When you travel internationally, especially outside the United States, it’s important to consider how to keep your iPhone connected. Domestic carriers don’t automatically work abroad and generally you must subscribe to an add-on service or a different carrier’s plan to get service elsewhere.

iPhones released since the iPhone XS and XR in 2018 have supported eSIM, a digital variant of the SIM card that cellular carriers use to connect customer devices to cellular plans. Those offered since the iPhone 13 in 2021 support more than one eSIM active at a time and iPhone 14 drops the physical SIM card altogether.

Choose a Plan

When traveling abroad, no longer must you fiddle with and keep track of tiny SIM cards. Instead, you can connect your phone digitally to a voice and/or data plan via an eSIM. And, you can do all this before leaving home.

To find such a plan, a couple good places to start are esimdb.com and esims.io. You can plug in the country you’re visiting and find a plan that matches your length of stay.

Many plans are data-first with voice available as an add-on. You may be overwhelmed deciding how much data you need. Unless you’ll be on a lot of Zoom meetings and watching YouTube videos, you’ll probably be fine with 2–3GB per month. However, if you’ll rely on cellular data for phone calls using Wi-Fi Calling, you may need more.

Add Plan to iPhone

Some eSIMs are delivered via an app associated with the service provider. These are the easiest to install on your iPhone because you don’t need to jump through any other hoops.

Others come via a QR code that you must scan using your iPhone’s camera. Unfortunately, this means you will need the QR code displayed on another screen. If you have only one device of your own, I recommend placing the order on another device or having a friend take a picture of the QR code so you can scan it on their display.

To add the eSIM to your iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular and tap Add Cellular or Add eSIM. Choose Use QR Code and then hold your camera up to the QR code you received. On the next screen or two, you’ll continue with adding and activating your eSIM.

[Update: As of iOS 15, it’s actually possible to scan a QR code displayed on your iPhone screen using Live Text. When looking at a picture in Photos or Camera, or a screenshot, tap the Live Text button in the bottom right. Then, you can tap a QR code in the picture and do its associated action, such as adding an eSIM.]

Enable Line

Once you add and activate an eSIM on your iPhone, you can give it a label (such as Travel). Then, depending on your device, the new plan may be active alongside or in place of your existing plan, which may also have been renamed. (Switch back to your normal plan if appropriate.)

All in all, make sure to follow any other setup instructions from your eSIM provider. Additionally, since your travel plan may not be accessible until you reach your destination, remember to enable it when you get there.

Set Cellular Data for New Number

When your Travel eSIM is active, make sure Cellular Data is set for the associated number. This way, you’ll be able to use FaceTime, iMessage, and other Internet services while abroad.

Technically, iMessage and FaceTime can be connected to more than one number at a time, but feel free to peruse your Cellular, FaceTime, and Messages settings to make sure you can be reached at appropriate numbers when you’re home or abroad.

This post is not designed to exhaustively cover every aspect of setting up an eSIM, the process of which may vary depending on the provider you choose and/or the destination you visit. There may also be alternative avenues to getting cellular service in other countries.

For example, when flying outside the United States, you may be able to visit a cell provider at the destination airport and connect an eSIM plan on the spot. Or, your domestic carrier may offer a convenient and/or affordable international plan that also lets you use your existing number.

Apple’s support article, Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone, is worth a read if you have further questions. I’m happy to help you navigate this as well.