Where to Buy a Prepaid Italy SIM Card
Italy sells some of the most generous tourist SIMs in Europe, around 200GB for the price of a pizza and a glass of wine, and wraps them in paperwork that catches visitors out: a passport is law, a tax code is sometimes asked for, and the cheapest plan on the shelf may be the one you cannot have. This guide covers TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad, the ID rules, the airport shops at Fiumicino and Malpensa, who can skip the whole thing by roaming, and the eSIMs we sell that are working on the train into Rome. Our plans for the country are on the Italy eSIM page.
TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad
TIM is the former state operator with the widest coverage, Vodafone the strong second, WindTre the merged third with good city speeds, and Iliad the low-cost newcomer that rides WindTre's masts outside the cities. Fastweb sells to residents and has no tourist offer. All four are fine in Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and Naples; TIM and Vodafone hold on best in the Dolomites, inland Sicily and Sardinia.
Passport, ID card and the codice fiscale
Italian law ties every SIM to an identity, so there are no anonymous cards: non-EU visitors show a passport and EU citizens can use a national ID card. The codice fiscale, Italy's tax code, is where the sources disagree. Short tourist packs generally activate on a passport alone; standard monthly plans usually also want a codice fiscale, which a foreigner can get free from the Agenzia delle Entrate, and some shops apply the rule more strictly than others. Ask for the tourist pack by name and the passport is usually enough.
What a tourist SIM costs
TIM's tourist plan has been about 200GB for 30 days at €14.99 plus €10 for the SIM, sold at the counter against a passport, not renewable and with no eSIM version. Vodafone's tourist deal is about €15 for 200GB in Italy plus 25GB of roaming in the EU, with no activation fee. Iliad's plans are about €8 to 10 for 150GB with unlimited calls, but they are reported to need a codice fiscale, which rules most visitors out.
Fiumicino, Malpensa and the city shops
Both big airports have carrier shops in arrivals that sell the tourist packs with registration done on the spot, at a little above city prices. In town, TIM, Vodafone and WindTre stores are on every main street and in every station, and the tabaccherie sell top-ups once you have a line. Allow fifteen minutes for the registration wherever you buy.
Who can roam for free
Italy is in the EU, so a SIM from any EU country uses its home allowance here. French, German and Spanish visitors need nothing. UK, Swiss, American and Asian SIMs pay roaming rates, and those are the travellers the next section is for.
An eSIM before you fly
Our Europe 25GB eSIM is $19 for 30 days across 32 countries including Italy, starting on first use with hotspot and no registration. The EE Europe Travel eSIM is $21.33 for 30GB over 30 days with a UK +44 EE number, 50 minutes and 100 texts. For unlimited local calls, the Vodafone Travel eSIM is $26.60 for 25GB in 76 countries including Italy with a UK number for 30 days from purchase. The Orange World 20GB eSIM at $28 covers Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, the Vatican and San Marino with a French +33 number, 15 minutes and 50 texts, and the Europe 60GB Bouygues eSIM at $38 is the heavy-data choice. British travellers who want to ring home for free can take the Three Travel 12GB eSIM at $28.60.
Side by side
| Option | Price | Data | Number | Paperwork | Works on landing |
|---|
| TIM Tourist | About €14.99 plus €10 SIM | About 200GB, 30 days | Italian | Passport in the shop | No |
| Vodafone tourist plan | About €15 | About 200GB plus 25GB EU | Italian | Passport in the shop | No |
| Iliad | About €8 to 10 | About 150GB, unlimited calls | Italian | Codice fiscale reported | No |
| Europe 25GB eSIM | $19 | 25GB, 30 days, 32 countries | Data only | None | Yes |
| EE Europe Travel eSIM | $21.33 | 30GB, 30 days | UK +44, 50 minutes and 100 texts | None | Yes |
| Vodafone Travel eSIM | $26.60 | 25GB, 30 days, 76 countries | UK +44, unlimited local calls | None | Yes |
| Orange World 20GB eSIM | $28 | 20GB, 30 days, 90+ countries | French +33, 15 minutes and 50 texts | None | Yes |
Rome, Florence, Venice, the coast and the mountains
The cities and the high-speed trains between them are fast on every network. The Amalfi coast road keeps signal in the villages and drops it in the tunnels. Sicily and Sardinia are fine on the coasts and patchy inland on everything but TIM and Vodafone. The Dolomites are covered in the valleys and lost on the passes. Our Europe, EE and Vodafone plans use the Italian networks, so an eSIM installed at home does as well as a local SIM.
Our recommendation
If your SIM is from an EU country, use it. Everyone else should install the Europe 25GB eSIM before flying, or the EE Europe Travel eSIM for a number that can be called back, and carry on with the same plan to France or Spain. Take the Vodafone Travel eSIM for unlimited local calls. A TIM or Vodafone tourist SIM is worth the shop visit for a stay of a month or more, or for the sheer size of the allowance. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and the plans for the country are on the Italy eSIM page.
