How to Use an eSIM in Europe: Set Up, Activate and Stay Connected

To use an eSIM in Europe, you need a phone that supports eSIM and isn't carrier-locked, and a Europe plan that covers every country on your trip. Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi, then turn it on when you land, make it your data line and turn on data roaming for it. Your home SIM can stay on for calls and texts. This guide walks you through each step, from choosing the plan to fixing a connection that won't start.

How does an eSIM work in Europe?

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone. You download a travel plan onto it with a QR code, so there's no plastic SIM to buy or swap. A Europe travel eSIM connects to partner networks in each country on its list. When you take a train from Paris to Amsterdam, your phone switches to a Dutch network on its own, and you keep using the same plan.

Most phones that support eSIM can run two lines at once. You use the travel eSIM for mobile data and keep your usual number on the other line (Apple: Use eSIM while traveling internationally).

Do you need an eSIM for Europe?

No, it isn't required. You have three ways to get online:

• Roam with your home carrier. Easy, but carriers from the US, Canada and other countries outside Europe set their own roaming prices, so check them before you go.
• Use only Wi-Fi. Free in many hotels and cafes, but you're offline on the street, on the road and on most trains.
• Use a travel eSIM. Prepaid data for a fixed number of days, set up before you leave, with your home number still on your phone.

Step 1: Check that your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked

Do this first, before you buy anything.

• eSIM support: on iPhone, you need an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or later (Apple: Set up eSIM on iPhone). On any phone, dial *#06#: if you see an EID, your phone supports eSIM.
• Carrier lock: a travel eSIM only works on a phone that isn't locked to your carrier. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > About. If you see "No SIM Restrictions" next to Carrier Lock, you're good (Apple). If it's locked, ask your carrier to unlock it before you travel.

More ways to check, including Android phones: how to check eSIM compatibility.

Step 2: Pick a Europe plan that covers every country on your trip

You may have heard that phones work across the EU at home prices. That's the EU's "roam like at home" rule, and it applies to mobile plans from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Ukraine and Moldova (European Commission: Roaming). It doesn't apply to plans from the US, Canada or Australia, and it doesn't cover the UK.

With a travel eSIM, what counts is the plan's own country list. EU countries like France, Italy, Spain and Germany are on every Europe plan. The differences are in countries outside the EU, so check those carefully:

• Switzerland and the UK: covered by all the Europe plans on the Europe eSIM page.
• Turkey: covered by the SimOptions Europe data plans and the Europe Unlimited plans, not by the Bouygues Telecom plans.
• Western Balkans such as Serbia, Albania or Montenegro: covered by the Europe Unlimited plans only.
• Iceland: covered by the Bouygues Telecom and Europe Unlimited plans, not by the 1 GB to 50 GB data plans.

Open "Details" on each plan to see its full country list before you buy. Then pick the data and the number of days you need. Not sure which plan fits your trip? Our best eSIM for Europe guide compares them by trip type and data use.

For a typical one- or two-week trip, these three cover most travelers: a data-only 20 GB plan, an unlimited plan that also covers the Balkans, or a Bouygues Telecom plan if you also want a European phone number.

Europe 20GB · Europe Unlimited 14 Days (also covers the Western Balkans) · Travel Basic+ with a French number · See all Europe eSIMs · Going beyond Europe? Find your destination

Step 3: Install your eSIM before you fly

Your QR code arrives by email a few minutes after you pay. Install it at home, on Wi-Fi, a day or two before you leave. Installing doesn't start your plan (SimOptions eSIM FAQ).

1. Connect to Wi-Fi. Your phone needs internet to download the eSIM.
2. Scan the QR code. On iPhone: Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > Add eSIM > Use QR Code. On Samsung Galaxy: Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM. Menu names vary a little by brand.
3. Label the new line "Europe" or "Travel", so you can tell it apart from your home line.
4. Leave it installed. Don't delete the eSIM to start over. A deleted eSIM usually can't be installed again with the same QR code.

On the SimOptions Europe plans, the eSIM activates automatically when you reach a country on its list. If you don't use it within a year of buying it, it expires.

