FairSIM eSIM for Serbia
Serbia is a driving and walking country. Belgrade spreads over two rivers and you will cross them more than once a day, Novi Sad is an hour up the highway, and the good parts of the south, Uvac, Tara, Đavolja Varoš, Zlatibor, are reached on roads where a phone with a live map saves an hour. Taxis are called through CarGo, restaurants answer on Viber, and half the small guesthouses have no website at all, just a phone number and a messaging app.
The rule that catches people out: Serbia is not in the European Union, so the EU roam-like-at-home rules do not apply here. A German, French or Irish SIM that costs nothing extra in Croatia can start charging the moment you cross at Batrovci or Horgoš. UK and US carriers bill Serbia as a separate daily pass. Check your carrier before you drive south, or simply turn its data roaming off.
A FairSIM eSIM connects to Yettel, mts or A1 at wholesale rates. Install it at home over Wi-Fi, land at Nikola Tesla, switch the line on, and you have data before you reach the taxi rank. A1 runs 5G in parts of the country; Yettel and mts are 4G LTE on this plan. Hotspot is included, so a laptop in a Dorćol café works off the same allowance.
- CarriersA1 Srbija, Yettel Serbia
- CompatibilityCheck if eSIM is available on your phone
- No days lostPurchase now, data will start when you arrive
Serbia eSIM plans
Plan starts: On first data use
Coverage in Serbia
- 4G LTE5G
Yettel
Listed on coverage sheets as Telenor, the name it used until the 2022 rebrand, and running on the Cetin Serbia tower network. Strong 4G LTE in cities and along the main highways.
- 4G LTE5G
mts
The Telekom Srbija network, the widest footprint in villages, mountain roads and the south. 4G LTE on this plan.
- 4G LTE5G
A1
Formerly Vip mobile. The only one of the three marked with 5G on the coverage sheet, alongside solid 4G in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš.
4G LTE across the country, with 5G where A1 has it live
Typical speed: 4G in Belgrade and Novi Sad is comfortable for maps, video calls and streaming. Speeds drop on mountain roads and in the gorges, where the signal falls back to 3G or drops out entirely.
Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac, Subotica and the A1 and A2 motorways are well covered. Expect gaps in the Uvac canyon, on parts of the Tara and Kopaonik back roads, and in the Đerdap gorge. Download offline maps before you leave the highway.
How much data do you need in Serbia?
It depends on how you travel. Find your trip below, then pick the plan that matches. You can always top up in the app.
Belgrade long weekend
Kalemegdan, Skadarlija, the splavovi on the river and a day trip to Zemun.
Why data matters: CarGo instead of street taxis, Google Maps across the bridges, restaurant bookings on Viber, and photos uploading all night.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Novi Sad and EXIT festival
A week in Vojvodina with four nights at Petrovaradin fortress.
Why data matters: Mobile tickets, meeting points in a crowd, ride shares back to the city at 5am. Festival sites get congested, so download your tickets in advance.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
Southern road trip by rental car
Zlatibor, Tara, Uvac, Đavolja Varoš and Niš over two weeks.
Why data matters: Navigation on roads with no signposts, booking guesthouses the same day, and checking fuel stops. Coverage thins in the canyons, so keep offline maps.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
Balkans multi-country loop
Belgrade with Sarajevo, Podgorica, Skopje or Sofia on the same trip.
Why data matters: Border crossings by bus or car, timetable checks, and accommodation booked on the move. Buy each country's plan from the same app, or take a regional plan.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
Remote work month in Belgrade
An apartment in Vračar or Dorćol and a co-working desk.
Why data matters: Hotspot for the laptop when the flat Wi-Fi stalls, daily calls on Zoom and Teams, and a backup line that does not depend on the landlord's router.
- 7 days
- 20 GB
- 14 days
- Unlimited
- 30 days
- Unlimited
What your home carrier charges in Serbia
Daily roaming passes look small until you multiply them by the length of the trip. FairSIM plans for Serbia start at $5.99 and never bill per day.
| Carrier | Roaming charge | FairSIM |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T International Day Pass (US) | $12 per day per line, $6 for each additional line, charged only on the days you use it | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| Verizon TravelPass (US) | $12 per line per day, 5 GB of high-speed data per day then slower speeds | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| EE (UK) | £6 per day, £30 for 7 days or £50 for 15 days, using your UK allowance | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| Vodafone UK | £8 per day, £6 on plans started before 11 August 2021 | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| Telekom (Germany) | No per-MB data: a Travel & Surf pass from €5.95 for 2 days or €49.95 for 4 weeks, unless your MagentaMobil plan's yearly non-EU allowance covers the trip | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| Telstra International Day Pass (Australia) | A$10 per day with 2 GB of data | from $5.99, no daily fee |
Carrier prices as published on their roaming pages at the time of writing. They change often; check your own plan before you fly.
How FairSIM works
Three steps between you and the internet abroad. Nothing to pick up at the airport.
Pick a destination and a plan
Choose the country or region and the data you need. The price you see is the price you pay.
