ROUTE
Mobile in Germany
Prepaid on arrival day without registration, the networks, and moving to a contract without traps: the 24-month rule, portability, special termination.
β Checked: 15/08/2026
Without a German mobile number, a surprising amount of daily life in Germany stalls: the bankβs TAN, the parcel notification, the appointment confirmation from the authority, the tradesperson calling back. This route takes you from landing to a permanently cheap setup in two steps β and getting those two steps in the right order is half the work.
COSTS AND DEADLINES
What you pay for on this route
- Prepaid start~β¬10 with a starter bundle
Amounts follow official fees as of each stepβs verification date. Your city may charge a different rate β check the step itself.
βΊ More about this route
Step one is a prepaid SIM on arrival day. It needs no registered address, no bank account and no credit history β only your passport for the identification the law requires. Starter packs cost from around β¬10 in any supermarket, and an eSIM can be bought before you even fly, so you land with a German number already active.
Step two is a contract, but only once your registration, your bank account and a realistic picture of your own data use are in place. Signing a 24-month contract with a phone on instalments in your first week means overpaying for both β and locking yourself into a plan that will not match how you actually live here.
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Financing the handset through the mobile contract. Over 24 months the premium against buying outright easily runs into the hundreds. It only becomes visible if you calculate the total cost of the bundle instead of the monthly instalment.
- Cancelling the old contract yourself before the number has been ported. The porting request is always filed by the NEW provider β cancelling on your own too early can cost you the number.
- Choosing a plan by price rather than by network. Discounters run on the Telekom, Vodafone and O2 networks; outside the cities the network decides whether you have coverage at all, while in town the difference is barely noticeable.
- Accepting a price increase in silence. If the provider raises the price unilaterally, a special right of termination arises β and they are obliged to point it out to you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
Prepaid or straight to a contract for the first few months?βΎ
Prepaid, almost always. A contract normally requires a registered address, a German bank account and a credit check β none of which exist in your first weeks. Prepaid bridges exactly that gap and costs barely more, as long as your usage stays modest.
What does this realistically cost per month?βΎ
Prepaid with a small data allowance stays in single digits; a SIM-only contract with a decent allowance sits in the low double digits. Paying substantially more means you are either financing a handset or sitting on a plan nobody has renegotiated in years.
Is my foreign number not enough?βΎ
Fine for messaging, not for daily life. Many German banks, government portals and delivery services send SMS only to German numbers, or refuse registration outright. Add roaming charges, which from non-EU countries add up faster than an entire prepaid card costs.
When is the right moment to move from prepaid to a contract?βΎ
When three things are in place: a registered address, a German bank account, and roughly three months of your own usage data. By then you know how much data you actually need, and the credit check will pass. You keep the number either way β porting is free and works out of prepaid just as well as out of a contract.
I have no credit history yet β will anyone give me a contract?βΎ
Often yes, but not everywhere and rarely on the best terms. With no history the assessment is thin: some providers ask for payment upfront, others decline. A few months with a German account and punctual direct debits resolve it by themselves β one more reason to start with prepaid.