SIM card in France: how to buy, eSIM, ID, operator

We at Vibe South of France put the mobile basics for newcomers together from the pages of the regulator ARCEP, the service-public cards, the Banque de France and the operators’ own sites; checked on 24 October 2026. There are no plan prices here: operators change them faster than we update pages, and the ARCEP pages we went through give no absolute prices. What you will find is what people usually learn only at the till: what they ask for when you buy, how an eSIM works, what happens to your number and why an old phone may go silent by New Year. Who is on which network in your part of town is something people can tell you in the Vibe South of France community chat on Telegram - moving, mobile and life in the South of France.

In short: what to know before you go to the shop

Four networks and the operators that run on them

France has four networks, and ARCEP names them outright: Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR. Everything else is an MVNO, an operator without a radio network of its own: it buys capacity wholesale from these four and is itself answerable to the customer for the service. In ARCEP’s partial list of the main MVNOs (edition of 4 September 2025), Lebara and Prixtel run on SFR, Lycamobile and Auchan Telecom on Bouygues Telecom, and Nordnet on Orange.

Sosh, RED by SFR and B&You are not in ARCEP’s MVNO list: going by their pages, they are brands of the operators themselves (Orange, SFR, Bouygues). For you it comes to one thing: an MVNO has no radio network of its own, so read the coverage map (more on it below) for the network it runs on, not for the brand on the packaging.

On the deal around SFR. In June 2026 Bouygues, Free (Iliad) and Orange told ARCEP that they had signed an agreement with Altice France to buy part of SFR’s assets. According to ARCEP’s page of 19 October 2026 this is a project that the Autorité de la concurrence still has to approve: for now “nothing changes for customers”, the deal could close no earlier than the end of 2027, and the four networks would become three. Your number is kept whatever happens. If you are reading this later, check how it ended.

Prepaid or a forfait sans engagement

Prepaid (prépayé) is a card with a balance you top up, with no subscription contract. A forfait sans engagement is a monthly payment you can leave at any time. A forfait avec engagement runs for 12 or 24 months.

A figure for scale: according to ARCEP, 84.7 million SIM cards were in service in France on 30 June 2026 (not counting M2M device cards). The shares are counted separately for metropolitan France (hexagone): about 8% of cards there are prepaid, 13% in the overseas territories. Only a minority in France use prepaid, but for a newcomer it has two advantages: no French bank account is needed (Orange says you can buy the card and top it up in cash in a shop or from a buraliste) and there is no commitment.

Leaving a forfait. Without a commitment you can cancel at any time with no exit fee, and the operator must cut you off within ten full days of your request (ARCEP). A commitment cannot run for more than 24 months. If you leave early: on a 12-month term you pay all the remaining monthly payments, on a 24-month term all those left until the end of the first 12 months and then 25% of the rest (service-public F22486, 8 June 2026). Until you are sure you are staying in the city, sign a contract without a commitment: it is cheaper to get out of.

One more detail: you get 14 days to change your mind when you order online or by phone, but not in a shop. The date your own commitment ends can be found through the same 3179.

What they ask for when you buy: a document and an IBAN

You can buy a SIM freely; activation is another matter. Orange writes on its page of 15 July 2026: bring a valid ID card, passport or titre de séjour, prepaid is not activated without a document, and “this rule applies to all operators”. That is the operator’s own position, and that is how we present it.

What the law says. The law of 13 June 2025 on tackling drug trafficking obliged operators to check the identity of the holder of a prepaid card; the procedure is to be set by a decree of the Conseil d’État, and failing to carry out the check and keep the data became a separate ground for sanctioning the operator. This part of the law came into force no later than 13 June 2026. We did not find the text of the decree itself as of 24 October 2026, so go by what the operator asks for now.

