Moving abroad
A local phone contract often needs a bank account, an address or an ID number you do not have yet. Here is what each country asks for, how long it takes, and how to stay connected until then.
Data from the airport to your first lecture while you open a bank account and register your address.
Stay reachable in the first weeks of a move, before the paperwork for a local contract comes through.
Parents and relatives staying a few weeks do not need a local plan. Send them an eSIM before the flight.
What a newcomer needs for a prepaid SIM and for a monthly contract in 20 countries. Checked 24 October 2026. Free to cite with a link; download the CSV.
| Country | Prepaid SIM: ID needed | Monthly contract usually needs | Typical wait for the paperwork | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | No | credit check (needs some UK credit history; ideally on the electoral register at your address); UK bank account for direct debit; proof of identity | Open a UK bank account as an international student: Up to three weeks. eVisa share code (UKVI account active): A couple of days after creating the UKVI account | Guide |
| United States | No | Credit check (US credit history usually expected); Social Security Number, or a security deposit and in-store review if you have none; Accepted ID such as a passport with an F, J or M visa (T-Mobile) | SSN card: Card usually mailed within 7 to 10 business days once SSA has everything it needs. SSN eligibility for F-1 students: Must be employed or hold an offer of authorised employment. | Guide |
| Canada | No | Credit check (Canadian credit history), or a security deposit if you have none; Foreign passport plus an immigration document: study permit, work permit, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or PR card (Bell); Social Insurance Number commonly used for the credit check; carriers' newcomer plans can accept immigration documents instead | Social Insurance Number (in person): Issued during the appointment at a Service Canada Centre if documents are in order. Social Insurance Number (online): Five business days for a complete online application (down from 10). | Guide |
| Australia | Yes | Credit check (Optus and Telstra use credit reporting bureaus); International passport with current Australian visa as ID (Optus); Possible bond or upfront payment for those without Australian credit history (anecdotal) | Tax File Number (TFN): Usually up to 28 days to process. Bank account: Some banks let students apply before arrival (CommBank cited as up to 14 days before arrival). | Guide |
| Germany | Yes | German bank account (IBAN) for direct debit; fixed German address, usually backed by the Anmeldung (address registration); credit check (SCHUFA) | Anmeldung appointment (Berlin): Average wait 27 days in July 2025 (33 days a year earlier). Anmeldung legal deadline: Within 14 days of moving in (reported by IamExpat. | Guide |
| Ireland | No | Irish bank account (bill pay is set up by direct debit); photo ID (passport or national ID card); proof of Irish address (likely; operator-specific list not confirmed) | PPSN (apply on MyWelfare after arriving): About 2 weeks in most regions, 4 to 5 weeks in Dublin and Cork (Department of Social Protection figures reported by TheJournal.ie). IRP card (first registration with immigration, booked online after arrival): Card posted 10 to 15 working days after the appointment. | Guide |
| France | Yes | RIB (French or European-format bank details) for direct debit; ID (passport or residence document); proof of address in France (sometimes) | Validate the student long-stay visa (VLS-TS) online: Must be done within 3 months of arrival on the Interior Ministry ANEF site Open a French bank account to get a RIB: Needs ID, residence document or VLS-TS and proof of address under 3 months old. | Guide |
| Netherlands | No | BSN (citizen service number, from municipal registration); credit check (BKR); Dutch bank account for direct debit | Book municipal (BRP) registration: Required within 5 days of arrival for stays over 4 months. BRP appointment and BSN: BSN issued at the appointment. | Guide |
| New Zealand | No | New Zealand residential address; New Zealand-issued bank account or credit card; International passport plus a current work, student or residence visa (in store), or a NZ driver licence for online sign-up | IRD number (new arrival): Usually within 2 days by text or email if approved. Bank account: Some banks (ANZ most often cited) let you apply before moving. | Guide |
| UAE | Yes | Original Emirates ID; Plus one of: stamped salary certificate (minimum salary applies), vehicle licence, three months of bank statements, last month's utility bill with physical address, tenancy or ownership contract, or labour contract (minimum salary applies) | Emirates ID: Printing starts only after the residence visa is issued. Bank account: not confirmed | Guide |