Tap install
On iPhone (iOS 17.4+) the eSIM installs in one tap, no QR code. Do it at home while you still have Wi-Fi.
Land and connect
Turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line when you arrive. Your plan starts when it first connects.
Connectivity tips for Serbia
Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and turn the line on after landing. Validity normally starts at the first connection to a Serbian network.
If your carrier is European, check its Serbia rate before you cross the border. EU roaming rules stop at the Serbian frontier.
Foreigners must register their address with the police within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels and hostels do it for you; if you rent a private apartment, ask the host to confirm the white card is filed.
Use CarGo in Belgrade. Uber and Bolt do not operate in Serbia, and street taxis at the airport are the classic overcharge.
Download Google Maps offline for Serbia before driving to Uvac, Tara or the Đerdap gorge. Signal disappears in the canyons.
Keep some dinars in cash. Cards work in cities, but kiosks, markets, small bakeries and rural guesthouses often do not take them.
Save numbers with the +381 country code and add contacts on Viber. It is the app businesses answer on.
Keep your home SIM active for bank one-time codes, with its data roaming switched off so it never bills you.
Can you rely on free Wi-Fi?
Free Wi-Fi is easy to find in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Almost every café, bakery and bar has it, hotels include it, and there are public hotspots around the main squares and along the riverfront. It is fine for messages and browsing while you sit down. What it does not cover is the part of the trip where you need data most: walking between districts at night, waiting for a CarGo, reading a bus timetable in Kraljevo, or navigating the road to Uvac. Treat Wi-Fi as a bonus, not as your plan.
Local SIM card or eSIM in Serbia?
mts, Yettel and A1 all sell prepaid starter packs, and you will find their shops in every shopping centre plus small Trafika kiosks on most Belgrade streets. Packs cost a few hundred dinars with a data bundle on top, and top-ups are sold as scratch vouchers at kiosks and supermarkets. Bring your passport in case the shop asks for ID, and be ready for the menus and the top-up instructions to be in Serbian, sometimes in Cyrillic.
The trade-off is time and language. At Nikola Tesla airport the operator counters keep shop hours rather than running around the clock, so a late arrival means a night without data or a taxi negotiated on the pavement. A FairSIM eSIM is installed before you fly, roams on the same Yettel, mts and A1 towers, keeps your home number reachable on the other line, and lets you buy the next country's plan from the same app when you head to Sarajevo or Skopje.
Serbia eSIM questions
Does eSIM work in Serbia?
Yes. An unlocked eSIM phone connects to Yettel, mts or A1 with a travel eSIM. On iPhone that means XS, XR or newer; most recent Pixel, Samsung Galaxy S and Motorola models support eSIM too.
Which network will my Serbia eSIM use?
Yettel, mts or A1, depending on the plan and where you are. The app shows the networks for each plan before you buy.
Is there 5G in Serbia?
A1 is the network marked with 5G on our coverage sheet, so 5G is possible where A1 has it live and your phone supports it. Yettel and mts are 4G LTE here, and 4G is what you should expect across most of the country.
Do EU roaming rules cover Serbia?
No. Serbia is not in the EU, so roam-like-at-home does not apply. EU, UK and US carriers bill Serbia separately, usually as a daily pass. That is the main reason travellers use an eSIM here.
Can I use Personal Hotspot in Serbia?
Yes. FairSIM plans support Personal Hotspot, with no separate cap. Tethering a laptop draws from the same allowance.
How much data do I need for a week in Serbia?
A Belgrade long weekend with maps and messaging runs 3 to 5 GB. A week including Novi Sad and some driving is closer to 10 GB. Add more if you stream or work from cafés.
Will my eSIM work in Kosovo, Bosnia or Montenegro?
Not on a Serbia-only plan. Each is a separate destination in the app, or you can take a regional Europe plan that covers several of them on one profile.
Where can I buy a SIM at Belgrade airport?
mts, Yettel and A1 have counters and kiosks in the terminal, but they keep shop hours rather than opening around the clock. An eSIM installed before you fly avoids the question entirely.
Local SIM or eSIM for Serbia?
A local prepaid SIM is cheap but means a queue, possibly a passport check, Serbian-language menus and a second number. A travel eSIM is set up before departure, roams on the same networks, and keeps your home number reachable.
What is an eSIM?
A SIM card built into your phone. Instead of a plastic chip, you download a profile. Every iPhone since the XS has one next to the physical SIM slot, so your home number stays put while FairSIM supplies the data.
Is my phone compatible?
FairSIM works with eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked iPhones: the XS, XR and everything newer, on iOS 17.4 or later for the one-tap install with no QR code. iPhones bought in mainland China do not support eSIM at all, even when unlocked. Not sure yours is unlocked? Check Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock, or ask your carrier. The full list is on the How it works page.
When should I install my eSIM?
Before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi. Installing does not start your plan; the validity typically starts when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination.
Do FairSIM eSIMs come with a phone number?
No. FairSIM eSIMs are data-only by design, which keeps costs low. For calls and texts, your physical SIM stays active so you keep your existing number, and WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over data.
