Roam like at home in the EU with a Ukrainian SIM in 2026: where it works, how many GB and what changed

Mykyta Dzhus · Updated 2026-11-13 · 20 min read · eSIM & mobile data

Since 1 January 2026 a Ukrainian SIM works almost like at home in the 27 EU countries: calls, texts and data on your own plan, with no daily roaming packs. The key word is “almost”. You usually get fewer gigabytes in the EU than at home. Norway, the UK or Moldova are “like at home” with one operator only or under a promo with an end date, and Turkey and Montenegro are outside the zone altogether. Here is where and on what terms Roam like at home works for Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine and lifecell, how many GB you get, where extra charges wait and what to check before the trip. All data checked against the operators' and regulators' own pages on 12 November 2026.

In short

• By law Roam like at home applies in the 27 EU countries since 1 January 2026 for all three operators: Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine and lifecell. The decision has no end date.
• Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the United Kingdom and Moldova are not covered by the law. Kyivstar adds them to its own “Roam like at home”. Vodafone gives 10 GB a month under a promo until 31 March 2027, lifecell gives your plan's GB under a promo until 31 December 2026. Both promos apply to some plans only.
• Turkey, Switzerland, Montenegro: no operator offers like-at-home by law. There is a lifecell promo, a Vodafone promo in Switzerland, and a paid Kyivstar pack of 5 GB for UAH 125 in Turkey.
• Egypt, UAE, Albania, Georgia, Thailand, USA: ordinary roaming, 1 GB without a pack costs UAH 384 to 1,024 depending on the operator.
• How many GB in the EU: not your full allowance but a share set by the regulator's formula. Kyivstar SuperGig, unlimited at home, gives 20 GB in the EU; Vodafone Flexx GO gives 15 GB.
• Beyond that: lifecell charges UAH 50 per GB, Kyivstar UAH 0.06 per MB (about UAH 61 per GB).
• Fair use won't hit a tourist: operators look at at least 4 months of use.
• Ferries, cruise ships, planes use maritime, aviation or satellite networks, and Roam like at home does not apply there. Vodafone Ukraine charges UAH 10 per 100 KB at sea.
• Check your country and your operator in 10 seconds: where Roam like at home works.

What changed on 1 January 2026

Before 2026 a Ukrainian SIM in Poland or Italy worked like any other roaming: daily packs, pay per megabyte, and the risk of a bill of several thousand hryvnias for a week's holiday. Since 1 January 2026 Ukraine is officially in the EU's Roam like at Home area. This was announced by Ukraine's National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCEC) and the Ministry of Digital Transformation.

The legal basis is Decision No. 2/2025 of the EU–Ukraine Association Committee in Trade configuration of 16 July 2025 on mutual internal market treatment for roaming. It works both ways: for Ukrainians in the EU and for EU subscribers in Ukraine. Neither the decision nor the NCEC and European Commission pages give an end date.

What this means in practice:

• minutes, texts and part of your plan's data work in the EU at no extra charge, just like at home;
• you don't have to switch anything on: with Kyivstar the terms apply automatically once you cross the border;
• EU data is capped by a formula, so an unlimited plan gives you 20–25 GB in Poland, not unlimited;
• for people who live in the EU permanently there are fair use rules, see below.

Separately from the decision, the operators made a joint statement for Ukrainians living permanently in the EU: according to Ekonomichna Pravda, it applies from 1 January 2026 to 4 March 2027.

One more change few people noticed: the wholesale cap used to calculate your EU gigabytes goes down every year. It was €1.3 per GB in 2025, €1.1 in 2026 and will be €1.0 in 2027. The lower the cap, the more GB for the same plan price.

