Europe eSIM for Indians (2026): Schengen, UK and Switzerland plans compared

You have three ways to stay online on a Europe tour: a Jio or Airtel roaming pack, a local SIM bought in your first country, or a travel eSIM installed at home that works across borders. Here is how they compare on price, countries covered and bank OTPs.

Prices side by side

Other sizes: 1 GB for 7 days is ₹149, and 3 GB is ₹299, 20 GB is ₹1,399 and 50 GB is ₹3,299, each for 30 days. Unlimited plans give 1 GB a day at full speed, then 512 Kbps: ₹599 for 3 days, ₹849 for 5, ₹1,099 for 7, ₹1,899 for 15 and ₹3,099 for 30. For most 10 to 15 day tours, 20 GB for 30 days at ₹1,399 costs less than Unlimited for 10 days at ₹1,499, but the two cover different countries (see below). Every plan and the full country list are on the Europe eSIM page.

How much data you need

Networks and the countries each option covers

There is no single Europe network. Each country has its own operators, such as Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free in France, or Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt in Switzerland, and a Europe eSIM or roaming pack joins a partner network in each one.

Each Europe plan has its own country list, and the plan page shows it before you pay. On 21 October 2026 the plans fell into four groups. The ₹749 10 GB plan covers 31 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The 46-country 10 GB plan adds the Netherlands, Türkiye, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, San Marino, Vatican City, Armenia and Georgia, plus a few countries outside Europe. No Europe plan covers Monaco, Andorra or Kosovo.

So the gaps differ. If Slovenia is on your route, Jio's 100-country packs do not work there, while our plans and Airtel's packs do. For Ukraine, San Marino or Vatican City, pick our 46-country plan. If North Macedonia, Monaco or Andorra is on your route, Airtel's packs cover all three and our plans do not.

Speeds are high where Indians travel most. Ookla's September 2026 index put the average mobile download at 203.42 Mbps in France (34th in the world) and 201.08 Mbps in Switzerland (35th). France had 625,330 Indian visitors in 2024 (Atout France).

Bank OTPs, WhatsApp and UPI

A travel eSIM is data only. Your Indian SIM stays in the phone as the second line, so bank SMS still reach your number and WhatsApp keeps your Indian number. More in keeping WhatsApp and bank OTPs working abroad.

• Jio: keep your plan valid and the SIM switched on. Jio's 10-day and 30-day packs include 25 and 100 SMS. Check in the MyJio app what receiving SMS costs without a pack before you fly.
• Airtel prepaid: the ₹118 roaming activation pack (28 days) switches roaming on at standard charges, without buying data. Check in the Airtel Thanks app what receiving SMS costs.
• Airtel postpaid: new plans from ₹499 a month (since 8 October 2026) include one free roaming trip a year: 5 days, 5 GB, 60 minutes, 25 outgoing SMS and free incoming SMS.
• Vi: check your roaming options and SMS charges in the Vi app before you fly.
• WhatsApp and FaceTime calls work over the eSIM's data. EU open-internet rules stop networks from blocking or slowing particular apps.
• UPI works in only two European countries: France and Greece. In France it began with Eiffel Tower online tickets in 2024 and the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann store in Paris. In Greece, live since about 30 June 2026, it works only at shops that show a UPI QR code. Everywhere else, use a card; Switzerland uses the Swiss franc, and cards are accepted almost everywhere there.

Before you land

• Visa: ETIAS is only for visa-free nationalities, so Indians need a Schengen visa, plus a separate UK visa if the UK is on the route. Check the Swiss migration office's ETIAS page.
• Fingerprints at the border. The Entry/Exit System has been fully running since 10 April 2026 in 29 European countries. Indians give fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of getting a passport stamp. There is no form and no fee.
• Wi-Fi on arrival. Frankfurt has free, unlimited Wi-Fi with no sign-up on the Airport-Frankfurt network, and Paris-CDG and Orly have free, unlimited Wi-Fi on WIFI-AIRPORT. Zurich gives 8 hours free, but you need an SMS code sent to your phone or a code from a Wi-Fi station using your boarding pass.
• Ride and rail apps. Uber runs 24/7 in Zurich and Geneva, and Bolt runs in Zurich, including airport rides. In Switzerland, SBB Mobile sells train tickets, and its EasyRide feature covers train, bus, tram and boat.

Set it up at home

1. Check your phone takes an eSIM: iPhone XS or newer, Google Pixel 3 or newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy S and Z models. Dial *#06#: if an EID shows, it does.
2. Buy the Europe plan and scan the QR code on Wi-Fi before you leave India. It takes about two minutes.
3. Leave the eSIM line off until you land. The plan starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you buy it.
4. After landing, turn the eSIM line on, switch on data roaming for it, and set it as the line for mobile data.

Step-by-step pictures for iPhone and Android are in how to install a travel eSIM.

When a local SIM or roaming is the better choice

A roaming pack is the better buy if you will make many normal calls on your Indian number: Jio's ₹2,851 pack gives 150 minutes out and 150 in over 30 days, and Airtel's ₹1,298 pack gives 200 minutes over 10 days. See Jio vs Airtel vs Vi roaming packs for every pack.

If you will stay a month or more in one country, a local prepaid SIM gives you a European number. Under the EU's Roam like at home rules it works at home prices in all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine, but not in the UK, Switzerland or the Western Balkans. You need a passport or ID card to buy one; Swisscom, for example, does not accept a driving licence. Remember that Schengen, the EU roaming zone and a Europe eSIM are three different lists: Switzerland is in Schengen but outside EU roaming rules, and the UK is in neither. Orange's Travel eSIM, at US$9.99 for 4 GB over 7 days, is another option that includes Switzerland and the UK.

Questions

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Written by the eSIMKite team and checked by Vicky Pathak. Prices checked on 21 October 2026. We sell travel eSIMs, so every outside figure links to where we found it.