Germany SIM or eSIM for Indians (2026): visitors and students, Jio pack vs German prepaid

You have three ways to stay online in Germany: a Jio or Airtel roaming pack, a German prepaid SIM, or a travel eSIM installed before you fly. Visitors and students need different answers, so this guide keeps them apart.

Prices side by side

Other sizes: 1 GB for 7 days is ₹99, and 3 GB is ₹299, 20 GB ₹1,399 and 50 GB ₹2,899, each for 30 days. Unlimited plans give 1 GB a day at full speed, then 512 Kbps: ₹299 for 3 days, ₹449 for 5, ₹849 for 10, ₹1,299 for 15 and ₹2,299 for 30. The 30-day 5 GB plan at ₹399 costs less than the 7-day version at ₹649. All plans are on the Germany eSIM page.

How much data you need

Telekom, Vodafone and O2: who is strongest

Germany has four mobile networks: Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, O2 Telefonica and the newcomer 1&1. eSIMKite's Germany plans connect to O2 and Vodafone. In the connect network test 2026, published in November 2025:

• Telekom won for the 15th time in a row, with 975 of 1,000 points ('outstanding').
• O2, with 937 points, its best score yet, and Vodafone shared second place, both rated 'very good'.
• 1&1 was rated 'very good' in its first test on its own network.

The Bundesnetzagentur, Germany's network regulator, reported in December 2025 that about 98% of the country's area has 4G or 5G and about 95% has 5G. By operator, 5G reaches about 87% of the area on Telekom, 76% on O2 and 75% on Vodafone, so the eSIM's two networks trail Telekom a little on 5G reach.

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. The 1-day and 10-day packs include 20 and 25 SMS. Without a pack, calls in Germany cost ₹5 a minute, incoming included. Check in the MyJio app what receiving SMS costs.
• Airtel prepaid: the ₹118 activation pack (28 days) turns roaming on at standard charges without buying data. Check SMS charges in the Airtel Thanks app.
• Airtel postpaid: new plans from ₹499 a month include one free 5-day roaming trip a year (5 GB, 60 minutes, free incoming SMS), but Airtel has not listed the countries.
• 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. Freedom House rates Germany 'Free' (74 out of 100 in 2025) and reports no blocking of calling apps.
• UPI does not work in German shops: Germany was not among the places accepting UPI merchant payments on 31 August 2026, so carry a card or forex card. Keep some euros too: the Bundesbank found cash was still used for 45% of payments in 2025.

Before you land

• Visa: Indians need a Schengen visa for tourist and business trips and a German national (D) visa for university study; check the German missions in India.
• Local transport: the Deutschland-Ticket costs €63 a month (€66.80 from 1 January 2027) for unlimited local buses, U-Bahn, S-Bahn and regional trains across Germany, but not ICE, IC or EC long-distance trains. It is sold only as a subscription you can cancel month by month.
• Install the eSIM at home, on Wi-Fi, so it connects as soon as you land.

Students: first week in Germany

India is the largest source of international students in Germany: 69,816 Indian students in the 2025/26 winter semester, up 17.5% on a year earlier, according to DAAD figures reported by The PIE News. Plan your phone in four steps.

1. Before you fly: install an eSIMKite Germany plan. 10 GB for 30 days is ₹749, or 20 GB is ₹1,399. It works from landing, for maps, trains and WhatsApp calls home.
2. Keep your Indian number for bank OTPs. Germany is on Jio's 132-country list, which has a ₹2,799 pack lasting 365 days with 3 GB and 100 minutes.
3. In week one, get a German prepaid SIM. A postpaid contract needs a German registered address, an IBAN and often a Schufa credit check, so prepaid paid by credit card is the easy start. By law (section 172 of the Telecommunications Act), every German SIM must be ID-checked before activation. O2 does this by video call with your passport in about five minutes, so you need data, which the eSIM gives you. O2's SIM costs €4.99 once, with €5 credit.
4. Pick a pack: O2 Prepaid starts at €9.99 for 20 GB, and Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid at €4.95 for 1 GB or €9.95 for 20 GB, each per 4 weeks.

Budget from your blocked account: German missions in India ask students to show €11,904 for the first year, with withdrawals limited to €992 a month, unless a formal sponsor declaration or scholarship replaces it.

Frankfurt Airport: Wi-Fi and the o2 shop

Frankfurt Airport has free, unlimited Wi-Fi with no registration: choose the 'Airport-Frankfurt' hotspot, pick Wi-Fi Free or Wi-Fi Free+ and tap 'Go online'. The airport also lists an o2 Partner Shop inside the Samsung Store in Terminal 1, Area A, Level 0, but the listing does not say whether it sells prepaid SIMs. We have not checked Wi-Fi at Berlin or Munich airports for this guide, so have your eSIM ready before you land there.

Trips to neighbouring countries

eSIMKite's Germany plan is sold for Germany, so check its country list on the product page before a day trip across the border. For a multi-country trip, our Europe guide compares the Europe plans and the countries each one covers.

German SIMs help students here. Germany is in the EU's 'roam like at home' zone (the 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Ukraine and Moldova), so a German SIM works across the zone at domestic prices, within fair-use limits. O2's price list shows its €14.99 pack gives at least 22.91 GB when roaming in other EU countries.

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 Germany 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. On most plans the validity starts when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you buy or install 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 ₹951 pack has 100 minutes out and 100 in over 10 days, and Airtel's ₹1,298 pack has 200 minutes. See Jio vs Airtel vs Vi roaming packs for every pack.

A German prepaid SIM is the better choice for a semester or longer: 20 GB costs €9.99 on O2 or €9.95 on Telekom every 4 weeks, with a German number, and Telekom's Max pack gives unlimited data for €99.95. If you only need to message home on arrival, Frankfurt Airport's free Wi-Fi will do.

Questions

More guides

• Europe eSIM for Indians: Schengen plans compared
• Netherlands and Belgium eSIM for Indians
• Central Europe eSIM for Indians
• How much data you need
• Jio, Airtel and Vi packs compared

Get your Germany eSIMQR code on screen and by emailQR code by email after a document check · 4G/5G · from $1.49

See Germany plans

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.