Where it applies by law: the 27 EU countries

Under the Ukraine–EU decision, Roam like at home applies in all 27 EU member states and nowhere else:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Islands and overseas territories people ask about most:

• Spain: the Canary Islands and Ibiza are included (Kyivstar lists them explicitly).
• Portugal: Madeira and the Azores are included.
• France: Corsica is included; Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana are on Kyivstar's list.
• Cyprus: only the Republic of Cyprus. Northern Cyprus is excluded; Kyivstar says “except Northern Cyprus”.
• Finland: Kyivstar excludes the Åland Islands from Roam like at home; they are in its tariff zone 2.
• Vatican City and San Marino: not EU members, but Kyivstar counts them in the zone together with Italy. lifecell covers the Vatican under its promo until 31 December 2026; for Vodafone we found no data.

For any country on the list the answer is the same with all three operators: plan minutes, texts and part of the data at no extra charge. To check a particular country, type it into the search on our Roam like at home page.

Norway, the UK, Moldova, Switzerland: operators' terms, not the law

Most of the confusion is about countries that are in Europe but outside the agreement. On 20 April 2026 the Slovenian regulator AKOS explained that the European Economic Area countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) are not part of the Ukraine–EU agreement, and that there is no agreement between Ukraine and Moldova. Switzerland and the UK are in neither the EU nor the EEA.

So in these countries everything depends on your operator and even your plan. Here is the picture as of 12 November 2026:

Kyivstar includes the UK, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Moldova, as well as the Vatican and San Marino, in its own Roam like at home. Plan minutes, texts and part of the data work there as in the EU. But it is the operator's choice, not the law, and it applies to plans with Roam like at home.

Vodafone Ukraine “Affordable roaming”: 10 GB a month at no extra charge in Azerbaijan, the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Norway and Switzerland. Only on the listed plans: prepaid with an active package, contract with the bill paid. After 10 GB you get up to 20 packs a day of 300 MB for UAH 20. The promo has been extended to 31 March 2027.

lifecell “Gigabytes without borders”: your plan's GB at no extra charge in the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Norway, Turkey, Montenegro, Switzerland and the Vatican. The amount depends on the plan (1 to 22 GB on the promo page). Conditions: the SIM was activated more than 56 days ago and you have paid for at least two 4-week packages; ported numbers are excluded, except “Svoia SIM”. Promo until 31 December 2026.

If you are with lifecell and your trip to London or Oslo is in January 2027, the promo may no longer apply. Check the date on the operator's page before you go, or in our table for the UK.

Turkey, Egypt, the UAE and the Balkans: this is roaming

The most common myth is “now data in Turkey is like at home”. It isn't. Turkey is not in the EU, and by law no operator offers like-at-home there. The same goes for Egypt, the UAE, Georgia, Thailand, the USA and the non-EU Balkans (Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia).

If you don't buy anything, the phone uses daily packs: Kyivstar 200 MB for UAH 75, the next pack starts automatically (up to 99 a day); Vodafone 150 MB for UAH 75 (up to 50 a day); lifecell in Turkey 150 MB for UAH 100. This is what 1 GB costs without a pack:

A week of maps, messengers and beach photos easily adds up to 5–7 GB. Without a pack in Turkey that is UAH 1,900 to 4,800 depending on the operator.

Cheaper options from the operators themselves:

Kyivstar's 5 GB pack for UAH 125 works in Turkey, the UAE, Azerbaijan, South Korea, Serbia and the USA, but only if your plan includes Roam like at home. It is a paid pack, not like-at-home. Kyivstar's Travel SIM starts right after payment, not on first use, so buy it on the day you fly.

You can work out your own trip by days, operator and how much you use your phone in the roaming cost calculator, and see travel eSIM prices from different providers for Turkey in our eSIM price comparison.

How many GB you get in the EU: the formula

“Like at home” is about price, not volume. Minutes and texts in the EU usually come from your plan, but you get fewer gigabytes than in Ukraine. The amount is set by a formula from NCEC Resolution No. 411 of 7 August 2024 (Vodafone and lifecell quote it):

minimum EU GB = plan price without taxes ÷ (wholesale cap € per GB × NBU euro rate) × 2

• Price without taxes: the plan price divided by 1.275 (minus 20% VAT and the 7.5% pension fund levy).
• Wholesale cap: €1.3 per GB in 2025, €1.1 in 2026, €1.0 in 2027.
• Euro rate: the National Bank of Ukraine's average rate on 15 January, 15 February and 15 March; operators apply it from 15 May.

