Internet in Germany: A Traveller's Guide

Updated: October 2026

Short answer: Germany is one of the most tedious countries in Europe for buying a local SIM: ID registration is required by law. The Germany eSIM skips that bureaucracy entirely. Here is what you need to know.

Germany's SIM bureaucracy

Since 2017, every SIM card in Germany must be registered with identity verification. Even if you buy the SIM at a supermarket, activating it means verifying your identity, in a shop or by video call; with a foreign passport the process is often slow and frustrating. That makes Germany one of the countries where an eSIM wins most clearly: no registration, no shop, install at home and land connected.

The roaming picture is the same as in the rest of the EU: a UK, US, Canadian or Australian SIM pays here, by a daily fee or a capped allowance depending on the carrier (our roaming vs eSIM guide).

Coverage, honestly: take the "Funkloch" seriously

The Germans have a word for their own network: Funkloch, a "radio hole". Coverage in the cities is excellent, but a dropped signal on the intercity rail lines, on rural roads and on some stretches of motorway is surprisingly normal in Germany.

• Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg: strong 5G.
• ICE trains have free Wi-Fi, but the quality varies; plan important calls for before the train.
• On a road trip, download the maps beforehand.

Wi-Fi culture: less than you expect

Café and restaurant Wi-Fi is less common in Germany than in the UK or the US; many businesses still do not share it (a legacy of old liability rules for open networks). Call it the digital twin of the cash culture. Getting around Germany without mobile data is harder than people assume.

Practical tips

• Visiting family and staying for weeks? Consider the large 30-day plans or the unlimited options.
• To follow Deutsche Bahn delays, the DB Navigator app plus mobile data is effectively compulsory.
• Crossing into the neighbours (Austria, the Netherlands, France)? Look at the regional Europe eSIM instead of a country plan.
• Want to see your carrier's Europe day pass next to the eSIM? The numbers are in our roaming vs eSIM guide.

Ready? See the Germany eSIM plans. No registration, no ID, set up in two minutes.