eSIM and SIM cards in Andorra

Your EU plan probably does not cover this

• Andorra is not in the EU or the EEA. Roam-like-at-home covers the EU, the EEA states and, since recently, Moldova and Ukraine. Andorra is on none of those lists.
• Some operators include it anyway. The rule does not stop a network extending its home-rate zone, and several do - but it is a choice each one makes, not a right you have.
• Check the country list in your own tariff before you travel, which is precisely what Andorra's own tourist office tells visitors to do. The bill is the wrong place to find out.
• Driving in from Spain or France changes nothing, and neither does being surrounded by EU territory.

One operator, no competition

• Andorra Telecom is the country's only operator. There is no second network to shop around, and no price pressure from one.
• Coverage follows the valleys. The inhabited floor is well served; the ski slopes and passes above are patchier.

What to actually do

• An eSIM bought before you land is the clean answer on a short trip, and avoids the entire question of what your home operator charges.
• Or turn data roaming off and live on wi-fi, which is fine for a day trip in from Barcelona or Toulouse.

eSIM

• An eSIM is live before you land and skips the shop entirely, which on a short trip is the whole argument for it.
• Check your phone takes one. Most flagship phones since 2019 do; most budget models do not.

Practical points

• Keep your home number reachable for two-factor codes. If you swap in a local SIM as your only card, bank apps that text a code to your home number stop working at the worst possible moment. A dual-SIM phone, or an eSIM alongside your home SIM, solves it.
• Wi-fi is widespread in cafes, hotels and stations.