eSIM and SIM cards in Moldova

Your EU plan does cover you here

• Moldova joined the EU's roam-like-at-home area on 1 January 2026. A SIM from any EU or EEA country now works here at your domestic rates, on your domestic allowance.
• Almost everything written before 2026 says the opposite and tells you to expect non-EU roaming charges. That advice is now out of date.
• UK plans are a separate question. Several UK networks reintroduced European roaming charges after Brexit, so check yours rather than assuming.

Local prepaid SIM

• Orange Moldova and Moldcell cover the country.
• Moldovan mobile data is among the cheapest and fastest in Europe - genuinely so, not as a figure of speech.
• Prepaid packs cost very little and are sold at the airport and in every town.
• Bring your passport.

In Transnistria

• Moldovan networks work patchily and you may roam onto the region's own operator at foreign rates. Another reason to check before crossing.

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.