Welkom to the Netherlands. You’ve decided you want to visit this amazing country. Maybe you want to see its beautiful countryside with its bulb fields and its windmills, or spend a couple of days in one (or more) of its vibrant cities. You feel like trying some Dutch specialties such as Poffertjes, or enjoying its famous cheeses, and you definitely are ready to get on a bike to fully experience the Dutch way of living.
But before that, you have to make sure you can connect to the internet without being charged those overpriced roaming costs. If you want to prepare for your trip, get yourself an eSIM to make sure you can connect safely the moment you reach the Netherlands.
Contents / Contenidos
- 1 What’s an eSIM?
- 2 Our Top 5 eSIM providers for Netherlands: prices and features
- 2.1 Orange eSIM holidays: Unbeatable Price per Gb
- 2.2 Nomad Starter pack/Value pack: limited data
- 2.3 eSIM MEO Enjoy Europe: Great Price per Gb with no Identity Check
- 2.4 Airalo: Cheap plans with limited data
- 2.5 Holafly: Unlimited data for a higher price
- 2.6 How do I get an eSIM for the Netherlands?
- 2.7 Apple
- 2.8 Samsung
- 2.9 Google
- 2.10 Huawei
- 2.11 Motorola
- 2.12 Xiaomi
- 3 How to activate your eSim
- 4 Buy online the best eSIM for Netherlands
- 5 Best eSIM Netherlands FAQ
What’s an eSIM?
An eSIM is a virtual SIM card installed on your phone used to connect to any operator that offers eSIM services with a mobile device.
The eSIM card works like a traditional SIM card. You can connect to the network without having to use a physical SIM card.
You can change networks without switching your SIM card for a new one or changing devices.
It is a useful solution if you’re having connection issues or, like in this case, you’re travelling abroad and you’re worried about roaming costs and additional fees in your data plans.
Our Top 5 eSIM providers for Netherlands: prices and features
Provider | Data | Price | Price/Gb | Validity | Features |
Orange | 🏆 Orange eSIM Holidays 30GB | 25 € | 0.83€/Gb | 15 days | 100 Minutes of International Voice Calls, SMS for Additional Credit, Identity check, Tethering/hotspot, Orange. |
Nomad | Starter pack/Value Pack 3Gb 5Gb 1Gb 15Gb 10Gb | €11.5 €13.5 €6 €25.5 €18.5 | 3.83 €/Gb 2.7 €/Gb 6 €/Gb 1.7 €/Gb 1.8 €/Gb | 30 days 30 days1 day 30 days 30 days | Data only, 4g/LTE, Tethering/hotspot, KPN |
eSim MEO | Enjoy Europe 15Gb 5Gb | €25 €15 | 1.66 €/Gb 3 €/Gb | 15 days | |
Airalo | Hè Hè 1Gb 3Gb 5Gb 10Gb | €5.66 ($6) €11.30 ($12) €16.97 ($18) €25.46 ($27) | 5.66 €/Gb 3.76 €/Gb 3.39 €/Gb 2.54 €/Gb | 7 days 30 days 30 days 30 days | Data only, tethering/hotspot yes, KPN |
Holafly | Unlimited Europe eSIM | €19 €34 €47 €57 €69 €87 €99 | N/A | 5 days 10 days 15 days 20 days 30 days 60 days 90 days | Data only, no tethering/hotspot,T-Mobile |
*Data collected in 2024
Orange eSIM holidays: Unbeatable Price per Gb
This is our top choice: The best price per Gb with a large amount of data and a phone number to receive calls and make them.
It is an ideal choice if you’re travelling to the Netherlands. 30Gb of data at 4G/LTE for 25€.
It allows tethering so you can use your mobile phone as a hotspot to connect other devices. You won’t depend on public Wi-Fi to connect to your office, or to meet with a client.
The Identity check required by Spanish law won’t be a hassle thanks to a simple and streamlined process. Simply follow the steps during checkout.
Remember to check if your device is compatible with Orange eSIM holidays.
Nomad Starter pack/Value pack: limited data
This eSim provider has a few options to fulfil your data needs (and just your data needs since it doesn’t offer a phone number), however, the limited amount of Gb can be a burden if you need to Top Up your data.
While its cheapest plan provides 1Gb for 1 day, all other plans offer a validity of 30 days with a lower amount of data than eSIM Holidays.
With several price ranges depending on the amount of data, the most competitive would be the 15Gb for 25.5€, offering 1.7 €/Gb.
eSIM MEO Enjoy Europe: Great Price per Gb with no Identity Check
eSIM MEO offers two plans with different amounts of data for 15 days. One with 5Gb and another one with 15Gb, for 15€ and 25€ respectively.
With no Identity Check needed, the price they offer is a good option for those who don’t want to go through the hassle of registering their identity.
The price per Gb of their 15Gb option (1.66 €/Gb) puts this eSIM in our third position, while the 5Gb eSIM offers a price per Gb of 3€.
Airalo: Cheap plans with limited data
Airalo offers very cheap plans with a very limited amount of data. If you’re travelling on a tight budget, Airalo is a good option, but offers less data than our top coice.
The eSIMs provided by Airalo offer a very limited amount of Gb (1Gb, 3Gb, 5Gb, 10Gb) so even at their low price ranging from 6€ to 27€, the price per Gb is higher than our previous choices.
Holafly: Unlimited data for a higher price
Holafly is the only choice offering unlimited data plans. But is more expensive than our top choice.
While their plans are not limited by data, they are limited by the number of days. Ranging from 5 days up to 90 days, for prices from 19€ (5 days) to 99€ (90 days), you should really plan ahead if the amount of data you’ll be using is worth the price.
