Spanish SIM Card for Expats: ID, Prices, eSIM

Get a DIGI prepaid SIM: Móvil 50 GB is the pick for most newcomers, at €7 a month with unlimited national calls. You show an identity document at purchase, and the operator records its number. With only a passport, ask at the counter, because Movistar registers its SIMs with a DNI/NIE.

A DIGI prepaid SIM is the pick for most newcomers who stay a few months: Móvil 50 GB costs €7 a month and includes unlimited national calls. You take it home from a DIGI point of sale, and the eSIM is free if your phone supports one.

Checked October 2026.

What if you only have a passport?

Plenty of newcomers arrive before their NIE does. The law asks for a document that proves identity and does not name the passport, but Movistar registers the SIM with a DNI/NIE during the purchase. So walk into a shop, ask, and bring your NIE too if you have it, since the number of whatever document you show goes into the register.

Why do shops ask for ID?

Operators selling prepaid cards must keep a register of who buys them, and they tell you about it before the sale.

Identification is made by a document proving identity, and the register records the buyer’s name, surnames and nationality, the number of the identity document used and the kind or name of that document.

BOE · Ley 25/2007, disposición adicional única, apartado 1

Which operator and plan should you choose?

If you mostly use wifi at home, DIGI’s Móvil 5 GB at €3 or Móvil 25 GB at €5 is plenty. If you phone a lot, take Móvil 50 GB at €7, because the 25 GB plan has only 100 minutes. Movistar suits you when you want a big data allowance, such as 60 GB on its cheapest plan at €10 per 28 days.

DIGI prepaid, per month

Movistar prepaid, per 28 days

All three include unlimited national and EU calls. Movistar also delivers a SIM to your home, but the registration with a DNI/NIE still applies.

How do you top up?

DIGI renews your plan by itself while you have balance, and you can cancel the renewal without penalty. Unused minutes and SMS are not carried over, so pick the smaller plan you will really use.

Movistar tops up in its app, on its website or at more than 50,000 physical points. If you run out mid-cycle, an extra bundle applies at once.

Does roaming in the EU cost extra?

No. Roaming providers may not add any surcharge to your domestic price for calls, SMS or data in another EU country. A fair-use policy can stop abuse, such as living in another country on a Spanish SIM.

Can you keep your number and your balance?

Yes. You have the right to keep your number on request, with no direct fee, and it must be active with the new operator within one working day of the agreed date. Movistar takes a ported number at sign-up, and DIGI lets you keep yours when you take its SIM.

The operator you leave must refund any remaining prepaid credit on request.

For home fibre and a router contract, see the utilities and internet guide.

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Not confirmed: Whether a shop takes a passport alone: the law asks for an identity document but Movistar names the DNI/NIE. Ask at the counter, and bring your NIE too if you have one.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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