Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican: does EU roaming work there?

The four at a glance

• Andorra: outside the EU and the EEA, not covered. Its networks are run by Andorran operators.
• Monaco: outside the EU and the EEA, not covered. It has its own operator, and French networks are right across the street.
• San Marino: outside the EU, not covered, even though it sits entirely inside Italy.
• Vatican City: outside the EU, not covered, according to the list kept by Austria’s telecom regulator, even though it lies within Rome.

The EU rule covers the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, plus Moldova and Ukraine. Everything else, these four included, is up to your operator. Some put one or more of them in their Europe zone at home prices; others charge them like any country outside Europe. The only reliable answer is your own tariff, looked up country by country.

Andorra: the agreement that changes nothing yet

Andorra is the one most travellers get wrong, because it uses the euro and has open road borders with Spain and France. Its mobile networks are Andorran, so as soon as your phone moves onto one you are roaming outside the EU. Andorra has no airport, so the switch happens on the mountain road, usually without you noticing.

The EU has an association agreement with Andorra and San Marino, but it does not change roaming today. Its chapter for Andorra would bring the EU roaming regulation there only after a seven-year transition from the day the agreement takes effect, and only if Andorran operators’ costs fit within the EU’s wholesale caps. For now, Snoozim sells a separate Andorra eSIM, because its Europe pack does not include the country.

Monaco: keep an eye on the network name

Monaco has its own international dialling code, +377, its own mobile operator, and sits outside the EU, so a Monegasque network is priced by your operator as a non-EU destination unless your tariff says otherwise. Because the principality is tiny and wedged against France, a phone there can usually see French networks as well, and a phone in Beausoleil or Cap-d’Ail, the French towns on its border, can see Monaco’s.

That cuts both ways. If you are staying on the French side, a phone that drifts onto Monaco’s network starts roaming outside the EU without you leaving France. If you are in Monaco and a French network is available, choosing it by hand keeps you on a network where roam like at home applies. Your operator’s welcome text tells you which side you landed on: home prices, or a price list.

San Marino: inside Italy, outside the rule

San Marino is surrounded by Italy and uses the euro, but it is not in the EU, and Austria’s telecom regulator lists it among the places where roam like at home does not apply. It also has its own international dialling code, +378, separate from Italy’s.

Whether you pay extra there depends on two things: the network your phone is using and how your operator classifies San Marino. Some operators include it in their Europe zone and others charge it as a non-EU country, so search your tariff for it by name, and check the network shown in your phone’s settings when you arrive. If your operator charges it as abroad, Snoozim’s San Marino eSIM is a separate data pack for the country.

The Vatican: the border you will not notice

Vatican City is the smallest of the four and the easiest to miss: you walk into St Peter’s Square from Rome without any border check. The Austrian regulator’s list puts it outside roam like at home too, but what decides your bill is the network your phone is registered on, not which side of the colonnade you are standing on.

So the check is simple. Look at the network name in your phone’s settings before you start a video call from the square. If it is an Italian network, you are roaming in Italy like anywhere else in Rome; if it is something else, switch data roaming off until you know what it costs. Our guide to internet in Rome covers the rest of the city.

How to check before and during the trip

Search your operator’s roaming page for each country by name, because zones called “Europe” do not always mean the same thing. On arrival, read the free welcome text: inside the EU zone it confirms home prices, outside it lists charges. Then check the network your phone is using: on iPhone under Mobile Service › your line › Network Selection, on a Pixel under Settings › Network & internet › SIMs, next to Automatically select network.

If the network is not the one you want, turn automatic selection off and pick one from the list, or switch data roaming off until you are sure. Do it before a day of maps and photos, not after the first message about charges.