Ireland eSIM

Ireland is in the EU but not in Schengen, and the border with Northern Ireland is invisible: cross it near Derry or on the Belfast road and your phone moves to a UK network. If you're coming from the US, Canada or Australia, an eSIM installed at home saves you daily roaming fees; if you're coming from Britain, your own plan may already cover the Republic.

What a week of data costs in Ireland

Prices for 7 days of data, checked on 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 the week. Most British visitors already have Ireland in their plan, and anyone with an EU SIM roams like at home here, because Ireland is in the EU. So this page is mostly for visitors from North America, Australia and further afield, and for trips that also cross into the UK.

Landing at Dublin, Shannon or Cork

Most flights land at Dublin (DUB), which has two terminals, T1 and T2. Shannon (SNN) takes many transatlantic flights to the west, and Cork (ORK) serves the south. Switch the kimsim line on and turn on Data Roaming for it as the plane taxis to the gate, so maps and messages work before passport control.

Entry rules. Ireland isn't in the Schengen area, so Schengen rules don't apply, and you won't register for the EU's Entry/Exit System when you arrive. British citizens can travel freely under the Common Travel Area. Visitors from visa-required countries need an Irish short stay 'C' visa before they travel. ETIAS, the EU's planned travel authorisation, isn't running yet, so don't pay a website that offers you one.

Going north? Northern Ireland is in the UK, and most visitors need a £20 UK ETA, even if they cross by road from the Republic. British and Irish citizens don't. Apply on gov.uk or the official app before you fly.

At Dublin Airport, in order: passport control, bags, customs, then the arrivals hall. Three Ireland sells its prepay SIM at WH Smith in Terminal 1, and there are SIM vending machines in both terminals. With your eSIM already working, you can walk past them. If you're staying in Dublin, buy a TFI Leap Visitor Card at the T1 Convenience Store or WHSmith in T1 arrivals, or at SPAR in T2 arrivals.

Into the city:

• Dublin: Dublin Express runs to the city every 7½ minutes, in as little as 14 minutes on its fastest service, and also runs to Belfast. Aircoach routes 700 and 700X run 24 hours a day, up to every 15 minutes, taking 20 to 40 minutes. TFI public buses also run to the city around the clock.
• Cork: Bus Éireann 225 and 226 leave from Stop A and take about 25 minutes to Parnell Place. Pay by cash, Leap Card or the TFI Go app.
• Shannon: Bus Éireann's 343 runs to Limerick, and the 51 links the airport with Galway and Cork.

Networks and coverage

Ireland has three mobile networks: Vodafone, Three and Eir. Three bought O2 Ireland and merged the two networks in March 2015, so the O2 name has gone. Eir used to be Eircom, and its old mobile brand Meteor has been folded into Eir. Our Ireland plan uses Eir only, so your phone shows Eir. The Europe plan uses Vodafone and 3 in Ireland instead.

Eir says its 5G reaches 99% of the population. That's people, not land. Eir is also switching off 3G between 1 October and 6 November 2026, starting in Donegal, and Vodafone did the same in October 2024. Any eSIM phone uses 4G or 5G, so this doesn't affect you.

Where coverage thins: the far west, mountain roads, peninsulas and offshore islands. ComReg's outdoor coverage map shows predicted coverage for each network, and you can search by address or Eircode. Check Eir where you're staying before you book.

The networks your plan uses are listed above.

Region by region

• Dublin: generally strong in the city and suburbs.
• The Wild Atlantic Way: about 2,500 km of coast from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in Cork. Galway, Westport and Killarney are generally fine. On the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry's back roads, Connemara and Achill, expect gaps between villages.
• The islands: on the Aran Islands, Inishbofin and Valentia, signal can be weak away from the harbours. Download ferry tickets before you sail.
• Border counties: in Donegal, Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim and Louth, your phone can pick up a UK network from across the border, which an Ireland plan doesn't include. Choose a network by hand and pick Eir.
• Northern Ireland: Belfast, Derry and the Causeway Coast are in the UK. Use a UK eSIM for that part, or the Europe eSIM for both.

This is general guidance, not a coverage map.

Getting around

Dublin buses don't take bank cards yet. Tap-to-pay with a bank card or phone is planned for buses, trains and trams in the Greater Dublin Area, with new readers from 2027 and payments from 2028. Until then, use a Leap Card. Buy and load it at the airport.

Between cities, coaches are the easy option. Bus Éireann's 51 runs between Cork and Galway via Shannon Airport. Aircoach also runs from Dublin Airport to Cork, Belfast and Derry. Download tickets before you board, because rural roads lose signal.

Driving is how most people see the west. Download offline maps for each day's route, because single-track roads and mountain passes are where signal goes first.

Apps worth having

• Taxis: FREENOW calls itself Ireland's number one taxi app. Uber in Dublin books local taxis, including six-seat Taxi XL. Bolt also runs in Dublin. Set accounts up at home, because sign-up can send a text code to your usual number.
• Transport: TFI Go for bus and train tickets, including Bus Éireann.
• Maps: download offline areas for Kerry, Connemara and Donegal.
• Messaging: WhatsApp is how many B&Bs, tour drivers and guides message you. Keep WhatsApp and iMessage on your usual number.
• Payments: cards and phone payments are widely accepted. Your bank's codes still go by text to your home number, so keep that line on for texts.

SIM and phone rules

Ireland doesn't make you register a mobile number with ID. A minister confirmed in 2023 that there's no requirement for mandatory registration of mobile phone users. Shops may still ask for details for their own systems. A Three Ireland plan only starts when you top up: its prepay plan needs a €20 top-up every 28 days for unlimited data in Ireland. A physical SIM also takes your home SIM's place in a single-SIM phone.

An eSIM installed at home skips the shop and leaves your home number in the phone. Calls and texts on a data-only eSIM explains what still works.

Common mistakes

• Driving to the Giant's Causeway on an Ireland plan. It's in Northern Ireland, on UK networks. How regional plans work
• Buying an eSIM you don't need. If you're on Vodafone UK, Three UK, EE or O2, check your plan first: Ireland is often included.
• Leaving Data Roaming on for your home line. For US, Canadian and Australian phones, that's where daily charges start. Why roaming goes on for the kimsim line only
• Starting the plan on a stop-over. If you connect through London, keep the kimsim line off until you land in Ireland. If your plan started early
• No way to call for help. Ireland's emergency numbers are 112 and 999. A data-only eSIM can't dial them, so use your home line or any local phone.

More on Ireland

• 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 Irish and UK government sites, the regulator ComReg, Irish operators' and airports' own pages, carriers' roaming price pages in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, and the other sources noted above on 2–3 November 2026, and we'll keep them up to date. AT&T's and T-Mobile's pages block automated checks, so we read their prices from the pages' search listings. We haven't measured speeds or coverage in Ireland ourselves, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.