How to get a mobile phone and SIM card in Spain

Having a useable mobile phone is likely to be one of your top priorities when moving to Spain or spending time in your Spanish holiday home. Getting a Spanish phone number instead of using your home country mobile will work out much cheaper – and this is easy to do, whether or not you are a resident.

If you are a regular short-term visitor, or you live in Spain and have visitors from your home country, you and they might be able to use non-Spanish phones for a short while, but it may be more cost-effective to buy a Spanish SIM card.

Read on to find out whether you need a Spanish phone number, how to get one, whether you should get a mobile contract or a pay as you go SIM card, and how to do it all.

Will your home country mobile phone work in Spain?

Most countries – including Spain - operate a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) network. If your home mobile phone does, too, then it will probably work in Spain.

However, phones from some non-European countries – including the USA and some nations in Asia – use a CDMA network, which may not function when you are in Spain. If this is the case, though, you may be able to buy a SIM card cheaply in Spain, and continue to use your phone here.

For all non-network mobile phone use – functions that do not involve calls or SMS (text messages), or do not require using your network data- you will only need a WiFi connection. This means you can use applications (Apps), your internet browser, and messaging services such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

Note that many non-Spanish national TV services may not work outside your home country – such as the BBC. If you normally use your mobile to watch your favourite programmes, you may have to wait until you get home.

Also note that, if you call a telephone number in Spain using your home country phone – even while you are actually in Spain – you should add the country code (0034) before the number itself. This will be charged as an international call. However, if you use your home country device with a Spanish SIM card in it, then you will not need to add the 0034, and will be charged as for a national call.

Understanding roaming charges

If your home country mobile phone does work in Spain, you might get charged an extremely high price by your usual operator. These are known as 'roaming charges', and apply to any data used or calls made when you are abroad. If you are on holiday, you are recommended to turn off your data (using 'airline mode' or 'flight mode') to avoid huge bills when you return, or to buy a SIM card for your stay.

Roaming charges have not applied between European Union (EU) countries since June 2017. If your phone is registered in any of the other 26 member States, you do not pay extra charges for using it in Spain.

Roaming charges do, however, apply in, or with phones from, some EEA (but non-EU) countries, such as Iceland. You will also pay roaming charges if you have a British mobile in Spain, or use a Spanish mobile in the UK, due to Britain's departure from the EU (Brexit) in January 2021.

How to get a Spanish SIM card

Firstly, if you want to use your home country phone, you should make sure it is unlocked. If it is not, then a high-street mobile phone repair shop should be able to unlock it for you for a small fee. Then, you simply go to the nearest network provider's retail premises, and ask to buy a SIM.

Alternatively, you could buy a mobile phone and SIM together, since any mobile devices sold in Spain will automatically be set up to take a Spanish SIM card. The process is very quick and simple.

Do you need your passport to buy a SIM card in Spain?

If you are on holiday in Spain, you need to show your passport to buy a SIM card. EU/EEA citizens may be able to buy a SIM using their national identification (ID) card instead.

For regular visitors who have a NIE number – such as holiday-home owners – they should show this, too.

Residents should show their TIE card (if they are non-EU/EEA citizens), or their 'green certificate' and either passport or home country national ID card (if they are EU/EEA citizens).

The reason for showing some form of ID is that Spanish law requires all SIM cards, and their corresponding mobile numbers, to be registered. This means you will also need to complete a form with your personal details upon purchase.

Telephone numbers in Spain are nine digits long. Mobile numbers usually start with a 6, although newer ones may start with a 7.

How much does a SIM card cost in Spain?

On average, a basic PAYG SIM will retail at between €5 and €20. You will then need to pay for any credit you require, which can be done at the same phone shop. Later, to top up your credit, you can also do so at the post office (Correos), some banks, and certain local shops such as newsagencies, tobacconists' and internet cafés (locutorios).

