Staying connected during your semester abroad

In the EU: two limits that are easy to miss

Your data allowance in other EU countries. If your plan has a lot of data or unlimited data, your provider may limit the data you can use in other EU countries, from day one. A formula sets the minimum: the monthly price without tax, divided by 1.10 euros, times two. A 12-euro plan gives about 21.8 GB a month. Your provider has to tell you the figure for your plan in advance.

The four-month rule. EU roaming is meant for travelling, not for living abroad. Your provider may therefore check over at least four months where you use your plan. If you are mostly abroad during that time and also use your plan mostly there, your provider may send you a warning. From then on, you have two weeks. If nothing changes, your provider may add a surcharge. The surcharge is capped, currently at 1.32 euros per GB including tax.

Outside the EU

EU roaming does not apply in Switzerland, Turkey, the Western Balkans, the USA or Japan. What data costs there is in your plan, from day one.

The UK is a special case: some Austrian providers treat it like EU roaming, others do not. This comes from a survey by the Austrian Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer) in June 2026.

In some countries you need a local number for daily life. For the UK, the University of Warwick names registering with a doctor (GP) and opening a bank account, for example. The International Office of your host university usually knows how it works there.

In Turkey, a phone from abroad must be registered within 120 days of entry if it is to run with a Turkish SIM. More in our guide on Turkey (in German).

Keeping your own number

If your bank sends codes by text message, you need your own number abroad too. If your phone has room for two SIMs, your SIM stays in, and a second SIM or eSIM for data is added. What receiving texts costs outside the EU is in your plan.

Three options

You ask your provider before you leave: how much EU data your plan includes, how it handles the four-month rule, and whether there is an add-on for your destination.

You get a local SIM card. What you need for it differs from country to country.

You take an eSIM with a data plan. You set it up while still at home. Your own SIM and your number stay as they are. Our data plans: to the shop

Frequently asked questions