ID check:
- Vodafone Tourist eSIM: bought on Vodafone's website, with an online ID check and a one-time code to sign the contract.
- One eSIM: in a One store, where you open a prepaid number with your ID.
- One Tourist Pack: a physical SIM, activated in a One shop. Bring your ID and your phone.
An Albanian prepaid line makes sense if you're staying a while, need an Albanian (+355) number, or want local calls. For a holiday, a travel eSIM you buy before you leave skips the paperwork, and you're online the moment you land.
Does EU roaming work in Albania?
No. Albania isn't in the EU, and it isn't part of the EU's "Roam like at home" area. That area covers the EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine. Other countries aren't covered (Your Europe: Roaming).
So even with an EU phone plan, your carrier can charge roaming fees in Albania. The EU started work in 2026 to extend "Roam like at home" to the Western Balkans, Albania included, but there's no start date yet. Some carriers already offer lower prices there, so check your own carrier's rates before you go. Plans from the UK, the US, Canada and Australia follow their carrier's own roaming prices too.
Albanian provider or travel eSIM: which fits your trip?
An Albanian provider's eSIM is better if
- You live in Albania or stay for several months.
- You need an Albanian (+355) number, for example for work, a rental or local apps.
- You're happy to do an ID check online or in a store.
A travel eSIM is easier if
- You're in Albania for a holiday or a few weeks.
- You want data the moment you land in Tirana, with no ID check or store visit.
- You want to keep your home number on your phone for calls and texts.
- You'd like to top up from your phone if you run low.
The SimOptions Albania plans are data-only, so you call and message with apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime. Here's how to make calls with a data-only eSIM.
Visiting Montenegro, Greece or Kosovo too?
Many trips to Albania cross a border, to Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia or Greece. An Albania-only plan stops working when you leave. The Europe Unlimited plans cover 54 countries, including Albania and its neighbours, for 7 or 14 days. They're data-only, like the Albania plans.
Only going to Montenegro? See eSIMs for Montenegro. Heading further? See all Europe eSIMs, or find your destination. Continuing through Europe? Read eSIM providers in Portugal.
Install your travel eSIM before you fly
At home, on Wi-Fi
- Check your phone. It needs to support eSIM and be unlocked. Dial *#06#: if you see an EID, it supports eSIM. More in our guide to checking eSIM compatibility.
- Buy your plan. Your QR code comes by email.
- Install it on Wi-Fi a day or two before you fly. Scan the QR code and follow the steps on screen. Our eSIM installation guide walks you through it on iPhone and Android.
- Leave it there. The plan starts when you reach Albania, so you don't need to do anything else before you land.
When you land in Albania
- Choose the travel eSIM for mobile data. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data (Apple: Using Dual SIM with an eSIM). On a Google Pixel, go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs (Google: dual SIMs on Pixel). On a Samsung Galaxy, look under Settings > Connections > SIM manager.
- Turn on data roaming for the travel eSIM. Travel eSIMs usually roam on Albanian networks, so data won't work without it.
- Turn off data roaming on your home line, so it can't use data in Albania. Keep the home line switched on if you want to receive calls and texts. See the correct roaming settings for an eSIM.
Apple's guide to using eSIM while traveling covers the same steps for iPhone.
FAQs
Does Vodafone Albania have eSIM?
Yes. Since 15 May 2026, Vodafone Albania sells Tourist eSIM data bundles that you buy and activate only on its website. You verify your identity online and then scan a QR code. If that doesn't work, a Vodafone store can activate it.
How do I get the Vodafone Albania eSIM QR code?
You get it at the end of the online purchase, after the ID check and after you sign the contract with the code sent to your phone. Scan it on Wi-Fi to install the eSIM.
Does One Albania have eSIM?
Yes, for all prepaid and contract customers. You get it in a One store, with a printed QR code. One's Tourist Pack is a physical SIM, also sold in its stores.
Do I need a passport for a SIM or eSIM in Albania?
For a local line, yes, you need an ID. One's stores ask for your ID, and Vodafone's Tourist eSIM includes an online ID check. A travel eSIM doesn't need one.
Does EU roaming work in Albania?
No. Albania isn't covered by the EU's "Roam like at home" rules, so EU carriers can charge roaming fees there. Check your carrier's rates before you travel.
Which eSIM should I get for Albania?
It depends on your trip. For a stay in Albania only, an Albania data plan is enough. If you also visit Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia or Greece, a Europe Unlimited plan covers all of them. If you need an Albanian number, get a local line from Vodafone or One.
Do I get an Albanian phone number with a travel eSIM?
No. The SimOptions plans for Albania are data-only. For an Albanian (+355) number, you need a local line from Vodafone or One.