Vodafone's example: for a plan at UAH 420 per 4 weeks the minimum is about 12 GB, and Vodafone gives 15. Operators may give more than the formula, and often do.

A rough rule from this example: about 3 GB in the EU for every UAH 100 of plan price. A UAH 200 plan gives roughly 6 GB, a UAH 500 plan roughly 14 GB. Your operator shows the exact number: Kyivstar's plan pages have a field for the GB that work in Roam like at home countries, and lifecell lists it on each plan page and via *108*5#.

In 2027 the cap drops from €1.1 to €1.0, so at the same plan price and exchange rate the minimum grows by about 10%.

Kyivstar and Vodafone plans: how many GB work in the EU

Real figures from the operators' sites as of 12 November 2026:

What the table shows:

• Unlimited at home is not unlimited in the EU. Kyivstar's unlimited plans give 20–25 GB in the EU.
• Cheap plans give 12 GB. That is VSE RAZOM Komfort and the kids' plan: about 0.85 GB a day on a two-week holiday.
• In a family the EU allowance depends on each SIM's plan, so check every number, especially the children's: the kids' plan gives 12 GB.

How much data do you need? We count it like this (the same norms as in our calculator): 0.5 GB a day for maps and messengers, 1 GB a day with social media and photos, 2 GB a day if you watch video or share data with the kids. A week at the middle rate is 7 GB, two weeks 14 GB. A plan with 12 GB in the EU may not last two weeks with social media.

When the GB run out: extra charges and limits

What happens after you use up your EU allowance:

There is also protection against a huge bill, different for each operator:

• EU rules: a notice when 80% of the allowance is used, and a €50 limit on extra spending.
• Kyivstar: default limits of UAH 2,000 and 4,000.
• Vodafone: since 1 January 2026 plans with roaming have monthly spending limits: a warning at €50; at €100 a text and a temporary suspension of mobile data in roaming until the end of the month unless you confirm. The service is managed via *600*17# or “My services” in My Vodafone.

Tip: if you need more than your plan gives, buying extra GB from your own operator in the EU for UAH 50–61 is often no more expensive than a separate eSIM. Compare before you go.

Fair use: can a tourist be charged extra?

Roam like at home is meant for trips, not for living abroad permanently on a Ukrainian SIM. So fair use rules apply:

• the operator looks at your use over at least 4 months (lifecell: 123 days);
• if over that period both your usage and your days in the EU outweigh Ukraine, you get a warning;
• you have 14 days to change the pattern, after that a surcharge may apply;
• lifecell's surcharge: UAH 60 per GB, UAH 1 per minute outgoing, UAH 0.10 per minute incoming, UAH 0.15 per text. We found no surcharge amounts on Kyivstar's or Vodafone's sites.

A 1–3 week tourist is not affected. Even a month-long holiday won't outweigh 4 months of use at home.

If you live in the EU and use a Ukrainian SIM every day, keep two things in mind: the operators' joint statement for such subscribers runs until 4 March 2027, and Vodafone warns that after 90 days local operators may restrict roaming.

Do you need to switch anything on?

• Kyivstar: no. The terms “activate automatically as soon as you cross the border” of a listed country, on plans with Roam like at home.
• Vodafone: on prepaid, Roam like at home works only with an active service package. If the package isn't paid, there is no like-at-home. On contract the bill must be paid.
• lifecell: works within your paid package. On plans without roaming, Roam like at home does not work.
• Your phone: data roaming must be on. On iPhone the switch is in the Mobile Data settings.

For Vodafone prepaid the key rule: top up and make sure the package is paid before you fly. If the package renews abroad and there isn't enough money, you will be offline exactly when you need it.