So unless you’re planning to stay for 60 days in the Netherlands, its price-per-day is way more expensive than our top choice.
You should also know that tethering is not allowed, so if you are planning on connecting to your home office, or sharing your data with any of the devices you’ve taken to your trip, you won’t be able to use your phone as a hotspot.
How do I get an eSIM for the Netherlands?
Before purchasing your eSIM card, check if your mobile phone supports eSIM. Here’s a list of compatible devices, but you should also check with the eSIM provider you want to purchase.
Apple
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd, 3rd)
- iPad Pro (Cellular only, 3rd generation 12.9”, 2nd generation 11”)
- iPad Air (Cellular only, 3rd generation and newer)
- iPad (Cellular only, 7th generation and newer)
- iPad Mini (Cellular only, 5th generation and newer)
- Apple Watch Series 3 (and newer)
Samsung
- Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Note20
- Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S23 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S23+ 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G
- Samsung Galaxy FE
- Samsung Galaxy S22
- Samsung Galaxy S22+
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy 21 FE
- Samsung Galaxy S20
- Samsung Galaxy S20+
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Fold, Z Fold3 5G, Z Fold4 5G, Z Fold5 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, Z FLip 5G, Z Flip3 5G, Z Flip4 5G, Z Flip5 5G
- Samsung Gear S2 3G
- Galaxy Watch y Galaxy Watch 3,4,5 y 6
- Galaxy Watch Active 2
- Google Pixel 8 Pro
- Google Pixel 8
- Google Pixel 7a
- Google Pixel 3XL
- Google Pixel 3
Huawei
- Huawei P40 Pro 5G
- Huawei P40 5G
- Huawei Mate 40 pro
- Watch 2 y 3
Motorola
- Motorola RAZR 40 Ultra
- Motorola EDGE 40 Neo
- Motorla Moto G54 5G
Xiaomi
- Xiaomi 12T Pro
- Xiaomi 13
- Xiaomi 13 Pro
- Xiaomi 13 Lite
- Xiaomi 13T
- Xiaomi 13T Pro
- Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro
Other devices such as Oppo, Honor, Montblanc and many others may also be compatible with eSIM.
Laptops and tablets that support eSIM
ACER devices
· ACER Swift 3
· ACER Swift 7
· Acer TravelMate P2
· Acer TravelMate Spin P4
· Acer TravelMate P6
ASUS devices
· ASUS Mini Transformer T103HAF
· ASUS NovaGo TP370QL
· ASUS Vivobook Flip 14 TP401NA
Dell devices
· Dell Latitude 7210 2-in-1
· Dell Latitude 9410
· Dell Latitude 7310
· Dell Latitude 7410
· Dell Latitude 9510
· Dell Latitude 5410
· Dell Latitude 5411
· Dell Latitude 5511
HP devices
· HP Spectre Folio 13
· HP Elite x2 G2, G3
· HP Envy x2
· HP EliteBook G4, G5 Notebook PC
· HP Probook G3, G4, G5 Notebook PC
· HP Zbook G4, G5 Mobile Workstation
· HP Zbook Studio G5
· HP mt32 Mobile Thin Client
LENOVO devices
· Lenovo Yoga C630
· Lenovo Miix 630
· Lenovo Yoga 520
· Lenovo Yoga 720 convertible laptops
· Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 2 in 1
· Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9
· Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
· Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
· Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable
· Lenovo Flex 5G
SAMSUNG tablets
· Samsung Galaxy Book
· Samsung Galaxy Book 2
Microsoft devices
· Surface Go
· Surface Go 2
· Surface Pro X
· Surface Pro 5 LTE Advanced
· Surface Pro 7+
· Surface Neo
You should also check if your phone is able to get service from different providers, i.e., if it is not carrier locked.
Now that you’ve made sure your phone supports eSIM by checking this list of compatible devices, you can purchase any eSIM card online, and set it up even before reaching your destination in the Netherlands.
You’ll receive an email with a QR code and a step-by-step guide on how to activate it.
How to activate your eSim
eSIM for iOs
- Go to the Settings app.
- Connect to a Wi-Fi Network.
- Select “Mobile Data”
- Select “Add Data Plan”
- Scan the QR Code sent to your email.
- Select “Add Data Plan”
- Enter the PIN found in the same email
- Enjoy your trip to the Netherlands!
eSIM for android
- Open “Settings”.
- Connect to a Wi-Fi Network.
- Select “Connections”
- Select “SIM Card Manager”
- Select “Add Mobile Plan”
- Select “Add using QR Code”
- Scan the QR Code sent to your email.
- Enter the PIN found in the same email.
- Enjoy your trip to the Netherlands!
Buy online the best eSIM for Netherlands
Best eSIM Netherlands FAQ
Does eSIM work in the Netherlands?
Yes, you can purchase your eSIM even before reaching the Netherlands and enjoy it as soon as you turn on your phone.
Which eSIM is best in the Netherlands?
Our top pick is Orange eSIM Holidays, providing the best price per Gb and offering 100 minutes of international voice calls.
Are eSIMs cheap?
eSIMs are usually more expensive than purchasing a local SIM, but they are cheaper than getting an international roaming plan from your home data provider.
Can I keep my WhatsApp number with an eSIM?
With an eSIM, you can use WhatsApp as usual. When you activate an eSIM, your WhatsApp number will remain the same.
Do I have to activate data roaming on my device?
Yes. Make sure that the data roaming from your home service provider is turned off, or disable the “Allow cellular data switching” option when choosing your new eSIM as your cellular data plan and turn on Data Roaming on your new Cellular Data (your eSIM).