Getting Connected in Germany 2026: SIM Cards, Phone Contracts, and Home Internet

By Marwan · moved to Germany in 2023 · facts verified July 2026

A working German phone number is one of the first things you actually need, before your Anmeldung, before your bank account. The good news is you can get one on day one with nothing but your passport. The part that trips people up is everything after that: which contract length actually binds you, why home internet takes so long, and a law that changed in 2021 that most guides still get wrong.

Passport only

What a SIM Card Needs

24 months

Max Initial Contract Term

1 month

Notice After Auto-Renewal

4–8 weeks

Typical Home Internet Wait

Getting a SIM Card: What You Actually Need

All you legally need is a valid passport

German law (§ 172 TKG) requires photo-ID verification before any SIM, prepaid or postpaid, is activated: your passport, national ID, or residence permit, checked via VideoIdent, PostIdent, or in person at a shop. Anmeldung is not a legal requirement for a basic prepaid SIM.

Buy prepaid before you've registered anything

Because no Anmeldung is required, a prepaid SIM is one of the first things you can sort, at the airport, a supermarket kiosk, or a phone shop, often within your first hour in the country.

Some shop staff ask for an address anyway

Bigger carrier stores and postpaid contracts often want a registered German address and IBAN even though the law doesn't require either for basic prepaid activation, that's a store policy, not § 172 TKG. Bring your passport and, if you have it, a rental confirmation or hotel booking to avoid an argument you'll win on the law but lose on store policy.

Prepaid vs Postpaid: Which to Start With

Start prepaid (Guthaben) in your first week: no contract, no credit check, top up at any supermarket till or through the provider's app. It buys you a working number while you sort out everything else.

Switch to postpaid (Vertrag) once you have your Anmeldung, a German bank account for the direct debit (SEPA-Lastschrift), and ideally a month or two of German history behind you. Postpaid plans are usually cheaper per gigabyte and often include EU roaming allowances that matter if you travel home often, but they're the ones that come with the contract-length rules further down this page.

Where to Actually Buy One

Supermarket prepaid brands (ALDI Talk, Lidl Connect, Penny Mobil and similar)

Cheap, no-commitment starter kits sold at checkout. Each rides on one of the three real networks (Telekom, Vodafone, or O2/Telefónica) through a wholesale deal, and which network changes over time as those deals get renegotiated, so check current coverage where you'll actually live before committing rather than trusting an old comparison site.

Airport and train station kiosks

Instant, but usually the most expensive starter packs you'll find. Fine for your first 48 hours; switch to something cheaper once you've had a chance to compare.

Full carrier shops (Telekom, Vodafone, O2)

Best for postpaid contracts and in-person troubleshooting. English support varies a lot by location, reliable in Berlin, Munich or Frankfurt city centres, hit or miss in smaller towns.

Discount brands and MVNOs (congstar, otelo, klarmobil, Lebara)

Often the same coverage as the parent network at a lower price, since the parent networks (Telekom owns congstar, Vodafone owns otelo) use these as budget sub-brands rather than competing with themselves on price directly.

Home Internet: DSL, Cable, Fibre, and the Long Wait

Check what's actually available at your address first: DSL/landline (Telekom, 1&1, O2), cable (Vodafone Kabel), or fibre (Glasfaser, expanding fast but still patchy outside big cities). Availability depends entirely on the building's existing wiring, not on what you'd prefer.

Sign the contract as early as possible, ideally the day you sign your rental agreement, not after you've moved in. The installation queue is the bottleneck, not the paperwork.

Expect a technician appointment (Techniker-Termin) with a half-day or full-day window, not a fixed time. Reschedules of one to two weeks happen if the first visit hits an issue.

Bridge the gap with a prepaid data SIM or mobile hotspot. A decent high-cap prepaid plan comfortably covers a household's basic needs while the fixed line gets installed.

Fibre availability is one more thing worth checking before you commit to a flat: it varies street by street even within the same city, and a building without existing fibre wiring can mean waiting on a full new installation rather than a simple activation.

The Contract Length Trap: What Changed in 2021

Under § 56 TKG, a provider cannot lock you into an initial contract term longer than 24 months, and must also offer you a 12-month alternative before you sign. The bigger change: once that initial term ends, a contract that tacitly renews (you didn't actively cancel) no longer re-locks you for another year. It becomes cancellable at any point with just 1 month's notice.

