Connectivity
eSIM or local SIM: getting connected in the first week
One is faster on arrival, the other is cheaper by week three. Use both, in that order.
The Expat Center · 5 min read
The first seventy-two hours
You need data before you have an address, a tax number, or the local ID that most carriers ask for. An eSIM installed before you fly solves exactly that, and nothing more.
Buy the shortest sensible plan. The mistake is buying a month of expensive roaming data when you will have a local number by day four.
Then get a local line
A local number is not a convenience, it is infrastructure: bank verification, delivery drivers, clinic appointments and government portals all assume one. Prepaid local plans are usually a fraction of eSIM pricing per gigabyte.
Take your passport. Some countries require registration of the SIM against identification, and a few require a local address as well.
Home internet, and what to do about banking access
Fibre is widely available and inexpensive in most destinations on this site, but installation can take two to three weeks. Plan to tether at first.
One connectivity issue that catches remote workers: home-country banks and brokerages sometimes restrict access from foreign IP addresses. A reputable VPN with a home-country exit is the usual remedy.
Questions
- Will my phone support an eSIM?
- Most handsets sold in the last five years do, but carrier-locked phones may not. Check before you rely on it.
- Can I keep my old number?
- Usually yes, by porting it to a cheap digital plan or keeping the line dormant. Do this before you leave, not after.