Operators do it differently, and that is normal as long as you don’t mix up prepaid and a forfait:

• Bouygues, B&You (forfait): the B&You page says no special document is needed to order, an IBAN is enough (the page is undated); the payment is taken automatically. But according to the operator’s article of 23 June 2025, switching from a regular SIM to an eSIM means uploading a document: passport, ID card or titre de séjour.
• Free (forfait): an e-mail, a bank card, an IBAN and a RIO if you keep your number. In a shop, when you buy a smartphone together with a forfait, you need the original document, and cash and cheques are not accepted. The subscription terms require a “stable link with metropolitan France” and a working e-mail.
• SFR (SFR La Carte prepaid): the page names no document. Top-ups are sold in a tabac or a supermarket, and the prepaid offer is bought by people who already have an SFR La Carte SIM. Where to get the SIM itself, the page does not say.
• Orange (Mobicarte): a document at activation; you buy and top up in a shop, from a buraliste or online; delivery to your home takes 2-5 working days.

On the IBAN. The Banque de France says a creditor may not refuse an IBAN from another EU state just because it is not French. With a Ukrainian, Kazakh or Georgian IBAN you cannot count on that rule (going by the text of the page), so ask the operator. No account at all - take prepaid or first open a bank account.

eSIM and the tourist SIM

A “virtual” or “electronic” SIM card is an eSIM. It is built into a phone, tablet or watch with mobile connectivity and gives you the same plan without a plastic card.

Who has what, according to the operators’ pages on 24 October 2026:

• Orange: eSIM is available on forfaits; not on Mobicarte prepaid. New customers can take both Let’s Go and the tourist Holiday. iPhones from the XR on and iOS 12.2, Samsung and Google smartphones are compatible.
• SFR: every forfait is eSIM-compatible and the card is activated at once. You test the phone with the code *#06#: if an EID number is shown next to the IMEI, eSIM is supported.
• Free: eSIM is available straight after you subscribe to a forfait.
• Bouygues: according to the operator’s article of 23 June 2025, switching from a regular SIM to an eSIM means uploading a document (passport, ID card, titre de séjour); see above.

One trap from Orange: an eSIM does not move to a new phone automatically, and you must not delete it on the old phone before the transfer.

The tourist SIM. At Orange this is Holiday: an eSIM for 7 or 14 days, a SIM or eSIM for 31 days. Top-ups are sold in Orange shops, tabacs and Relay kiosks. The condition: within 30 days of arrival you must register the SIM in your own name, or the line will be suspended. If you order the card to your home address, don’t leave the 2-5 working days to the day you fly; in an operator’s shop the card is usually activated at once. We have not looked at third-party tourist eSIM apps: there is no official source on them.

Keeping your number: RIO and 3179

If you already have a French number, you can take it with you (service-public F22479, 6 March 2026).

1. Call 3179 from your mobile. The call is free, the number is the same for all operators and works round the clock.
2. Get your RIO (relevé d’identité opérateur): 12 characters, by voice and then by SMS.
3. Give the RIO to the new operator before you sign the contract.
4. The new operator cancels the old contract itself: you don’t have to, and the porting request counts as a cancellation.

It takes about 3 working days, you can choose the date later, and you may lose service for no more than 4 hours. You are given a RIO even after cancelling, and for 40 days after that the number can still be moved. Porting works between prepaid and a forfait in both directions. If there is a delay, a long outage, a lost number or a mistake, you can ask the operator for compensation.

A limit few people mention: porting works only within one of the seven French territories (metropolitan France, Guadeloupe with Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon). From this we conclude that a foreign number cannot be moved onto a French SIM this way; the page has no direct sentence on it.

Roaming: the EU, Ukraine, Moldova and the rest of the world

In the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (together the EEA), calls, SMS and data on your plan cost the same as at home: that has been so since 15 June 2017. Since 1 January 2026 surcharges have been lifted for trips to Ukraine and Moldova too (ARCEP, 9 July 2026). A caveat from the same page: the rule does not apply between Ukraine and Moldova themselves, nor between Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and them. The United Kingdom has been a third country since 2021, though operators may keep free roaming there voluntarily.

Caveats.