The old 12-month trap is mostly gone, but people still repeat it

Before December 2021, forgetting to cancel on time could genuinely re-lock you into another 12 months. That's no longer how the law works. If a sales rep or an old forum post tells you you're stuck for another year after your minimum term, ask them to check § 56 TKG, the rule changed and a lot of guides (and some call-centre scripts) never caught up.

Cancelling When You Move

Separately from the rule above, the Sonderkündigungsrecht (§ 60 TKG) lets you end a phone or internet contract early, mid-term, with one month's notice if you move to an address the provider genuinely can't service, including moving abroad. You'll usually need to show your new address or your Abmeldung (deregistration). This is the exact same right that applies when you eventually leave the country, see our leaving Germany checklist for how it fits into everything else you'll need to close out.

Common Traps

Customer service that's German-only and slow

Phone support queues are often German-only, especially outside business hours, and hold times with the bigger providers are a running joke in Germany for a reason. The provider's app or web chat sometimes has an English toggle even when the phone line doesn't; try that route first, and keep a translation app or a German-speaking friend on standby for anything urgent.

Technician appointments that slip

A Techniker-Termin is usually a half-day or full-day window, not a set time, and a reschedule of one to two weeks isn't unusual if the first visit hits a problem. Don't plan a work-from-home start date around the exact install day, and have a prepaid data SIM ready as backup.

Bills still arriving by post

Some providers still default new contracts to paper invoices by post rather than email. Ask for paperless billing (papierlose Rechnung) explicitly at signup, otherwise a missed payment reminder sitting in your mailbox is an easy way to rack up a late fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need my Anmeldung before I can buy a SIM card?

No. A basic prepaid SIM only requires valid photo ID under § 172 TKG, not a registered address. You can buy one at the airport on your first day. Postpaid contracts and some carrier stores ask for a German address and IBAN in practice, but that's store policy, not a legal requirement for prepaid.

Can I just use my home country's SIM when I arrive?

For your first day or two, yes, if you have EU roaming (for EU/EEA SIMs) or an international roaming pack. Beyond that it gets expensive fast for non-EU numbers, and you'll need a German number anyway for banks, doctors, deliveries and most local services, so get a German SIM within your first week.

How long does home internet actually take to get connected?

4–8 weeks from signing the contract to a working line is a realistic range, longer during high-demand periods (September/October, when students and new arrivals flood the market) or if the technician's first visit needs a reschedule. Sign the contract as soon as you have a fixed move-in date, don't wait until you've unpacked.

Is it true German phone contracts trap you for another year if you forget to cancel?

That was true before December 2021. Since the 2021 TKG reform, the maximum initial contract term is capped at 24 months (with providers required to also offer a 12-month option), and once that term ends, a contract that tacitly renews becomes cancellable at any time with just 1 month's notice. If a sales rep or an old blog tells you otherwise, the law has moved past them.

Can I cancel my phone or internet contract early if I leave Germany?

Yes. The special termination right (Sonderkündigungsrecht, § 60 TKG) lets you end a contract with one month's notice if you move somewhere the provider can't service you, including moving abroad. You'll typically need to show your new address or your Abmeldung (deregistration). See our leaving Germany checklist for the full process.

Which mobile network should I choose?

Telekom (D1) has the widest rural coverage and is generally considered the most reliable, at the highest price. Vodafone (D2) is close behind and strong in cities. O2/Telefónica has expanded a lot in urban areas but still has real gaps in the countryside. If you'll live in a big city, price usually matters more than network; if you're moving somewhere rural, check actual coverage maps for your specific address before signing anything.

Get Your Personalized Arrival Checklist

A SIM card is one small step. Get a personalized checklist that puts it in order alongside your Anmeldung, bank account and everything else, tailored to your country and situation.

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Sources

The figures and requirements on this page are based on the following official sources. Rules change — always confirm with the German embassy or authority responsible for your case.

§ 56 TKG: Vertragslaufzeit, Kündigung nach stillschweigender Vertragsverlängerung — the statutory cap on contract length and the post-renewal notice period
Bundesnetzagentur: Identverfahren Prepaid-Mobilfunk — the ID-verification requirement for prepaid SIM activation (§ 172 TKG)
Bundesnetzagentur: consumer guidance on telecom contracts — official regulator guidance for telecom consumers

Facts and figures last verified: July 2026

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