Greece, Cyprus and Malta eSIM for Indians (2026): islands and UPI

A Greece eSIM for Indians can also cover Cyprus and Malta, if you pick a plan whose country list names all three. The other choices are a Jio or Airtel roaming pack, which covers all three with calls, or a local SIM for a long stay, and in Greece you can now pay with UPI at some shops.

Which plan covers which country

One Europe plan or country plans: read the coverage list

Each regional plan has its own country list, shown on the plan card before you pay. On 21 October 2026, all three Europe plans we checked covered Greece, Cyprus and Malta: 5 GB for ₹499 (35 countries), 10 GB for ₹749 (31 countries) and Unlimited for 7 days at ₹1,099 (37 countries). The Global plans, from ₹1,499 for 5 GB, cover all three too, but cost more unless your trip goes beyond Europe. Our Europe guide lists the countries on each Europe plan.

A country plan costs less only if you stay in one country: 5 GB in Greece, Cyprus or Malta is ₹399, against ₹499 for the Europe plan. A Greece plan is sold for Greece, so for Greece plus Cyprus or Malta, buy the Europe plan or one plan per country. At 10 GB, the Europe plan and the Greece plan are both ₹749. Every plan is on the Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Europe pages.

Prices side by side

In Greece and Cyprus, 1 GB for 7 days is ₹99 (₹149 in Malta), with 3 GB at ₹299, 10 GB at ₹749 and 20 GB at ₹1,399, each for 30 days. Unlimited country plans give 1 GB a day at full speed, then 512 Kbps in Greece and Cyprus (₹449 for 5 days, ₹599 for 7, ₹849 for 10) or 1 Mbps in Malta (₹499, ₹699 and ₹949). Short plans cost more: 5 GB for 7 days is ₹649, against ₹399 for 30 days.

UPI in Greece

UPI's rollout in Greece was announced on 30 June 2026 through Greece's Eurobank and NPCI International, with a live demo at Eurobank's Athens headquarters during Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's visit. You pay by scanning the shop's UPI QR code with your usual UPI app. On 31 August 2026, Greece and France were the only European countries on BusinessLine's list of places where UPI merchant payments work.

But UPI works only at shops that show a UPI QR code, and the announcement named no merchants and no limits. Carry a card and some euros as well: in the ECB's 2024 survey, Greeks reported the most technical problems with card payments in shops of any euro-area country (17% in the previous month, against an average of 13%). UPI merchant payments were not live in Cyprus or Malta on 31 August 2026.

Country by country

Greece

Our Greece plan connects to Vodafone and Wind. Ookla put Greece's median mobile download at 137.00 Mbps in September 2026, 28th in the world. Greece is on all of Jio's pack lists; without a pack, Jio charges about ₹5 per MB and ₹5 a minute for calls, including calls to India and incoming calls. EU open-internet rules mean WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram and Google services work normally. We could not confirm signal on the ferry routes or the smaller islands, or SIM prices at Athens airport, so save ferry tickets, hotel bookings and offline maps on your phone before you board.

Cyprus

Our Cyprus plan connects to Epic, PrimeTel and Vodafone. The Republic of Cyprus is in the EU's Roam like at home zone, and EU open-internet rules apply, so WhatsApp and FaceTime work normally. Jio's packs cover Cyprus; without one, Jio charges about ₹5 per MB, as in Greece. UPI merchant payments were not live here on 31 August 2026, so carry a card or forex card. Unlike Greece and Malta, which are in Schengen, Cyprus is not yet a full Schengen member, so check its own visa rules rather than assuming a Schengen visa is enough.

Malta

Our Malta plan connects to GO, Melita and Vodafone. Jio's packs cover Malta; without one, Jio charges about ₹10 per MB and ₹10 a minute for calls. EU open-internet rules apply, so calling apps work normally. Carry euros: in the ECB's 2024 survey Malta had the highest cash use in the euro area, with cash making up 67% of in-shop payments, and UPI merchant payments were not live here on 31 August 2026. On our plans, Malta's Unlimited plans slow to 1 Mbps after the daily 1 GB, against 512 Kbps in Greece and Cyprus.

Bank OTPs, WhatsApp and UPI

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

• Jio: the ₹951 pack includes 25 SMS and 100 incoming minutes in all three countries, and the ₹589 one-day pack 20 SMS. Check in the MyJio app what receiving SMS costs without a pack before you fly.
• Airtel prepaid: all three countries are on Airtel's list. The IR activation pack costs ₹118 for 28 days at standard charges; check in the Airtel Thanks app whether you need it to receive SMS abroad.
• Airtel postpaid: new plans from ₹499 a month (since 8 October 2026) include one free 5-day roaming trip a year with 5 GB and free incoming SMS. Airtel has not listed the countries.
• Vi: check the roaming and SMS rules for your plan in the Vi app.
• WhatsApp: all three follow the EU open-internet rules, so WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram and Google services work normally; no country-specific block was found.
• UPI: works in Greece only at shops that show a UPI QR code, and was not live in Cyprus or Malta on 31 August 2026. Carry a card everywhere, and euros in Malta.

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 one Europe plan, or one plan per country, and scan the QR code on Wi-Fi before you leave India. It takes about two minutes.
3. 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

Choose a Jio or Airtel pack if you will make many normal calls on your Indian number: Jio's ₹951 pack has 100 outgoing and 100 incoming minutes over 10 days, and Airtel's ₹1,298 pack has 200 minutes. For a single cruise stop, Jio's ₹589 pack and Airtel's ₹698 pack each give 1 GB and 100 minutes for a day, though our Greece 1 GB plan is ₹99 for 7 days if you only need data. If you mostly call India over Wi-Fi, Jio's Wi-Fi calling packs cost ₹121 for 100 minutes or ₹521 for 500 minutes, if your phone supports Wi-Fi calling.

Choose a local SIM for a long stay, such as a language course in Malta. A Maltese, Greek or Cypriot SIM is an EU SIM, so under the Roam like at home rules it works at home prices in the other two countries and across the zone, within fair-use limits. The rules do not cover your Indian SIM. For the first weeks, 20 GB for 30 days on our Malta plan is ₹1,399 while you settle in and compare local offers.

Questions

More guides

• Europe eSIM for Indians
• Turkey eSIM for Indians
• Balkans eSIM for Indians
• How much data you need
• Jio, Airtel and Vi packs compared

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

See Greece 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.