eSIM Albania
The Albania eSIM from 1,95€ runs on the One and Vodafone networks, from 1 to 50 GB or unlimited, prepaid with no contract and no registration — online the moment you land in Tirana.
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2GB highspeed/day, then unlimited at 1Mbps
Your Selection
Your plan only starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination — so you can buy today and travel in three weeks.
How does Simbye eSIM work for Albania?
Set it up before you fly
After your purchase you get an email with a link and a QR code. Set the eSIM up calmly at home on Wi-Fi. That does not start the clock — the validity begins the first time your phone connects to a network in Albania. While you are at it, download the offline map of Albania and the apps you will need.
Arrive
Whether you land at Tirana "Nënë Tereza" airport in Rinas, arrive at Kukës, come in by ferry from Bari or Ancona to Durrës, cross over from Corfu to Sarandë, or drive in overland from Kosovo, Montenegro or Greece: the moment you are in Albania, the eSIM finds the network by itself. No queuing at an airport counter.
Turn on data roaming
The eSIM works as a guest on the Albanian network, so data roaming has to be switched on for that line — it costs you nothing extra. Set the eSIM as your data line and turn data off on your home SIM so nothing slips onto your expensive contract by accident. Calls and texts keep running on your usual number.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in Albania?
How your Albania eSIM gets online — and how far the One and Vodafone networks actually reach.
The Simbye eSIM uses 2 networks in Albania: One · Vodafone.
| One |
|---|
 |
- Typical download213Mbit/s
Source: Speedtest Global Index, national median, July 2026.
The eSIM finds the network on its own. Once you arrive in Albania and data roaming is switched on for that line, your phone connects to One or Vodafone, whichever signal is stronger where you are standing. There is nothing to type in — no code, no settings. If nothing happens after a few minutes, flip airplane mode on and off once, or pick the network by hand in your settings. One thing hardly anyone thinks about: near a border, a phone happily grabs the strongest signal from the other side. Corfu sits directly across from Sarandë and Ksamil, and Montenegro is close to Shkodra. This plan covers Albania only — if your phone latches onto a network across the border, you have no data until it switches back.
Albania has two mobile operators, One and Vodafone, and this eSIM can use both. In Tirana, Durrës, Vlora, Sarandë, Ksamil, Shkodra, Berat, Korça and Gjirokastra, along the Riviera coast road and on the main highways you get ordinary 4G. 5G in Albania is still being rolled out and is essentially limited to Tirana and parts of Durrës — everywhere else you are on 4G, which carries maps, bookings, streaming and video calls without trouble. It gets thin in the Albanian Alps. Theth and Valbona have patchy signal at best, usually at the guesthouse and not much further, and the hiking trail between the two villages has none for long stretches. Download the offline map for that region beforehand and write down the address and phone number of your guesthouse before you set off.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Albania?
Take the eSIM in Albania: it hooks onto One or Vodafone by itself the minute you land, while a local card needs your passport registered before it works — it does give you an Albanian number, though.
| Feature |  Simbye eSIM |
Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| ID required | No, the eSIM arrives by email | Yes, your passport. Albanian SIM cards must be registered to an ID document before they are activated |
| When you are online | The moment you land in Tirana, the phone connects by itself | Only after queuing at the arrivals-hall counter, plus a few minutes of paperwork |
| Network | One and Vodafone, your phone takes the stronger signal | Only the network of the operator whose card you bought |
| Phone number | None — data only | Comes with an Albanian +355 number |
| Paying | By card from home before you travel | On the spot in lek, often in cash; Albania is still very much a cash country |
| Topping up | Any time online, no new eSIM and no reinstalling | Credit from a shop, a kiosk or the Albanian operator's app |
| Your home number | Stays active, WhatsApp and calls keep working | Swapping the SIM takes your own number offline if your phone has only one card slot |
| Travelling on to Kosovo, Montenegro or North Macedonia | The plan ends at the Albanian border | Albanian cards roam across the Western Balkans at no extra cost, but you need your passport at the counter |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
How much data do you need in Albania?
Trip length
How you use your phone
What does an eSIM for Albania cost?
from 1,95€
9 plans · 7–180 days · unlimited from 23,95€
Simbye offers 9 plans for Albania from 1,95€ to 47,95€ — data packs from 1,95€, unlimited from 23,95€. Prepaid, no contract.
