I read a thread from last year about difficulty purchasing a SIM card in Germany for non-residents. Can anyone tell me if this is still an issue?
I'm planning on purchasing a SIM card upon arrival at the Frankfurt airport. Does anyone have firsthand experience with purchasing one here, and can you direct me to a specific store?
If you can recommend a specific carrier/card, and plan that would be a plus. I'll be using it for mostly data, minimal to moderate usage amount, and within Germany, Switzerland, and possibly Austria or Slovenia. (Last year a forum poster recommended a place in CDG, along with a specific card type and "plan", and it made the whole process a breeze.)
Many thanks in advance!
Posted by
Canada
3 posts
Just got back from Germany and had to learn about this. New anti-terrorism regulations require either an EU drivers licence or passport to buy/activate a SIM card. Go to a mobile shop. I went to a grocery story, bought a kit and thought I could do it all online (all German text). No, had to take the emailed PDF (good thing I had a computer to receive the email) to the post office with my passport for scanning. it's not instantaneous, and you may need to reboot your phone to get setup/access completed. A mobile shop said they could have done it all. I wished I'd looked around at the airport for a mobile shop. Pay a little bit more and get the biggest data package. Rick Steves recommends two mobile companies on this website. Good luck.