An eSIM for studying abroad, working from the moment you land
Land with maps, your university's app and a call home on WhatsApp already working, before you have a local SIM or a bank account. Pick a long-validity plan for the semester and add the next one to the same eSIM when it ends.
Long-validity plans for popular study destinations
Plans of 30 days or more for countries students often choose, read live from the catalogue.
- France20 GB · 30 days$21.20
- Data
- 20 GB
- Validity
- 30 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- Singapore20 GB · 30 days$23.30
- Data
- 20 GB
- Validity
- 30 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- Germany20 GB · 30 days$24.30
- Data
- 20 GB
- Validity
- 30 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- Netherlands20 GB · 30 days$24.30
- Data
- 20 GB
- Validity
- 30 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- United Kingdom20 GB · 30 days$24.30
- Data
- 20 GB
- Validity
- 30 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- Spain20 GB · 30 days$26.40
- Data
- 20 GB
- Validity
- 30 days
- Hotspot
- Included
Each card is the cheapest plan of that country that meets the filter. Not on the list? Search for your country on the eSIM store.
What an eSIM does for a semester abroad
A practical bridge for the first weeks, and a plan you can keep topping up.
Data when you land
Install at home and the eSIM connects on arrival, so maps, rides and messages work before you find a local shop.
Built for longer stays
Choose plans of 30 days or more. Validity starts at the first connection abroad, so the days you spend at home do not count.
Top up as the term goes on
When a plan ends the eSIM stays. Add the next plan from your account and carry on with the same profile, no new QR code.
Your home number stays
Your physical SIM keeps your number for calls, texts and one-time passwords while the eSIM carries your data.
Hotspot for the laptop
Where the plan allows tethering, your phone can carry a laptop while you wait for campus or hall Wi-Fi to be set up.
Room for a local plan later
A travel eSIM does not stop you adding a local carrier plan when you settle. Keep the eSIM for trips away from your study country.
Planning a semester-length stay
Every plan has a fixed validity, so a semester is a plan, then the next one on the same eSIM. Top up before the current plan ends to avoid a gap, and watch your usage in the ZetSIM app so you know when.
Compare plans by data and days rather than the headline number. If you are mostly on campus Wi-Fi, a smaller plan may be enough; if the eSIM is your main connection, a larger or unlimited plan will save you topping up. Read the fair-use note on any unlimited plan.
The local number caveat
Most ZetSIM plans are data-only, so they do not come with a local phone number. Banks, universities, landlords and delivery apps may ask for one to text a code to. A local carrier is the right tool for that, once you have whatever paperwork it asks for.
Until then keep your home SIM active for codes sent to your home number. Whether those texts arrive abroad depends on your home carrier's roaming terms, so check with them before you leave.
From acceptance letter to connected
Choose a long-validity plan
Pick a plan of 30 days or more for your study country, and check the data against how much you will rely on it.
Install the eSIM before you fly
Tap the install button in the email on the phone it is for, or scan the QR code from another screen. Do it on Wi-Fi, at home.
Land, connect, top up
Validity starts at the first connection abroad. Add the next plan from your account before the current one ends.
A travel eSIM or a local carrier plan?
Many students start with one and add the other. They do different jobs.
| ZetSIM travel eSIM | Local carrier plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready before you land | Yes, installed at home | Depends on the carrier |
| Local phone number | Not unless the plan page says so | Usually yes |
| Good for | The first weeks, and trips away | The whole stay, once you are set up |
Does your phone support an eSIM?
Dial *#06# on your keypad. If the panel that opens lists an EID, your phone is eSIM-ready. It works on iPhone and Android, takes about ten seconds, and nothing leaves your device.
Not listed? Dial *#06# — if an EID number appears, your phone supports eSIM. See the full list
No EID? The phone takes a physical SIM only, and a travel eSIM will not work on it. If the EID is there but your handset came from a carrier, check it is not network-locked before you buy.
Questions before you buy
Still unsure? Our team answers on WhatsApp in minutes, in 11 languages.
Ask on WhatsAppFor the first weeks, yes: data works the moment you land, with no shop visit. For the whole stay you may add a local carrier plan if you need a local number. A travel eSIM is also handy for trips away from your study country.
A plan lasts for the validity on its card, counted from its first connection abroad. The eSIM itself stays on your phone, so for a semester you add the next plan when the first ends, with no new QR code. Plans of 30 days or more keep top-ups to a minimum.
Yes. Your physical SIM stays in the phone and keeps your number for calls, texts and one-time passwords, while the ZetSIM eSIM carries your data. Check your home carrier's roaming terms before you leave, so you know texts will reach you abroad, and keep that SIM active while your bank still sends codes to it.
It works in the countries its plan covers. A country plan covers that one country, and a region or global pack lists its countries on its page. Open the plan for your study country and check the coverage before you buy.
Yes. WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage only need a data connection, and the eSIM provides one. Your WhatsApp account stays on your own number, so family and friends reach you as before. A video call home uses far more data than messages do, so pick a plan with that in mind.
Most ZetSIM plans are data-only, which covers messaging and calling apps, maps and email. If a plan includes voice minutes or texts, its plan page says so. Your own number keeps working on your normal SIM for calls, texts and codes.
Install it before you leave home
Compare long-validity plans for your study country, check your phone supports eSIM, and install the eSIM before you fly.