Plans for Albania range from 1 GB to 50 GB, plus unlimited options.
Validity runs from 7 to 180 days and starts with your first connection in Albania.
Data plans
Unlimited
- 1 GB 7 days 1,95€ 0,27€ per travel day
- 3 GB 30 days 4,95€ 0,16€ per travel day
- 5 GB 30 days 6,95€ 0,23€ per travel day
- 10 GB 30 days 11,95€ 0,39€ per travel day
- 20 GB 30 days 19,95€ 0,66€ per travel day
- 50 GB 180 days 42,95€ 0,23€ per travel day
- Unlimited 7 days 23,95€ 3,42€ per travel day
- Unlimited 15 days 33,95€ 2,26€ per travel day
- Unlimited 30 days 47,95€ 1,59€ per travel day
Good to know
- Networks
- One + Vodafone
- Setting it up
- A link in your email, or the QR code — one tap is enough
- Network technology
- 4G/LTE — and 5G where the network already offers it
- APN and settings
- Nothing to set. The eSIM brings everything with it
- Hotspot
- Allowed — for a laptop, tablet or a travel companion
- Adding more data
- Top up any time, without setting anything up again
- Calls and texts
- Not included — WhatsApp calls run over the data
- Your own number
- Stays in the phone and stays reachable
- Contract
- None. The plan ends by itself
- Worth knowing
- Roaming on your home contract gets billed here — this eSIM is prepaid, so nothing is added afterwards
Frequently Asked Questions about Albania eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
The eSIM that is best for Albania is one that works on both Albanian networks and whose validity covers your whole trip. One and Vodafone cover the country well outside the mountains, so what matters is less the number of gigabytes than whether you can top up on the road and whether the validity lasts as long as you stay.
Yes, on the Vodafone network. This eSIM uses Vodafone and One, the country's two mobile operators, and your phone automatically takes the stronger signal. In Tirana, Durrës, along the Riviera and on the main roads that means ordinary 4G.
No, you can't make calls or texts with it. This is a data-only plan with no Albanian phone number — no calling and no SMS over the network. Calls and texts keep running on your usual number. WhatsApp, Signal and FaceTime work normally, because they use the eSIM's data.
For an Albanian SIM card, yes — you must register with your passport in Albania: it's tied to an ID document before activation, as required by law, and it takes a few minutes at the counter. That does not apply to this eSIM, because you are a guest on the Albanian network and are not signing an Albanian contract.
No, not in Kosovo, Montenegro or Corfu. The plan covers Albania only and stops at the border. Albania is part of the Western Balkans roaming area, but that only benefits SIM cards issued in those countries — not a data plan bought for Albania.
5G in Albania is still being rolled out and is limited mainly to Tirana and parts of Durrës. Everywhere else you are on 4G, which is plenty for maps, bookings, streaming and video calls.
You get an eSIM for Albania by buying it online and installing it in minutes. Pick a plan from the price table above on this page, pay, and the QR code lands in your inbox. Scan it with your phone camera and the Albania profile installs. Do this at home before you fly, then switch it on when you land in Tirana.
Yes: eSIM available in Albania works on Albanian mobile networks, just like any travel eSIM across the country. An eSIM for Albania is a digital SIM card built into your phone. You don't need a local contract, a shop visit or a plastic card. Your phone just needs an eSIM slot, which covers iPhone XS and newer plus most recent Samsung, Pixel and Xiaomi models.
An eSIM for Albania starts at 1,95€; the final price depends on the data volume and number of days you choose. A small plan for a long weekend costs the least, a bigger bundle for a two-week road trip costs more. You pay once, with no contract and no monthly bill.
How much data you need for Albania is around 1 GB a week for maps and messaging on a Tirana city break. Photos and stories from Ksamil, Berat or the Llogara pass push you toward 500 MB a day, so roughly 5-10 GB for a fortnight of coast hopping. Streaming or running a laptop hotspot burns 1-2 GB daily, so take a bigger size from the table above.
Ready for Albania?
Pick a plan, tap the link in your email — you are online from the moment you land.
Choose a planPrepaid, no contract. The plan simply ends on its own.
