SIM cards and internet in Germany

How mobile plans and home internet usually work for people who have just arrived in Germany, and what you can normally arrange before your paperwork is finished.

Mobile and internet options

The providers below are the ones RechtX links to. Availability, terms and what each plan includes are set by the provider, so check the current details on their own pages.

Offers can change. Check the provider for current prices, allowances and terms.

Vodafone — mobile & home internet

Consumer plans for private customers. These are postpaid contracts and generally require a German address, a German bank account and a credit check (Schufa).

Vodafone Mobil XLVodafone Mobil XLVodafone Mobil XL logoA postpaid mobile contract for private customers. Signing up generally requires a German address, a German bank account and a credit check (Schufa).View tariffGigaMobil Young XLGigaMobil Young XLGigaMobil Young XL logoA mobile contract for customers aged 18–27, depending on the conditions that apply. It is a postpaid contract and generally requires a German address, a German bank account and a credit check (Schufa).See Young plansAll mobile tariffsAll mobile tariffsAll mobile tariffs logoAn overview of Vodafone's current mobile plans for private customers. These are postpaid contracts and generally require a German address, a German bank account and a credit check (Schufa).Browse tariffsAvailability at your addressAvailability at your addressAvailability at your address logoCheck which Vodafone home internet options may be available at your address. Home internet is a postpaid contract and generally requires a German address, a German bank account and a credit check (Schufa).Check availabilityFibre internet 1000Fibre internet 1000Fibre internet 1000 logoFibre home internet options, depending on what is available at your address. This is a postpaid contract and generally requires a German address, a German bank account and a credit check (Schufa).View fibre plans
Back to Essentials

Prepaid or contract

This is usually the first thing that decides what you can get. Prepaid SIMs can generally be bought and activated straight away, because there is nothing to check: you pay in advance and the SIM works. Contract plans are different. Providers normally ask for your Anmeldung (your registered address), a German bank account for the direct debit, and they run a credit check (Schufa). Someone who landed last week usually has none of these yet, so a contract application may be declined even where the tariff itself would be a good fit.

eSIM before you land

An eSIM is a SIM card that is downloaded to your phone rather than posted to you or collected in a shop. Most recent phones support it, though not all, and some providers offer it only on certain plans. Where it is available it can often be set up before you travel, so you arrive with a working number and data instead of looking for a shop on your first day. It is worth checking your phone supports eSIM, and whether it is locked to a provider in your current country, before relying on this.

Home internet depends on the address

Home internet is not really chosen by tariff. What reaches your flat — the cable, fibre or DSL line already in the building — decides which providers can serve you at all. That is why every provider starts with an availability check for a specific address rather than a list of plans. If you have not moved in yet, there is usually little to do here beyond noting which providers cover the address. Landlords and building managers can sometimes tell you what is already installed.

Switching later is normal

Starting on prepaid and moving to a contract once you have your Anmeldung and a German bank account is a common path, not a mistake to avoid. Prepaid plans generally have no minimum term, so you are not locked in while you settle. Keeping your existing number when you switch is usually possible, though the process and any fee depend on the provider, so it is worth checking before you cancel anything.

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