Ferries, cruise ships, planes and satellite

On a ferry, a cruise ship or a plane your phone connects not to a country's land network but to a maritime, aviation or satellite one. That is not Roam like at home, even if you are sailing from Italy to Greece or flying from Warsaw to Barcelona.

• Vodafone Ukraine: UAH 10 per 100 KB at sea (over UAH 100 per MB), UAH 20 per 100 KB on a plane.
• Satellite networks are not covered by EU rules and have no price caps.
• In the harbour or at the airport, on an ordinary land network, the usual rules apply.

What to do: before boarding a ferry or a cruise ship, turn off data roaming or switch to airplane mode and use the onboard Wi-Fi if there is one. One background photo backup on a maritime network can cost more than the cruise.

Near borders: the neighbouring country's network

Near a border your phone may pick up a neighbouring country's network by itself, including one outside the EU. Then you pay that country's rates. For example, in the French or Italian Alps near Switzerland, in southern Croatia near Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. And Monaco itself is outside the EU: for Kyivstar it is roaming, tariff zone 1.

The operators' advice: choose the network manually and watch the operator name on the screen. In the mobile data settings turn off automatic network selection and pick a network of the EU country you are in.

Typical cases

A week in Kraków on Kyivstar Mobilnyi Lehkyi. Poland is in the EU, so nothing to switch on. You get 18 of your 20 GB in the EU, plenty for a week at the middle rate.

A family on Vodafone prepaid in Italy. Like-at-home works only with an active package. Pay the package on every number before you leave. On Flexx GO each number gets 15 GB in the EU.

Antalya with lifecell. Turkey is outside the EU, but the “Gigabytes without borders” promo gives your plan's GB until 31 December 2026 if the SIM is older than 56 days and at least two 4-week packages are paid. A number ported from another operator is excluded, except “Svoia SIM”. Otherwise 1 GB without a pack is about UAH 683.

Antalya with Vodafone. Ordinary roaming: about UAH 512 per GB without a pack, or GigaRoaming at 1 GB for 7 days for UAH 300. Compare with a travel eSIM in our price comparison.

London with Kyivstar and with Vodafone. Kyivstar treats the UK as like at home. Vodafone gives 10 GB a month under its “Affordable roaming” promo on some plans only, until 31 March 2027.

Skiing in Switzerland with Kyivstar. For Kyivstar Switzerland is ordinary roaming, tariff zone 1. On plans with Roam like at home, your plan's GB can be used on a day when the UAH 75 base pack is paid. A week with data every day costs 7 × 75 = UAH 525.

A cruise from Barcelona. In port, on a Spanish network, everything is like at home. Once the ship is at sea, the phone may switch to a maritime network and EU rules stop applying. Airplane mode and the ship's Wi-Fi.

Montenegro with Kyivstar. Montenegro is outside the EU; for Kyivstar it is tariff zone 1, about UAH 384 per GB without a pack. lifecell gives your plan's GB under its promo until 31 December 2026, Vodafone is roaming.

Traps

• “EU” is not “Europe”. Switzerland, the UK, Norway, Monaco, Andorra, the non-EU Balkans and Turkey are not covered by the law.
• Monaco and Andorra. Small countries surrounded by the EU, but for Kyivstar they are roaming (Monaco zone 1, Andorra zone 2).
• Northern Cyprus and the Åland Islands are excluded from Kyivstar's Roam like at home.
• Promos have end dates. lifecell 31 December 2026, Vodafone 31 March 2027, Kyivstar's pack for Turkey and the UAE 1 March 2027. A trip after these dates may be at roaming prices.
• Promo conditions. lifecell: SIM older than 56 days and two paid packages. A new SIM bought just before the trip won't qualify.
• Vodafone prepaid without a package and lifecell plans without roaming: no like-at-home.
• Unlimited at home turns into 20–25 GB in the EU, a cheap plan into 12 GB.
• Ferries, cruise ships, planes: maritime and aviation networks, up to UAH 20 per 100 KB.
• Border areas: the phone may pick a non-EU network by itself.
• Moldova joined the EU roaming zone in 2026, but there is no Ukraine–Moldova agreement. Like at home there only with Kyivstar.

