Italy eSIM for Indians (2026): does Jio work in Rome, the Vatican and San Marino?

Most Indian travellers to Italy pick one of three options: a Jio or Airtel roaming pack, a TIM, Vodafone or WindTre tourist SIM bought in Italy, or a travel eSIM installed at home. Here is how they compare on price, coverage and bank OTPs, including in Vatican City and San Marino.

Prices side by side

Other sizes: 1 GB for 7 days is ₹99, and 3 GB is ₹299, 20 GB is ₹1,399 and 50 GB is ₹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 plans cost less than the 7-day versions: 5 GB is ₹399 against ₹649, and 10 GB is ₹749 against ₹1,099. Every plan is on the Italy eSIM page.

For Italy alone, the Italy plan costs less than a Europe plan: ₹399 against ₹499 for 5 GB, and ₹599 against ₹1,099 for 7 days of Unlimited. Pick a Europe plan if other countries are on the route, or for one plan that names Vatican City and San Marino too. Some Europe plans leave out Switzerland or the Netherlands; our Europe guide compares them.

How much data you need

TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad: who is strongest

Our Italy plans connect to TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad. Opensignal's December 2025 report, based on tests from September to November 2025, found:

• Vodafone won 9 of 16 awards, with the fastest average download (63.8 Mbps), the fastest 5G download (216.3 Mbps) and the top reliability score (914 points).
• Iliad came only 3 points behind Vodafone on reliability.
• TIM won Consistent Quality (79.2%) and the video and games awards.
• WindTre shared the 5G Coverage award with Fastweb, and WindTre users spent the most time on 5G (28%).

Across Italy, Ookla measured a median mobile download of 87.07 Mbps in September 2026, 55th in the world. ENIT, Italy's tourism agency, says Indians spent €377 million there in 2024, up 29.3%, over 3.9 million nights.

Italy is in the EU's Roam like at home zone, so a SIM from any other EU country works here at home prices, within fair-use limits. Vatican City and San Marino are not in that zone, which is why they need a closer look.

Vatican City and San Marino: who covers them

Vatican City and San Marino are often visited from Rome and Rimini, but roaming lists treat them as separate countries.

So if your Indian SIM has a Jio or Airtel pack, do not count on it inside Vatican City or San Marino; Jio publishes no roaming rate at all for San Marino. An Italian tourist SIM, or any other EU SIM, may also charge roaming there, or not work, unless its plan names them. Our Europe plans and our separate Vatican City and San Marino plans list them, and connect through Italian networks such as Iliad and Wind.

San Marino's mobile network is run by TIM San Marino, which began an upgrade in June 2024 to improve coverage and open roaming to other Italian operators, and had switched on 5G by 2026.

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, Jio charges ₹2 a minute for calls in Italy, incoming included. Check in MyJio what receiving SMS costs.
• 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 include one free 5-day roaming trip a year (5 GB, 60 minutes, free incoming SMS); the announcement lists no countries, so check Italy is included.
• 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 rated Italy's internet Free in 2025: social media is not blocked, though some websites are.
• Live sport and blocks. Italy's anti-piracy system, Piracy Shield, can block IP addresses within 30 minutes, and in October 2024 it briefly blocked Google Drive by mistake. Expect occasional over-blocking around big matches.
• UPI does not work in Italian shops. UPI merchant payments were not live in Italy, Vatican City or San Marino as of 31 August 2026, so carry a card or forex card.

Before you land

• Visa: Indians need a Schengen visa for Italy, and you need it to reach San Marino too; see the Italian Embassy in New Delhi's visa page.
• Wi-Fi on arrival. Rome Fiumicino has free, unlimited Wi-Fi for arriving, departing and transit passengers: pick AIRPORT FREE WIFI and the welcome page opens by itself.
• Trains. The Trenitalia app sells ticketless train tickets, and Tap&Tap regional tickets are paid by tapping a contactless card.
• Taxis. itTaxi, run by Unione Radiotaxi, calls itself Italy's first taxi app and works in Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice/Mestre, Naples, Bologna and many smaller towns.

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 Italy plan, or a Europe plan for a longer route, 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.

An Italian tourist SIM is good value for a month with an Italian number and lots of data: Vodafone's Dolce Vita is €14.95 for 200 GB, 200 minutes and 200 SMS over 30 days. The trade-offs: TIM Tourist and Dolce Vita are sold only in their stores in Italy, you need your passport, and you take your Indian SIM out unless your phone has a second slot. TIM Tourist and WindTre's Tourist Pass switch off after 30 days, but Dolce Vita renews monthly from your credit, so cancel it before you leave.

Questions

More guides

• Europe eSIM for Indians: Schengen, UK and Switzerland
• France eSIM for Indians
• Switzerland eSIM for Indians
• How much data you need for a trip
• Jio, Airtel and Vi packs compared

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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.