Some SIM card sellers offer prepaid (prepago) deals. These include the card and phone number themselves, plus a fee for a certain amount of data use and calling time. As an example, you might be able to buy a credit package of 20 minutes of calls to national mobiles plus 5GB of data. The retailer you buy your card from will be able to explain which prepaid packages they provide, and the costs of each.

Pay as you go, or contract: which is better?

If you are moving to Spain permanently, you are recommended to take out a contract with a mobile phone network provider. This normally works out much cheaper than the pay as you go (PAYG) option, and is suitable for users who need a Spanish mobile number for at least one to two years.

Most Spanish mobile phone contracts include free calls to landline numbers. You can tell which numbers are landlines, since they start with a 9 or, in the case of some newer ones, with an 8.

Mobile phone contracts usually offer free or very cheap calls to mobile numbers on the same network. You can also combine a phone contract with extras such as home internet, landline, television channels, and similar.

If you are a regular visitor to Spain but do not live there, you may not want the regular expense of a contract. Perhaps you just want to be able to make necessary calls, or occasionally use Apps and internet on your phone even when you are not in a WiFi hotspot, but without paying roaming charges. In this situation, a pay as you go (PAYG) option may be cheaper and more convenient.

When you first move to Spain, though, you may not want to commit to a specific mobile operator straight away. To buy you more time to research the best offers and providers, a PAYG phone or SIM card will keep you connected while you do so.

How to get a mobile phone contract in Spain

To get a contract with a Spanish mobile network provider, you will need:

• A Spanish bank account so that monthly bills can be taken directly from it. You should provide the account number, including IBAN, when you sign for the phone contract
• Your NIE, a personal and non-transferable code required by everyone who moves to Spain or carries out official transactions in the country.
• Your residence document, which will be either a TIEif you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, or a 'green certificate' if you are an EU/EEA citizen.
• Identification (ID) document with your photo: For EU/EEA citizens, this could be your passport or national photo ID card. This is required because your 'green certificate' does not include a photograph. Non-EU/EEA citizens will show their TIE, which does have a photo.
• Proof of where you live, which is normally a copy of your certificado de empadronamiento issued within the past three months, or could be your current rental contract, a household bill, or the title deeds to your home, as requested by the network operator.

Once you have all your paperwork to hand, you will need to fill in and sign the required forms at the mobile phone provider's shop premises.

Spanish mobile phone network providers: An overview

The main mobile phone operators in Spain offer good coverage, even in rural areas. All provide at least a 4G network, although 5G can be more difficult to find. Most offer some 5G coverage, typically in larger cities and very tourist-heavy areas.

Costs do not vary much by provider and, depending upon where you lived before moving to Spain, you may find them a little more expensive. A mobile-only plan with 5GB to 20GB data and a mobile-to-mobile call allowance, can range from €15 to €40 monthly, while unlimited data and calls could cost even more. For packages including home internet and landline, you might be paying from €80 to €100. This said, many operators offer promotional deals to new customers, or limited-time cut-price packages to existing customers, so you may well be able to find a cheaper solution.

Movistar is the largest operator, followed by Orange, Vodafone, and Yoigo. While prices are similar, larger operators generally offer more services. Virtual operators (MVNOs) like Pephephone and Lebara may offer cheaper prices, as well as more basic packages that would suit older generations or those who do not live permanently in Spain.

For English speakers, Orange is a good choice, as you can request customer service operators and correspondence in English. Lobster, which is 100% English-language and was set up by and for expatriates, offers short-term packages only – four weeks – with unlimited calls and data.

Other networks for expats include Lycamobile, which does not require a Spanish bank account, and offers temporary packages starting from €5 a month, and Vodafone, which is geared towards international use, with some deals including free roaming in non-EU/EEA countries.

Internet and mobile phone services are essential utilities when moving to your new home in Spain. Others, such as water, electricity and mains gas will need to be arranged and transferred to your name. You can find out how to do it by reading our article on How to set up, connect and pay your utility bills in Spain.