Mobile data in your first 30 days

eSIM or local prepaid SIM, what ID you may be asked for in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland, and what EU roaming does and does not cover.

Countries7Checklist items8Last checked2026-10-20

Official source read we read it on an official page
Partly verified confirmed only in part, see the note
Custom, not law a tradition, not a rule
Not verified we could not confirm it

Neutral page: no provider names, prices or affiliate links.

Planning help, not legal advice. Rules change and providers set their own accepted documents. This page names no providers and quotes no prices. Confirm the ID rule with the provider you choose.

eSIM or local prepaid SIM?

	eSIM	Local prepaid SIM card
What it is	A digital SIM built into most modern phones; no plastic card.	A physical card you put in the phone's SIM slot.
How you get it	You download it from a provider, often by scanning a QR code or through the phone settings.	You collect or are sent a card, then activate it.
What your phone needs	eSIM support and no lock to another network. Check the phone's settings or the maker's site.	A SIM slot and no lock to another network.
ID rules	The ID rules below are written for activating prepaid mobile service. Germany's law, for example, speaks of providers of prepaid mobile services, not of a SIM format. We found no rule that differs by SIM format, but ask the provider.

Source: ComReg (ComReg (Ireland): what an eSIM is) · Last checked 2026-10-20

ID to register a prepaid SIM, by country

What each country's law or regulator says, as read on 2026-10-20. Where we could not confirm a rule, the card says so.

ES
Spain
Official source read
Yes. Operators must keep a register of prepaid buyers. You are identified with an identity document, and the operator records your name, surname, nationality and the number and type of the document.
Ley 25/2007, disposición adicional única (BOE). The law does not list which documents count.
Source: BOE-A-2007-18243 · Last checked 2026-10-20
PT
Portugal
Partly verified
Being changed. On 29 May 2026 the Government approved a bill (legislative authorisation) that would make identification of prepaid mobile users mandatory. We could not confirm that it has passed or when it applies. Carry an ID document anyway.
Communiqué of the Council of Ministers, 29 May 2026 (portugal.gov.pt).
Source: portugal.gov.pt · Last checked 2026-10-20
FR
France
Not verified
Not confirmed. A 2025 anti-narcotics law (Loi n° 2025-532) was drafted with a clause requiring operators to check the identity of prepaid buyers with an official photo ID. We read the parliamentary report on that clause but not the promulgated text, so we cannot confirm the rule or its start date. Carry a passport or ID card.
Assemblée nationale report no. 1044 on the bill (art. 12 bis, new art. L. 34-1-1 CPCE); Ministry of Justice circular of 28 July 2025 for the law's reference.
Source: assemblee-nationale.fr · justice.gouv.fr · Last checked 2026-10-20
DE
Germany
Official source read
Yes. The provider must check your identity before activation with an ID card, a passport, another valid official photo ID accepted in Germany, or a residence permit or equivalent document. The Bundesnetzagentur may approve other methods, such as remote identification, but they must still use one of these documents.
§ 172 (2) Telekommunikationsgesetz (gesetze-im-internet.de); Bundesnetzagentur page on prepaid identification procedures.
Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · bundesnetzagentur.de · Last checked 2026-10-20
IT
Italy
Partly verified
Yes. A Ministry of the Interior decree (Gazzetta Ufficiale, 6 Feb 2019) states that companies must identify buyers of prepaid mobile traffic before activation and record the data from an identity document, with its type, number and a copy. The decree also allows remote identification for existing customers who migrate or add a SIM. It cites art. 55(7) of D.Lgs. 259/2003; we did not re-check the current article numbering.
Decreto 28 dicembre 2018, Ministero dell'Interno (GU n. 31, 6 Feb 2019), art. 2.
Source: gazzettaufficiale.it · Last checked 2026-10-20
NL
Netherlands
Not verified
Not confirmed. We found no ID duty for prepaid SIMs in the Telecommunicatiewet (consolidated text of 15 Aug 2026) and no regulator page that states one. That is absence of evidence, not confirmation. Ask the provider what it requires.
Telecommunicatiewet on wetten.overheid.nl (searched for prepaid and identification terms).
Source: wetten.overheid.nl · Last checked 2026-10-20
IE
Ireland
Partly verified
No registration law at the time of ComReg's April 2024 draft guidance, which says it is not currently minded to require prepaid SIM registration. It does expect operators to run their own identity checks, and for eSIMs it recommends the customer's name and address, a photo of an official ID and a selfie. We did not find the final guidance.
ComReg, Know Your Customer (KYC) Guidance, draft information notice 24/24c, 3 Apr 2024.
Source: comreg.ie · Last checked 2026-10-20

EU “Roam like at home”

In the EU and the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) you pay your domestic price for calls, texts and data when you travel, as long as you live, work, study or otherwise have stable links to the country of your SIM.
Fair use: it is meant for occasional travel. If you move abroad and keep using your home SIM, your operator may charge extra for roaming; those charges are capped.
Some plans, for example very cheap or unlimited ones, may have a cap on data at the domestic price while roaming. Your operator must tell you the limit in advance and alert you when you reach it.
The rules have been extended until 2032. The United Kingdom is not covered by the EU regime.
For a newcomer this means roaming protects trips home, not a permanent move. Plan a local plan for the long term.

Source: europa.eu/youreurope (Your Europe (europa.eu): Roaming, what you pay to use your smartphone in another EU country) · digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu (European Commission: Roaming questions and answers) · Last checked 2026-10-20

Your first-30-days checklist

Before you travel: check that your phone is not locked to one network and whether it supports eSIM.
Read your home plan's EU roaming terms and any fair-use data limit.
Keep your home number active until your bank and apps no longer send SMS codes to it.
Pack your passport or national ID, and your residence document if you already have one.
Share a photo or copy of your ID only with the provider or its authorised shop.
Choose eSIM or a physical SIM and ask the provider which ID it accepts for your country.
In the first week, check that calls, texts and data work, and note down your new number.
Before day 30: set usage alerts or top-up reminders, and give your new number to your employer, school and doctor.

Questions

Can I keep using my home SIM after I move?

Roaming rules are for occasional travel. If you use a home SIM abroad permanently, your operator may charge extra, within a cap. Ask your operator before relying on it.

Do I need ID to buy a prepaid SIM?

It depends on the country: see the cards above. Where we could not confirm the rule, carry a passport or ID card and ask the provider.

Which provider or plan should I choose?

This page does not recommend any. It names no providers, shows no prices and has no affiliate links.

Sources and what each one confirms

europa.eu/youreuropeYour Europe (europa.eu): Roaming, what you pay to use your smartphone in another EU country
digital-strategy.ec.europa.euEuropean Commission: Roaming questions and answers
comreg.ieComReg (Ireland): what an eSIM is

First Spanish Christmas 2026/27: dates, holidays and phrases

Last checked: 2026-10-20.

How it works

Check the ID rule for your country here, then confirm it with the provider you choose.
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