Get a German SIM & phone number

Your German phone number is the key that unlocks appointment bookings, bank verification and delivery notifications. Get it on day one.

Fastest option: buy a prepaid SIM at any supermarket (Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect, Edeka smart) or a phone shop. €10–15 gets you started.

The catch: German law requires identity verification before a prepaid SIM activates. In-store verification with your passport, or the provider's video-ident app, both work — allow 30–60 minutes.

eSIM travellers: an international eSIM (Airalo etc.) bridges the first days, but you still want a real German number quickly — many German websites and offices only accept German mobile numbers.

Contracts (better data, phone financing) usually want your Anmeldung and a German bank account — perfectly fine to switch later. Prepaid first, optimise later.

Red flags:

• Pre-activated SIMs from kiosks, classifieds or "helpful" strangers — they're registered to someone else, illegal to use, and providers deactivate them without warning.
• 24-month contracts in week one, before you know your address stability or usage. The exit costs more than a year of prepaid.
• Relying on your home SIM's roaming — fine for day one, ruinous by week two. EU roaming rules don't apply to non-EU SIMs.