What Are the Best SIM Cards for New Arrivals in Portugal? (2026)
The verdict for new arrivals
Updated August 2026. Buy UZO 100GB at EUR 8 per month for 100 GB on the MEO network. On day one you have no NIF, no registered address and no Portuguese IBAN, so the question is not what is cheapest but what you can actually buy. Prepaid removes all three requirements. If you want connectivity the moment the plane doors open, install an Airalo travel eSIM before you fly: it is data only, so treat it as a bridge rather than a plan. Get a Portuguese number in your first week regardless, because that is what MB WAY, SNS 24 and most bank sign-ups send their codes to.
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Which SIM plan is the best for new arrivals?
★ Newcomer pick
UZO 100GB
Newcomer fit 5 of 5. Activate the eSIM before you land, and get a Portuguese number with no address
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Calls
- Unlimited minutes
- Coverage
- Runs on the MEO network
Plans(4)
- UZO pay-as-you-goEUR 0
Pay per use / per month
- UZO eSIM (native, MEO network)EUR 5
100 GB / per month · Unlimited minutes · EUR 0.05 per GB
- UZO 100GBOur pick hereEUR 8
100 GB / per month · Unlimited minutes · EUR 0.08 per GB
- UZO IlimitadoEUR 10
Unlimited / per month · Unlimited minutes
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
More details
- Physical network
- MEO
- eSIM
- Yes
- NIF required
- No, prepaid
- Minimum term
- None
Best for new arrivals who want the most data per euro.
Also great
WOO 100GB
Newcomer fit 5 of 5. Digital sign-up with no address, and a Portuguese number on day one
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Calls
- 2,500 minutes
- Coverage
- Runs on the NOS network
Plans(3)
- WOO 100GBOur pick hereEUR 5
100 GB / per month · 2,500 minutes · EUR 0.05 per GB
- WOO eSIM (native, NOS network)EUR 5
100 GB / per month · EUR 0.05 per GB
- WOO IlimitadoEUR 7
Unlimited / per month · 5,000 minutes
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
More details
- Price per GB
- EUR 0.05
- Physical network
- NOS
- eSIM
- Yes
- NIF required
- No, prepaid
- Minimum term
- None
Best for new arrivals who need a different physical network.
Best value
Ready 55GB
Newcomer fit 5 of 5. Buy at the airport with no documents; English support available.
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Calls
- 1,000 minutes, 1,000 SMS
- Support
- Portuguese-only support
Plans(4)
- EasyGoEUR 0
Pay per use / per month
- Vodafone YouEUR 9.90
5 GB / per month · 500 minutes · EUR 1.98 per GB
- Ready 55GBOur pick hereEUR 10
55 GB / per month · 1,000 minutes, 1,000 SMS · EUR 0.18 per GB
- Vodafone Travel eSIM Portugal 10 GB / 7 daysEUR 10
10 GB / per month · EUR 1.00 per GB
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
More details
- Price per GB
- EUR 0.18
- Physical network
- Vodafone Portugal
- eSIM
- Yes
- NIF required
- No, prepaid
- Minimum term
- None
Best for new arrivals who need a different physical network.
English support is the weak point across the whole market. The low-cost brands are effectively Portuguese-only, and the parent brands are only somewhat better. If that matters more than price to you, the trade-off is roughly EUR 5 extra a month.
Compare two providers
Already down to two? Each comparison declares a winner on every criterion that decides the purchase.
How we ranked this for new arrivals5 criteria, weights published
A reader we describe as new arrivals is not the average reader, so this page does not use the average weights. Ease of buying carries 45% here against 30% on the general ranking, and Price per GB carries 15% here against 25% on the general ranking. The weights were fixed on 17 August 2026, before the prices were collected.
Criteria weighting
Fixed 17 August 2026, before pricing was collectedWhat is ruled out, and why
A blocker is not a drawback. It is something that makes the product unbuyable for this reader, and it caps the score at 1.0 however good the tariff is otherwise.
Blocked for this reader
What you actually need to buy a SIM on arrival
Nothing, as of August 2026. Portugal did not require identification to buy or activate a prepaid SIM, so a new arrival can hold a Portuguese number within minutes of landing without a document of any kind. A proposal to make registration mandatory was approved in the Council of Ministers in May 2026 and had not entered into force at that date. When it does, expect passports and residence permits to be accepted.
What you do need a NIF for is everything postpaid: a contract tariff runs a credit check and needs a Portuguese billing address. Get the NIF at a Finanças desk first, then decide whether a contract is worth leaving prepaid for. Most new arrivals find it is not.
If your phone takes an eSIM, activate before the flight. WOO, UZO, DIGI and Lycamobile all sell native eSIMs with a Portuguese number, activated online in minutes.
The same tariffs, ranked for other readers
View all 54 plansThe plan picker is the full market overview: every named tier from every provider with its allowance, price and EUR per GB, filterable by situation and re-rankable.Every persona page ranks the same catalogue. Only the weights differ, and each page states its own. If you are already down to two providers, the comparison pages put them side by side and declare a winner on every row.
How we compared these
Five criteria, weighted for this reader and published above, fixed on 17 August 2026 before the prices were collected. Every price comes from the provider's own page, dated in the catalogue. A blocker caps a product at 1.0. Unlimited allowances are capped at 200 GB when calculating EUR per GB, or every unlimited plan would win that column automatically.
One limit worth stating: the catalogue carries one fit score per persona, not a score per criterion, so the ordering reflects that score and the editorial reasoning behind it rather than an arithmetic weighted total. Per-criterion scoring is the next data pass; until it lands, the weights explain the ranking rather than compute it.
Of the 54 plans in the catalogue, 24 score 4 or 5 for this reader, across 8 providers. Where fewer than three providers clear that line, the third card is still the next best option available and is labelled for what it wins on, not presented as a strong fit.
Sources: provider tariff pages and ANACOM, accessed 17 August 2026. Some links earn a commission at the same rate for every provider, so no weighting favours a payer.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy a Portuguese SIM card without a NIF?
Yes, on any prepaid plan. As of August 2026 Portugal did not require identification to buy or activate a prepaid SIM, so a new arrival can have a Portuguese number the day they land. A NIF is required only for postpaid contracts, which also run a credit check and need a local billing address.
Can you get a Portuguese phone number before arriving in Portugal?
Yes, with a native eSIM. WOO, UZO, DIGI and Lycamobile all sell eSIM plans that are bought and activated online in minutes and carry a real Portuguese number, so it works the moment you land. Travel eSIMs give you data but no Portuguese number.
Why does a Portuguese phone number matter for a new arrival?
Because the local services send one-time codes to it. MB WAY, the payment app most Portuguese businesses use, the SNS 24 health line and most bank sign-ups all verify by SMS to a Portuguese mobile. A foreign number or a data-only travel eSIM cannot receive them.