SIM Cards and eSIMs in Bulgaria: Prices and Where to Buy

A prepaid SIM in Bulgaria with 6 to 12 GB of data costs about €4 to €6 from Yettel or Vivacom, and an EU phone plan needs nothing extra at all. Here is who needs one, what Vivacom, A1 and Yettel charge, where to buy a SIM in Sofia, how eSIMs compare, and how much data a trip uses.

Do you need a SIM card in Bulgaria?

Bulgaria is in the EU, so the answer depends on where your phone plan comes from. EU and EEA plans fall under "Roam Like At Home": you use your normal allowance in Bulgaria at no extra charge, within a fair-use cap. Everyone else pays their home network's roaming rates, and those are where a local SIM or an eSIM saves real money.

A US day pass keeps your own number, and you pay it again every day you use it. If you mainly want maps and WhatsApp, a 5 GB eSIM for the week is the better buy.

Bulgaria's three mobile networks

Bulgaria has three mobile networks, and all three sell prepaid SIM cards to visitors from their stores in Sofia. For a city break in Sofia, I'd buy from whichever store is closest.

Outside the cities, the network shows. Vivacom reaches the road to Rila, the trailhead for the Seven Rila Lakes and the Rhodope villages better than the other two. For hiking, pick Vivacom.

Prepaid SIM card prices in 2026

These were the tourist plans on sale in the summer of 2026, with the old lev prices converted at the fixed 1.95583 and rounded. Every plan needs an unlocked phone.

A1's starter is the dearest of the three for the data, and you top up calls and texts separately.

Where to buy a SIM card in Sofia

The first SIM shops you see are in the arrivals hall at Sofia Airport, right in front of you as you come through the sliding doors from baggage claim. They are the most convenient and the most expensive.

In the center, all three networks have shops on Vitosha Boulevard, the pedestrian shopping street between St Nedelya Church and NDK. A1 also has counters inside some Kaufland supermarkets. If the person at the counter has little English, ask for a colleague who speaks it. Bring your passport, which some stores ask for. Buying a SIM in a network store takes about ten minutes, set-up included.

Some convenience stores and gas stations also sell SIM cards, though I'd only buy one there if every network store is closed.

eSIMs for Bulgaria

An eSIM is a data plan you install on your phone from a QR code, with no physical card to swap. Buy it before you fly and your phone connects as soon as the plane lands. Travel eSIMs are data only, so calls go over WhatsApp or another app.

Most eSIM stores price their fixed-data Bulgaria plans in US dollars, while everything you pay for on the ground has been in euros since Bulgaria switched to the euro in January 2026. The euro prices below are the sellers' own, from their Bulgaria pages in November 2026.

Airalo is the one I'd buy for most trips, because its plans run on Vivacom. Holafly's plans use all three networks, which suits a trip that moves between the cities and the mountains.

Unlimited eSIM plans

Almost every "unlimited" travel eSIM gives you a daily allowance at full speed and slows you down after it. Airalo's unlimited plans run at full speed for 3 GB a day. Holafly's can be slowed for up to a day under the networks' fair-use policy, and then full speed returns.

Most visitors never need one. I'd only buy unlimited if you stream video every day or run a laptop off your phone.

How much data you need in Bulgaria

Google Maps uses about 5 to 10 MB an hour of navigation, so a full day of finding your way costs under 100 MB. Browsing, messages and photos make up the rest, and around 3 GB a week is typical.

Taxi apps only work online, and taxis in Sofia come through apps such as TaxiMe and Yellow!, since Uber and Bolt send no cars. Route planners need data too, and getting around Sofia on trams and buses is easiest with Google Maps or Moovit open.

Checking your phone before you buy

Two things must be true before any foreign SIM or eSIM works: the phone has to be carrier-unlocked, and for an eSIM it has to support one. Check both at home, since the arrivals hall is a bad place to find out.

To check for eSIM support, dial *#06# on the keypad. If an EID number appears next to the IMEI, the phone has an eSIM. For the lock, ask your home network to confirm the phone is carrier-unlocked before you travel.

Using your SIM beyond Bulgaria

Bulgarian prepaid SIMs have limited data for the rest of the EU, so they suit a trip that stays mostly in Bulgaria. For a route through several EU countries, a regional eSIM is simpler.

North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey are outside the EU, and EU roaming rules stop at their borders. A Balkans itinerary from Sofia through Skopje or Belgrade needs a plan that lists those countries by name.

Mobile coverage in the mountains

Download offline maps before you drive to Rila Monastery or hike the trails above it, whatever your network. Those mountain roads are where I'd expect a Yettel signal to fade first, and a saved map keeps working without one.