• Prepaid and “unlimited”. For prepaid and very generous plans the operator may cap mobile data abroad, and the surcharge for going over now may not be more than €1.10 per GB (€1 from 1 January 2027).
• Fair use. Before charging a surcharge, the operator watches your usage for at least 4 months: if you spend more time and data abroad than in France, you are warned.
• Lien stable. The operator may ask for proof of residence or of a “stable link” with France; otherwise you may be given a permanent surcharge in roaming within the zone. The law protects against buying cheap plans in order to live in another country.
• Lebara. According to ARCEP’s page of 9 July 2026, Lebara France Ltd had permission to charge a surcharge in roaming (the decision was published on 14 October 2025, such permissions are given for 12 months, and we did not check whether it was extended). If you are with that brand, read the contract.
• Outside the EU and the EEA. The price is whatever the contract says. Data is capped at €60 by default, a warning arrives at 80% of the limit, and after that data is blocked until you ask to continue yourself. The cap does not apply to calls and SMS. Each time you cross a border, the operator must send you a message with the prices.

Coverage: the ARCEP map and the 2G and 3G shutdown

The map. “Mon réseau mobile” was launched in September 2017 and compares the four networks for voice, SMS and data at your home and on transport. It is worth knowing what these maps are: coverage is calculated by the operators themselves, ARCEP checks its reliability (threshold 98%), while network quality is compared through separate measurements: more than a million and a half tests in 2G, 3G and 4G, indoors and outdoors, carried out by an independent company. Look at the map for your address first, then choose a network.

2G and 3G. The old networks are being closed. According to ARCEP’s table of 10 September 2026:

Orange has already had regional stages. On 31 March 2026 - Bayonne, Anglet and Biarritz, on 12 May - departments 64 and 40, on 9 June - departments 47, 46, 32, 65, 31, 82 and 09 (Toulouse is in them). For the Hérault, the Gard, the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Côte d’Azur we found no regional dates: expect the general deadline.

What it means in practice. A phone that can do only 2G (basic phones, older models from abroad) will stop working in France by the end of 2026; those with only 3G will last until 2028-2029. According to ARCEP, more than 99.8% of 2G and 3G sites are already equipped with 4G, so most modern smartphones should have no problem. The same ARCEP page has a section on how to find out whether the shutdown affects your phone and whether it works on 4G networks; check it before January.

Emergency numbers from a mobile

From a mobile you dial the same numbers as from a landline: 15 (Samu, medical emergencies), 17 (police), 18 (fire brigade), 112 (the European number: you will be routed to the right service), 114 (for deaf and hard-of-hearing people: SMS or an app, give your name, exact address and the reason), 196 (sea rescue).

The calls are free, located, given priority and do not count against your plan (service-public F33954, 25 August 2026). They work with a SIM that has no plan too: prepaid used up or the contract cancelled, as long as the card is in the phone. If after a call to a service you get a callback from 0 800 112 112, it is not spam but the rescuers. What to do about paying for an ambulance and a visit to the emergency department is covered in our guide to Carte Vitale and the sécu.

Where to complain

The order, according to ARCEP: first the operator’s customer service. If the answer is unsatisfactory or there is none within a month, you write to the service consommateur, and if that does not help, to the médiateur des communications électroniques. He takes only consumers and only those whose operator has joined his charter (most have); for a business line you need the médiateur des entreprises. As a rule you cannot go both to court and to a mediator over one dispute. A complaints number may not be a premium-rate (surtaxé) one.

One more thing: ARCEP’s pages carry a warning. If someone calls in ARCEP’s name and says your identity has been used or your line will be cut off, it is a scam: hang up.

Any questions left on SIM cards, an operator in your area or keeping your number? Ask in our chat: often someone there has recently been through the same thing in your city.

The “Vibe South of France” community chat on Telegram - moving, mobile and life in the South of France

See Also

• Moving to the South of France: paperwork step by step
• Your first 30 days in France: what to do
• Opening a bank account in France
• Titre de séjour: residence permit in France
• Carte Vitale and sécu: health insurance
• How to move to France: every legal route
• Types of French residence permit
• Life in France for Russian speakers
• Montpellier: a guide for Russian speakers