Netherlands eSIM

Staying connected in the Netherlands

Many trips to the Netherlands start at Schiphol and continue by train to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague or Utrecht. Install a travel eSIM at home and switch it on when you land. AirOva sells Netherlands plans from $1.49: fixed GB, unlimited data and a data + calls option, on KPN and Vodafone, with 4G and 5G where available.

Which Netherlands plan to choose

GB plans suit most trips, since maps, messaging and train or museum tickets take little data. Unlimited plans give unlimited data with no data cap and no fair-usage limit, priced by the number of days. The data + calls option adds call minutes to mobile data. GB and unlimited plans are data only, and no plan includes a local phone number.

KPN, Vodafone and Odido

The Netherlands has three mobile network operators: KPN, Vodafone and Odido, which traded as T-Mobile until September 2023. AirOva Netherlands plans run on KPN and Vodafone; Odido is not on our plans. In March 2024 Vodafone announced a three-year upgrade of its coverage along 69 rail routes, including Amsterdam–Utrecht and Utrecht–Maastricht, and in rail tunnels such as the one under Schiphol.

Arriving at Schiphol, Eindhoven or Rotterdam

Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) is 9 km southwest of Amsterdam. Eindhoven (EIN), the country's second-largest airport, lies 7.6 km west of the city, and Rotterdam The Hague (RTM), the third busiest, 5.5 km north-northwest of Rotterdam. After landing, turn off airplane mode, switch the eSIM line on, choose it for mobile data and enable Data Roaming for that line; the plan is prepaid, so roaming adds no charge.

NS trains and EU roaming

NS has Wi-Fi on all its trains except old SLT sprinters and old intercity carriages. It runs over 4G, on KPN with Vodafone as backup, and suits email, messaging and browsing more than video. The Netherlands is in the EU, so SIMs from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine roam there under Roam Like at Home; for other SIMs, including British ones, roaming depends on the operator. More in EU roaming rules explained.

Tip: heading to the Wadden islands? Ferries run to Texel from Den Helder and to Vlieland and Terschelling from Harlingen. On Vlieland and Schiermonnikoog only residents may use cars, and cycling is the usual way to get around most islands. Download an offline map of the island and your ferry tickets before you board, and keep roaming off on your home SIM unless it is from the EU.