| Spain | Yes | Passport plus residence card (TIE) for non-EU nationals; Passport or ID plus EU registration certificate for EU nationals; Bank document showing a Spanish account for direct debit | NIE for non-EU students: Assigned automatically with the long-term student visa, so usually already held on arrival. TIE card application (non-EU, stay over six months): Must be requested in person within one month of entry to Spain. | Guide |
| Italy | Yes | Codice fiscale; Valid passport or Italian ID card; Italian bank account or card for monthly payment (not confirmed per operator) | Codice fiscale at an Agenzia delle Entrate office: Book an in-person appointment. Codice fiscale via Italian consulate before travel: Up to two months (student network guidance). | Guide |
| Sweden | Yes | Swedish personnummer; Registration in the Swedish Population Register (folkbokforing); Passing a credit check | Personnummer (population registration): About five weeks before the case is assigned to an administrator, handled in order of receipt. Personnummer (university guidance): Can take a few weeks. | Guide |
| Switzerland | Yes | Valid passport or ID card; Swiss residence permit or registration with the commune (not confirmed per operator); Swiss address (not confirmed) | Register with the commune (stays over three months): In person within 14 days of arrival. Residence permit card: Sent by registered post a few weeks after the biometric appointment at the cantonal migration office (Zurich example). | Guide |
| Poland | Yes | PESEL (online sign-up); Passport or residence card number if no PESEL; Residence document valid for the contract term (Orange) | Address registration (zameldowanie): Non-EU citizens must register within 4 days of moving in. PESEL: Assigned automatically when a foreigner registers residence for over 30 days. | Guide |
| Japan | Yes | residence card (zairyu card) with enough remaining period of stay (KEK says at least 90 days from application); passport; Japanese bank account (bank book) or a credit card in your own name for monthly payment | Residence card: Issued on arrival at Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, New Chitose, Hiroshima and Fukuoka airports. Moving-in notification at the city or ward office: Within 14 days of deciding on a residence. | Guide |
| South Korea | Yes | alien registration card (residence card, ARC); passport; Korean bank account or credit card in your own name for payment | Alien registration (residence card, ARC): Must apply within 90 days of entry if staying more than 90 days, by HiKorea appointment. Bank account as a newcomer: Possible before the ARC with passport, but mobile and internet banking may be restricted until the ARC arrives. | Guide |
| Singapore | Yes | Student's Pass, Employment Pass or other long-term pass (FIN); passport; Singapore residential address | Student's Pass: Formalities at ICA are by appointment only (or off-site enrolment through the school). Employment Pass card: Register at EPSC within 2 weeks of the pass being issued. | Guide |
| Malaysia | Yes | passport; valid long-term stay permit (for students, the student pass endorsement); Malaysian residential address | Post-arrival medical screening (students): Within 7 days of entry at an EMGS panel clinic. Student pass endorsement in passport: About 14 working days from EMGS receiving the passport (EMGS). | Guide |
| Saudi Arabia | Yes | iqama (resident identity); fingerprint verification at an operator outlet | Iqama (residence permit): The employer must issue it within 90 days of arrival through Muqeem. Bank account as a newcomer: Needs a valid iqama, Absher registration, a national address and a Saudi mobile number registered to that iqama, so it follows the iqama. | Guide |
Usually a prepaid SIM, yes, though some countries ask for ID or registration. A monthly contract often needs a local bank account, a registered address, a local ID or tax number or a credit history, which can take days or weeks to get. The table on this page shows what each country asks for.
Install a travel eSIM for your destination before you fly. It connects when you land, so you have data for maps, transport, WhatsApp and your university or employer while you set up a bank account, an address and a local plan. Slashtel eSIMs are data only, so keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes.
Often, yes, for a local bank account, deliveries and some apps. A data eSIM covers the first weeks; a local prepaid or monthly plan gives you the local number once you have the paperwork it needs.
Visitors staying a few weeks rarely need a local plan. Buy their eSIM online with your own card and their email address, and the QR code goes straight to them before the flight.
Usually yes: banks and many accounts send codes to it. A small top-up keeps most prepaid lines active while you are away.
General information to help you plan, from the official and operator sources listed on each country guide. Rules and waiting times change, so check the official sites before you rely on them. Slashtel is not connected to any government, university or mobile network named here.