Last checked: 24 October 2026
A newcomer to France can start with a prepaid SIM bought with a passport, or a no-commitment monthly plan, while a full contract waits on a RIB from a French bank. Until the local line is active, a data-only eSIM installed before the flight keeps maps, messages and internet calls working from the moment you land.
France SIM card for international students: what you need
You need identification to buy a prepaid line, and a French bank account for most monthly contracts. Students can often get a reduced rate with a certificate of enrolment, but the RIB is usually the step that decides the timing.
What to have ready:
- A valid passport. Operators require identification for prepaid lines: Orange says its Mobicarte is activated with an identity document, and SFR's tariff terms required an original valid ID. Secondary guides say identification must be completed within about 15 days of activation or the line can be suspended, but the exact legal text was not located, so treat that as not confirmed and confirm with the operator.
- Acceptance of a foreign passport is reported by secondary guides only (not confirmed). Take your passport to the shop and let the operator confirm what it accepts.
- For a monthly contract: a RIB (French or European-format bank details) for direct debit, ID such as a passport or residence document, sometimes proof of address in France, and a certificate of enrolment for student rates.
- Prepaid avoids the RIB requirement and can be paid by card, including a foreign card.
Main networks are Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile. Prepaid cards are sold in operator shops, online, and in tabacs (tobacconists) that sell operator prepaid cards. See the France plan page for data options, and the student guide for the study side.
Prepaid SIM or monthly contract: which comes first
Start with prepaid or a no-commitment plan, then move to a contract once your bank account and address are in place. A contract needs a RIB, the bank needs proof of a French address, and housing and banking steps often ask for a French phone number, so the loop is easier to break with prepaid.
Your options in order of speed:
- Prepaid SIM from an operator shop or a tabac. No RIB, card payment accepted, including a foreign card.
- Forfait sans engagement, a no-commitment monthly plan. These are widespread, and some can be paid by bank card without a RIB; check each operator's payment options.
- A subscription with commitment, usually 12 to 24 months. Leave this until your paperwork is settled.
A credit check in the UK or German sense was not found in the sources (not confirmed), so ask the operator what it requires. Local operator eSIMs exist too: Orange's Mobicarte prepaid is offered as an eSIM that can be bought and installed immediately on a compatible phone, which avoids needing a delivery address.
How long the paperwork takes
The student long-stay visa (VLS-TS) must be validated online within 3 months of arrival on the Interior Ministry ANEF site. The bank account that produces your RIB needs ID, a residence document or VLS-TS and proof of address under 3 months old; typical opening time is not confirmed.
Steps and timings to plan around:
- Validate the VLS-TS on ANEF within the 3-month window. This is a deadline, not a target.
- Open a French bank account to get a RIB. Bring ID, your residence document or VLS-TS, and proof of address under 3 months old. Ask the bank for its current processing time.
- If a bank refuses you, the right to an account (droit au compte) procedure applies: a designated bank must open the account within 3 working days of receiving the file, according to a 2019 guide. Check Banque de France for the current procedure.
- Only then sign a monthly contract with direct debit.
Visa and residence questions depend on your nationality and situation, so use the official French government sources rather than any guide.
Your first 30 days in France: a timeline
The first month is a sequence: get reachable, get housed, get banked, then get a contract. A French number given to ANEF for residence permit steps cannot easily be changed later, so choose the number you will keep before you hand it over.
A practical order:
- Before the flight: install a data eSIM so you land connected. Buy it online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay; the QR code arrives by email within minutes. Validity starts when it first connects in France, so it can be installed at home.
- Days 1 to 3: prepaid SIM or no-commitment plan for a French number, and start the housing search.
- Week 1: validate the VLS-TS on ANEF within the 3-month limit, using the number you intend to keep.
- Weeks 2 to 4: open the bank account, collect the RIB, then move to a monthly contract if you want one.
The moving abroad hub covers the wider checklist.
Staying connected until your local plan is ready
A data-only eSIM covers the gap: no local phone number and no calls or SMS, but WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. Data options run from 1 GB to 50 GB, so a short first stretch does not need a large bundle.
How it works:
- Buy online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
- The phone must be unlocked and eSIM compatible. Check with the compatibility guide and follow the install steps.
- The network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand.
- More data can be added to the same eSIM later, with no new QR code.
- Keep the home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges.
Sizes start at $2.59 for 1 GB, $3.69 for 3 GB, $8.09 for 5 GB, $10.89 for 10 GB, $16.29 for 20 GB and $28.19 for 50 GB. Use the data calculator if you are unsure. Support is on WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week.
Getting a local number for your bank and admin
A French number is needed for banking and admin: banks, housing and ANEF steps often ask for one, and the number given to ANEF cannot easily be changed later. A prepaid local SIM gives you that number; the Slashtel eSIM does not, because it is data only.
What to do:
- Buy a prepaid SIM with your passport at an operator shop, online, or at a tabac selling operator prepaid cards.
- Use that number consistently for the bank, the landlord and the ANEF residence permit steps.
- Keep the eSIM for data and the local SIM for calls and SMS codes, or move to a monthly contract once the RIB exists.
For how codes and calls behave across a data eSIM and a physical line, read calls, texts and OTPs.
When family visits you in France
Visitors can use a Slashtel eSIM for the trip, and the person already in France can buy it for them: enter the traveller's email at checkout so the QR code goes straight to the person who will use it. That covers maps, messages and internet calls without a shop visit.
Before they fly:
- Confirm the visitor's phone is unlocked and eSIM compatible.
