Where EU roaming does not apply: Switzerland, the UK, Turkey, the Balkans and Andorra

With a SIM from any EU country you can browse in France or Greece as if you were at home, at no extra cost. But Europe on the map is bigger than the European Union, and roam like at home stops at the EU's borders: in Switzerland, the UK, Albania or Turkey your operator can charge for every megabyte, even when you are an hour's drive from home.

We checked the list on 20 October 2026 on the European Commission's roaming page, last updated on 13 July 2026, and on Your Europe. The rules come from Regulation (EU) 2022/612, which runs until 30 June 2032.

Where it applies and where it does not

Roam like at home applies in 32 countries: the 27 EU member states, the three countries of the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and, since 1 January 2026, Ukraine and Moldova. Distant regions that are part of an EU country count too: the Canary Islands, Madeira, the Azores, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion.

Outside those countries, your operator decides. Some add Switzerland or the UK to their EU zone of their own accord, but nothing obliges them to, and they can drop it whenever they like.

The United Kingdom

Since 1 January 2021 the UK has been outside the EU, and the regulation no longer covers it. The European Commission says so plainly: some operators have chosen to keep treating it like the EU, others have not.

Here is what the big operators in five EU countries do, read on their own websites and price lists on 20 October 2026. It is a commercial choice, not an obligation, and it can change with the next price list.

If you live in Ireland, Northern Ireland is the UK. Whether driving to Belfast costs you anything depends on your plan, not on the law, so check how your operator lists the UK before you cross. We have not checked the Irish operators for this guide. Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man have their own networks, and an operator that includes the UK does not necessarily include them: look for them by name in its country list.

Switzerland

Switzerland is in neither the EU nor the European Economic Area. It has many bilateral agreements with the EU, but roaming is not one of them, so for an EU operator it is a non-EU country like any other.

Only some operators add it to their EU zone of their own accord: Telekom in Germany, Orange in France and Vodafone in Italy among them, as the table above shows. Vodafone in Spain includes it as a promotion until 31 March 2027. Most others charge for it, often with a daily pass that starts by itself the first time you use data.

Watch out near the border. Around Lake Constance, Lake Geneva or Lake Lugano your phone can latch onto a Swiss mast while you are still in Germany, France or Italy, and that traffic is billed as non-EU roaming. If you are spending a few days in the area, pick the network by hand in your settings instead of leaving it on automatic.

Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican

• Andorra is outside the EU and has a single network operator, Andorra Telecom. On the roads up from Spain and France your phone can switch to the Andorran network before the border.
• Monaco is outside the EU and has its own network, Monaco Telecom. In the streets closest to France your phone may pick up a French network, which is covered.
• San Marino is outside the EU and the regulation does not cover it, so it depends on your operator. It is small and surrounded by Italy, and your phone often finds an Italian network anyway, but that is not a guarantee.
• Vatican City has no mobile network of its own: your phone uses the masts of the Italian operators in Rome, and you pay as you would in Italy.

The Western Balkans

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are all outside. On 4 June 2026 the Council of the EU authorised the Commission to negotiate with each of them about joining roam like at home, but that takes six agreements, and each country first has to adopt the EU rules. There is no date.

In the meantime, some European and Balkan operators signed a voluntary commitment in Tirana in December 2022: from 2026, at least one offer with 1 GB for under 14 euros, and under 9 euros from 2028. Not everyone signed, and it is not what you pay without a bundle. For a trip through several countries, the Balkans plan covers seven with a single eSIM.

Turkey and Northern Cyprus

Turkey is not in the EU, and many operators put it in an expensive zone. There are two places where you end up on a Turkish network without meaning to:

• On the Greek islands off the Turkish coast, such as Kos, Rhodes, Samos, Lesbos and Chios, your phone can latch onto a Turkish network without you ever leaving Greece.
• In Cyprus, the north of the island runs on Turkish networks. Crossing the Green Line in Nicosia takes you out of EU roaming, even though you are on the same island.

The fix is the same in both cases: pick the network by hand, or switch off data roaming on your home line.

Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein: nothing to do here

They are outside the EU but inside the European Economic Area, and roam like at home applies there too. With your EU SIM you call, text and browse as you would in France or Spain, with the same limits. You do not need a travel eSIM for Norway.

Two things worth knowing. Your plan often has a data cap for EU roaming that is lower than your allowance at home: it is in your contract, and it applies in Oslo and Reykjavík too. And Liechtenstein is surrounded by Switzerland: a few metres from the border your phone can pick up a Swiss network, which is not covered.

Ukraine and Moldova: covered since 2026

Since 1 January 2026 Ukraine and Moldova have been part of roam like at home, on the same terms as EU countries. Before that there were voluntary, time limited agreements between operators. Now it is a rule, and it works in both directions.

Ships, ferries and planes

Roam like at home applies on land networks. On a ship or a plane your phone can connect to a satellite network, run by the ship or the airline, and EU rules stop applying there, even on a ferry between two EU ports. Whoever runs that network sets the price, and it is usually high.

The law protects you in two ways: you get a message when your phone connects to one of these networks, and the service stops by itself when charges reach 50 euros, unless you have chosen a different limit.

In port, near the coast and at the airport your phone uses land networks, and you pay as you would at home. At sea or in the air, switch to airplane mode and use the onboard wifi if there is any. The same goes for cruises, which we cover in an eSIM on a cruise.

How long you can stay abroad

Roam like at home is meant for travel, not for living abroad on a SIM from back home. Your operator can look at four months of use: if in that time you spent more days abroad than at home, and used your phone more abroad too, it can ask you about it. You have 14 days to reply, and if the pattern continues it can add a small surcharge, capped by law.

What to do

1. Check which zone your operator puts the country in. It is on the roaming page of its website or in its app. If Switzerland or the UK is in the EU zone, you do not need to do anything.
2. If it is not, decide before you leave. There are three ways: a bundle from your operator, a local SIM bought there, or a travel eSIM you install at home. With an eSIM your own number stays active for calls and texts from your bank, and data goes through the eSIM. If you have never used one, start with what is an eSIM; to set it up before you leave, follow how to activate an eSIM, step by step.
3. If you want to spend nothing, switch off data roaming on your home line before you cross the border. Calls and texts still work, at non-EU rates.
4. Near borders, pick the network by hand. Lake Constance, the Greek islands facing Turkey and the open sea are where the bills come from.

Quick answers

Is roaming free in Switzerland with an EU SIM?

No. Switzerland is in neither the EU nor the European Economic Area, so roam like at home does not apply. A few operators include it anyway, such as Telekom in Germany, Orange in France and Vodafone in Italy: check which zone yours puts it in before you travel.

Does EU roaming work in the UK?

Not by law, since 1 January 2021. Many big operators still treat it like the EU, Telekom and Vodafone in Germany, Orange in France, Movistar in Spain among them, while TIM and Iliad in Italy, Orange in Spain and the Polish operators charge for it separately.

Do I need an eSIM for Norway?

No. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are part of the European Economic Area, and roam like at home applies there with the same limits as in the EU.

Does EU roaming work in Turkey?

No. Turkey is not in the EU, and most operators charge for it in a separate, more expensive zone. Your phone can also latch onto a Turkish network on Greek islands close to the Turkish coast.

Does EU roaming work in Albania, Montenegro and Serbia?

No. The six Western Balkan countries are outside. The EU authorised negotiations to include them on 4 June 2026, but there is no date.

Does EU roaming work in Ukraine and Moldova?

Yes, since 1 January 2026, on the same terms as in EU countries.

Does roam like at home apply on ships and planes?

Only when your phone is on a land network, in port or near the coast. Satellite networks on ships and planes are excluded and expensive, but charges stop by themselves at 50 euros.

Sources: European Commission, roaming policy page (updated 13 July 2026); Your Europe (last checked 7 January 2026); Council of the EU, Decision (EU) 2026/1329 of 4 June 2026; Regional Cooperation Council, EU and Western Balkans reduced roaming offers (17 October 2024); official websites and price lists of the operators in the table. Checked on 20 October 2026.