Practical steps before the trip

1. Check your country and operator on our Roam like at home page: a one-line answer for Kyivstar, Vodafone and lifecell.
2. Find your EU allowance: Kyivstar's plan page, *108*5# for lifecell, Vodafone's plan page.
3. Work out how much you need: 0.5, 1 or 2 GB a day times the number of days.
4. Vodafone prepaid: pay the package before you leave.
5. Compare your travel dates with the promo dates if you are going to the UK, Norway, Moldova, Switzerland or Turkey.
6. Turn on data roaming in your phone's settings.
7. On ferries and planes turn off data roaming or use airplane mode.
8. Near borders choose the network manually.
9. If the country is outside the zone, work out the cost in the roaming calculator and compare it with an eSIM in our price comparison.

Sources

Data checked on 12 November 2026 on the regulators' and operators' own pages. Plans and promos change, so check your plan in your operator's app before the trip. The full table for 77 countries with the check date of every fact: Roam like at home with a Ukrainian SIM.

• NCEC: Ukraine joined the EU Roam like at Home area, checked 12.11.2026
• NCEC: Association Committee Decision No. 2/2025, checked 12.11.2026
• Ministry of Digital Transformation / Cabinet of Ministers, checked 12.11.2026
• Your Europe: Mobile roaming costs, checked 12.11.2026
• AKOS (Slovenian regulator), 20 April 2026: Ukraine, Moldova and the EEA, checked 12.11.2026
• Kyivstar: Roam like at home, checked 12.11.2026
• Kyivstar: countries in Roam like at home, checked 12.11.2026
• Kyivstar: tariff zones 1, 2, 3, checked 12.11.2026
• Kyivstar: plans and GB in Roam like at home countries, checked 12.11.2026
• Kyivstar: roaming GB packs, checked 10.11.2026
• Kyivstar: roaming in Turkey, checked 12.11.2026
• Kyivstar: travel SIM, checked 12.11.2026
• Vodafone Ukraine: roaming, EU GB formula, spending limits, checked 12.11.2026
• Vodafone: “Affordable roaming” (promo until 31 March 2027), checked 12.11.2026
• Vodafone: GigaRoaming, checked 12.11.2026
• Vodafone: GigaRoaming Max, checked 12.11.2026
• lifecell: roaming in Turkey, checked 12.11.2026
• lifecell: Roam like at home, checked 12.11.2026
• lifecell: “Gigabytes without borders” (promo until 31 Dec 2026), checked 12.11.2026
• lifecell: Roaming online, checked 12.11.2026
• Ekonomichna Pravda, 15 Dec 2025, checked 12.11.2026

Do you need an eSIM in the EU?

Honestly: if you are going to an EU country and your plan's EU allowance is enough, you don't need a travel eSIM. That is exactly what Roam like at home is for. Even beyond the allowance, extra GB from lifecell or Kyivstar at UAH 50–61 are often no more expensive than a separate eSIM.

An eSIM makes sense when:

• The country is outside the zone: Turkey, Montenegro, Switzerland, Egypt. Turkey from $1.99, 5 GB for 30 days $6.49; Switzerland from $2.99; Montenegro from $2.49.
• Your plan has no roaming, you are on Vodafone prepaid without a package, or your lifecell SIM is younger than 56 days for a promo country.
• You need much more than your plan gives, for example to share data with the whole family: Europe 10 GB for 30 days $14.99, 20 GB $23.49.
• A tablet or a second phone without a SIM.

Your Ukrainian SIM stays in the phone for calls and bank texts. See whether your phone supports eSIM in “Compatible devices” and how to set it up in the installation guide. Other providers' prices are in our eSIM price comparison, and the calculator shows what roaming with your operator will cost.

FAQ

Mykyta DzhusProgrammer and traveller from Kyiv

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