Step 4: How to activate your eSIM when you land in Europe

This is where most people get stuck. When you land, set up your lines like this:

1. Turn the eSIM line on. On iPhone with iOS 26 or later, you may see a "Turn On Travel eSIM" prompt when you arrive. Tap it and choose whether to use the travel eSIM only or both lines (Apple).
2. Make it your data line. On iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data, then pick the travel eSIM. Only one line uses mobile data at a time (Apple: Using Dual SIM with an eSIM).
3. Turn on data roaming for the eSIM. A travel eSIM uses partner networks, so your phone treats it as roaming. With data roaming off, you can see signal bars but have no internet. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular, tap the eSIM line, then Cellular Data Options, and turn on Data Roaming (Apple: About cellular data roaming options). On Samsung: Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Data roaming (Samsung).
4. Turn off data roaming on your home line, so your home carrier can't charge you for data abroad.
5. No signal after a few minutes? Turn airplane mode on and off.

The full settings for iPhone, Samsung and Pixel are in our guide to the correct roaming settings for an eSIM.

Crossing borders with your eSIM

You don't need to do anything when you cross a border. The eSIM connects to a partner network in the next country, as long as that country is on your plan's list. If you have no data after the border, turn airplane mode on and off, or restart your phone.

Keep your home SIM for calls and texts

Keep your home line turned on next to the travel eSIM and you stay reachable on your usual number. You still get texts and security codes from your bank. Calls and texts on your home line can cost roaming fees, so check your carrier's rates.

• WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage keep working with your usual account over the eSIM's data. If you only use the travel eSIM, FaceTime and iMessage still work on your home number (Apple).
• Wi-Fi calling lets you call from your home number over Wi-Fi, depending on your carrier (Apple: Make a call with Wi-Fi Calling).

Most Europe travel eSIMs are data-only. If you need a European number for calls and texts, see our guide to a Europe eSIM with a phone number. Setting up two lines for the first time? Read how to set up and manage a dual eSIM.

Tips for using your eSIM in Europe

Keep an eye on your data

Your phone shows data use per line. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular (Apple: Use cellular data on your iPhone). Use Wi-Fi for backups, app updates and big downloads.

Running low? Top up

Most SimOptions eSIMs can be topped up from My account or the SimOptions app, so there's no new QR code to install. Bouygues Telecom eSIMs can't be topped up, so buy a new one instead (SimOptions eSIM FAQ).

Watch out on ferries and planes

At sea or in the air, your phone may connect to a ship or in-flight network. The European Commission says these networks aren't covered by "roam like at home" and usually cost much more (European Commission). Keep data roaming off on your home line, or use airplane mode on board.

Save the emergency number

112 is the emergency number everywhere in the EU, and it's free (European Commission: 112). A data-only eSIM has no phone number, so keep a line that can make calls turned on. Download offline maps too, in case you lose signal in the mountains.

Your eSIM isn't working in Europe?

Run through these checks first:

• The eSIM line is turned on and selected for cellular data.
• Data roaming is on for the eSIM line.
• The country you're in is on your plan's list.
• You've turned airplane mode on and off, or restarted your phone.

Still stuck? See why your eSIM isn't activating and our 9 fixes for an eSIM that isn't working.

FAQs

How do I activate an eSIM that works across the EU?

Buy a Europe eSIM that lists all the countries on your trip and install it at home on Wi-Fi. When you land, turn the line on, choose it for cellular data and turn on data roaming for it. It then works in every country on its list.

Do I need an eSIM for Europe?

No. You can roam with your home carrier or rely on Wi-Fi. A travel eSIM gives you prepaid mobile data for a fixed number of days, while your home number stays on your phone.

Can I use one eSIM in all of Europe?

Yes, if every country on your trip is on the plan's list. All the Europe plans cover the EU, the UK and Switzerland. Turkey, the Western Balkans and Iceland depend on the plan.

When should I install my Europe eSIM?

At home, on Wi-Fi, a day or two before you fly. Installing doesn't start your plan. It activates when you reach a covered country.

Do I need to turn on data roaming for my eSIM?

Yes, for the travel eSIM line. It connects to partner networks, which your phone counts as roaming. Keep data roaming off on your home line.

Can I keep my phone number and WhatsApp?

Yes. Keep your home line on for calls and texts, and use the travel eSIM for data. WhatsApp keeps working with your usual number.

Does a Europe eSIM give me a phone number?

Most Europe eSIMs are data-only. The Bouygues Telecom plans come with a French +33 number for calls and texts within Europe.