Croatia eSIM

Croatia's coast is where trips cross borders without warning: the old road to Dubrovnik runs through a strip of Bosnia at Neum, and Kotor in Montenegro is a day trip away, but neither country is in EU roaming. If your SIM is from an EU country it already roams like at home in Croatia itself; this page is for visitors from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and beyond, and for anyone heading past the borders.

What a week of data costs in Croatia

Prices for 7 days of data, checked on 2–3 November 2026. Daily passes charge for each day you use the phone abroad, per phone.

For a family of four on Verizon, that's $336 for one week. O2 and T-Mobile customers may need nothing extra, though 256 kbps is slow for maps and photos. A1's tourist line is good value for ten days or two people, if you're happy to set up a new Croatian line.

If your SIM is from the EU, it already roams like at home in Croatia, as long as you spend more time at home than abroad. UK plans aren't part of that system any more, which is why the UK rows carry charges.

Bosnia and Montenegro cost more on a home SIM. Three UK puts both in its Around the World Extra band, £8 a day for customers who joined from 18 December 2025. Neither country is on Telstra's Day Pass list. The European Commission proposed in February 2026 to bring the Western Balkans into "roam like at home", but that isn't in force, so EU SIMs pay to roam there too.

Landing at Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar or Pula

Switch the kimsim line on as the plane taxis to the gate, and turn on Data Roaming for that line only. Then go through passport control, collect your bags and walk out through customs with a working map.

Entry rules. Croatia joined Schengen and the euro on 1 January 2023, and passport checks on flights from other Schengen countries ended on 26 March 2023. Arriving from the UK, the US or elsewhere outside Schengen, you go through the EU's Entry/Exit System, which records fingerprints and a photo and has been fully in place since 10 April 2026. ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation, isn't running yet, so don't pay any site that offers one today. The UK Foreign Office says border officers may ask for proof of accommodation, travel insurance and a return or onward ticket. Save those in your phone's files before you fly, so you don't need data at the desk.

Zagreb (ZAG): free Wi-Fi runs around the clock if you still need to install. The Pleso Prijevoz shuttle runs every 30 minutes to Zagreb Bus Station, and tickets bought online come as a PDF with a QR code. Uber picks up at the airport too.

Split (SPU): the airport is in Kaštela, 20 km from Split and 6 km from Trogir. A shuttle runs to Split's main bus station through the day, and tickets for the public buses are sold in the Promet Split app. The airport warns that summer traffic towards Split can be heavy.

Dubrovnik (DBV): 22.5 km from the city, 30–35 minutes by road, or up to an hour in summer. The Platanus shuttle leaves shortly after landings, and Libertas public buses 11, 27 and 38 also serve the airport.

Zadar (ZAD) and Pula (PUY): Pula's airport lists a shuttle bus and taxis on its site. Check the shuttle times on your new data before you queue for a taxi.

Networks and coverage

Croatia has three mobile networks. Hrvatski Telekom (HT, branded Telekom) is majority-owned by Deutsche Telekom. A1 was called Vipnet until it changed its name on 1 October 2018. Telemach is the old Tele2 Croatia, renamed by its owner United Group in November 2020.

The Croatia plan uses Tele2 and A1, not HT. Tele2 is the old name, so your phone may show Telemach instead. HT and A1 started 5G on new frequencies after the regulator's 2021 auction, while Telemach was then building its own 5G network.

Expect gaps on the Velebit and Gorski Kotar mountain roads, in the Plitvice gorges, on the smallest islands and out at sea. Near Neum, the Montenegro border south of Dubrovnik and the Slovenian border in Istria, your phone can join a foreign network without you crossing anything. If that happens, choose A1 or Telemach by hand. The networks your plan uses are listed above.

Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and the lakes

• Dubrovnik and the south: the Pelješac Bridge opened on 26 July 2022 and links the Dubrovnik area with the rest of Croatia without crossing the Bosnian strip at Neum. Kotor and Mostar are popular day trips, but they're in Montenegro and Bosnia, so a Croatia plan has no data there. Add a Montenegro eSIM or a Bosnia and Herzegovina eSIM, or use the Global plan, which covers all three. The Europe plan and the Europe and Turkey plan don't include Bosnia or Montenegro.
• Split and the islands: Hvar, Brač, Vis and Korčula use the same Croatian networks as the mainland. Signal is weaker in coves and over the island hills, so download offline maps for each island.
• Zadar, Šibenik and Plitvice: Plitvice tickets are sold online, and from June to September an adult day ticket is €40 before 4pm. Buy it before you lose signal in the gorges. The UK Foreign Office warns of unexploded mines in the more remote areas of the park, so stay on marked paths; your phone isn't a safety plan there.
• Istria and Kvarner: Pula, Rovinj and Rijeka are generally well covered. Istria borders Slovenia, which a Croatia plan doesn't cover; for a Ljubljana or Trieste day trip, look at Slovenia, Italy or the Europe plan.
• Zagreb: good coverage on the street; thick-walled old buildings in the Upper Town can be weak indoors.

This is general guidance, not a coverage map.

Ferries, coast roads and driving

Ferries and catamarans link Split, Zadar, Dubrovnik and Rijeka with the islands. Near the coast your phone still reaches masts on land. Further out, ships can switch to their own satellite networks, where EU price caps don't apply. Three UK, for example, lists maritime networks on ships and ferries outside its Europe band. Your kimsim line won't use ship networks, so keep roaming off on your home line from the moment you board. Don't count on Wi-Fi on board; save e-tickets offline.

Driving the coast: the Pelješac Bridge route to Dubrovnik stays in Croatia. The old road via Neum crosses Bosnia and had long border queues before the bridge opened. From 1 November to 31 March, Croatia requires dipped headlights by day, and winter tyres from 15 November to 15 April. Download offline maps before mountain roads inland.

Apps worth having

• Rides: Uber works in Zagreb around the clock, including airport pickups. Bolt lists Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Rijeka, Šibenik, Osijek and Karlovac. Set accounts up at home, because sign-up can send a code by text to your usual number.
• Parking: Zagreb's street parking is paid by text to short numbers, but Zagrebparking says foreigners on foreign mobile networks can't pay that way. Use its ZgPark app or a meter instead. Other towns may work the same way, so look for an app or a meter first.
• Buses: Promet Split for city and airport bus tickets in Split.
• Ferries: book on the ferry company's site or app and save the ticket offline.
• WhatsApp: many apartment hosts, boat-trip operators and drivers message you there. Keep your WhatsApp number working abroad.
• Payments: Croatia has used the euro since 1 January 2023, so kuna prices in older guides are out of date.

SIM and phone rules

Croatia's telecoms regulator, HAKOM, told operators to make immediate identification possible for every new mobile customer from 1 March 2011. So expect to show your passport when you buy a SIM at a counter. A1 sells tourist eSIMs online, but posts its physical SIMs only to an address in Croatia.

A travel eSIM installed at home skips the counter and the paperwork. It's data only, so your home number stays in the phone for calls and bank texts.

Common mistakes

• Driving through Neum on a Croatia-only plan. You'll lose data in Bosnia, and a home SIM can start a pricier daily charge. Take the Pelješac Bridge, or choose a Croatian network by hand near the border.
• A Kotor or Mostar day trip on the Europe plan. Montenegro and Bosnia aren't on it. How regional plans work
• Leaving Data Roaming on for your home line on a ferry. Ship networks aren't capped. When to use Airplane Mode and why roaming goes on for the kimsim line only.
• Paying for parking by text. A foreign number can't, so you risk a ticket. Use the parking app or a meter.
• No way to call for help. 112 reaches ambulance, fire and police in Croatia, but a data-only eSIM can't dial it. Keep your home line on for calls.

More on Croatia

• eSIM for Europe: a guide for US, Canada and Australia
• How much data do I need for a week abroad?
• eSIM vs roaming: which is cheaper for your trip?

How we put this page together

We checked carriers' roaming price pages, A1 Croatia's tourist offer, Croatia's airports, Zagreb's parking operator, Plitvice Lakes National Park, EU and Croatian government pages, the UK Foreign Office's Croatia advice and the other sources noted above on 2–3 November 2026. T-Mobile's page blocks automated checks, so we read it from its search listing, and Jadrolinija's site didn't respond to our checker. We haven't measured speeds or coverage in Croatia ourselves, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.