- Choose a data size for the length of stay, from 1 GB to 50 GB.
- Install the eSIM at home; validity starts when it first connects in France.
- Remind them the eSIM has no local number and no calls or SMS, so internet calls only.
For a longer stay, a prepaid SIM bought locally with a passport is the alternative. The monthly eSIM page covers longer data needs.
Keeping your home number active
Keep the home SIM in the phone for bank codes and calls, with data roaming turned off to avoid charges. If the home line is prepaid and could lapse, a top-up keeps it alive while you are in France.
Practical points:
- Turn off data roaming on the home SIM; use the eSIM for data.
- Watch the home line's expiry rules and top up before it lapses.
- Slashtel sells mobile top-ups to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes, which keep a prepaid home line active. See top-ups and recharge.
- Free EU roaming on French plans stops at EU borders, which matters for trips home outside the EU.
More on this in keep your number active.
First-week catches to avoid
Most first-week problems come from the order of the paperwork and from numbers that cannot be changed later. Slow down on the number you give to official systems, and keep prepaid until the RIB exists.
Watch for:
- A French number given to ANEF for residence permit steps cannot easily be changed later, so choose the number you will keep.
- A contract needs a RIB, the bank needs proof of a French address, and banking and housing steps often ask for a French phone number. Start with prepaid or a no-commitment plan.
- Prepaid identification must be completed; secondary guides mention about 15 days before suspension, but this is not confirmed, so confirm with the operator.
- Free EU roaming on French plans stops at EU borders.
- A data eSIM has no local number, so it cannot receive bank SMS codes; keep the home SIM for those.
Start on the France plan page and move to a local contract when your documents are ready.
Sources
Checked 2026-10-24. Rules and waiting times change, so check the official sites before you rely on them.
- Orange: https://boutique.orange.fr/infos-conseils/forfaits-mobiles/carte-sim-prepayee-etudiant.html
- SFR (archived on lafibre.info): https://lafibre.info/images/altice/201301_sfr_mobile_tarifs.pdf
- Mezabo: https://www.mezabo.fr/forfait-mobile/carte-sim-prepayee/sfr/
- Universite Paris-Saclay: https://www.universite-paris-saclay.fr/vie-de-campus/accueil-des-publics-internationaux/telephone-et-internet
- JeChange: https://www.jechange.fr/telecom/mobile/news/forfait-mobile-etudiant-etranger-sans-rib
- Universite Cote d'Azur: https://creates.univ-cotedazur.fr/obtenir-une-carte-sim
- Le Mans Universite: https://www.univ-lemans.fr/_resource/05-International/Venir%20%C3%A9tudier/Preparer%20son%20arrivee/7.%20Validation%20du%20visa%20%C3%A9tudiant%20-%20version%20fran%C3%A7aise.pdf
- Universite de Lorraine: https://mim-old.univ-lorraine.fr/sites/mim.univ-lorraine.fr/files/users/documents/fiche_pratique_ndeg6_-_ouvrir_un_compte_en_banque.pdf
- Alliance Solidaire: https://alliancesolidaire.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DROIT-AU-COMPTE.pdf
- Arcep: https://www.arcep.fr/la-regulation/grands-dossiers-reseaux-mobiles/la-4g.html
Questions, answered
Can I get a France SIM card for international students without a French bank account?
Yes. Prepaid SIMs avoid the RIB requirement and can be paid by card, including a foreign card. You need identification: Orange says its Mobicarte is activated with an identity document, and SFR's tariff terms required an original valid ID. Acceptance of a foreign passport is reported by secondary guides only (not confirmed), so confirm with the operator.
Can I get a phone plan in France without a RIB?
Forfaits sans engagement (no-commitment monthly plans) are widespread, and some can be paid by bank card without a RIB. Check each operator's payment options. A subscription with commitment usually needs a RIB for direct debit.
How long does a prepaid SIM take to activate in France?
Operators activate prepaid lines after identification. Secondary guides say identification must be completed within about 15 days of activation or the line can be suspended, but the exact legal text was not located (not confirmed). The operator will confirm its own rule.
Do I need a French phone number for my bank and admin?
Often yes. Banking, housing and ANEF residence permit steps frequently ask for a French number, and a number given to ANEF cannot easily be changed later. A prepaid local SIM gives you one; the Slashtel eSIM is data only and gives no number.
What is the best way to have a prepaid sim France line on arrival?
Buy from an operator shop, online, or a tabac that sells operator prepaid cards, with your passport. If you want to be reachable the moment you land, install a data eSIM before the flight and add the local prepaid line in your first days.
Can I use an esim France plan before my local contract starts?
Yes. A data-only eSIM can be bought and installed at home, and validity starts when it first connects in France. It has no local number and no calls or SMS, but WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. Keep your home SIM for bank codes.
How long does it take to open a France bank account and get a RIB?
You need ID, a residence document or VLS-TS, and proof of address under 3 months old. Typical opening time is not confirmed, so ask the bank. If refused, the droit au compte procedure applies: a designated bank must open the account within 3 working days of receiving the file, per a 2019 guide; check Banque de France for the current procedure.
Can a sim card for parents visiting France be bought by someone else?
Yes. Someone else can buy the eSIM and enter the traveller's email, so the QR code goes straight to the person who will use it. The visitor's phone must be unlocked and eSIM compatible, and the eSIM is data only.
Which networks operate in France?
The main mobile networks are Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile. With a Slashtel eSIM the network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand.
How do I keep my home number active while living in France?
Keep the home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges. If it is prepaid, a top-up keeps it active; Slashtel sells top-ups to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes.