Rome Fiumicino Airport SIM Card: Cost and Codice Fiscale

Buying a SIM at Fiumicino: where the shops are, what TIM, Vodafone and WindTre charge tourists, why Malpensa has no phone shop, and the codice fiscale question.

Fiumicino has phone shops in arrivals and they are busy from June to September. Before you join that queue, three things are worth knowing, because one of them is the reason people end up standing there for forty minutes.

TIM, Vodafone, WindTre or Iliad?

Four national networks: TIM, Vodafone Italia, WindTre and Iliad. TIM is the old state operator. Iliad is the newest of the four and usually the cheapest, from €7.99 a month, but it has no tourist plan.

Coverage in Italy is uneven in a way it is not in Spain or Portugal. The north is excellent. The south and the mountainous interior are noticeably thinner, and that is true whichever network you pick.

Where to buy a SIM at Fiumicino, and why not Malpensa

Rome Fiumicino, FCO, has phone shops in arrivals. The airport lists TIM in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 arrivals, and Vodafone and WindTre in Terminal 3 arrivals.

Milan Malpensa, MXP, is different. Its own list of 65 shops has no phone shop at all, so if you land there, buy in the city or sort out data before you fly. Either way, you only reach a shop after landing. Checking train times, messaging your host and finding the Leonardo Express all happen without data.

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Summer queuesIn July and August the phone shops in Fiumicino arrivals can have long queues. Everyone in front of you is doing the same passport paperwork, so each sale takes a while.

Do you need a codice fiscale for an Italian SIM?

Usually no, not if you buy a tourist offer.

Italian law says the operator must identify you from an identity document before the SIM works, and a passport covers that. The law does not mention the codice fiscale, the Italian tax code.

The operators are less tidy. TIM's standard activation asks for an ID document and a codice fiscale. The tourist offers, TIM Tourist, Vodafone's tourist plans and WindTre's Tourist Pass, are made for visitors from abroad. Ask for the tourist offer by name and have your passport ready.

How much a SIM card costs at Rome airport

Option	Rough cost	Time	Passport needed
TIM Tourist, at Fiumicino T1 and T3	€14.99 plus €10 for the SIM	Depends on the queue	Yes
Vodafone tourist plans	From €14.95 a month	A shop visit	Yes
WindTre Tourist Pass, eSIM online	€25 for a month	Online	Yes
Travel eSIM	from $1.29	Installed at home before the flight	No

TIM Tourist comes to about €25 on the day and includes a lot of data, 200 GB in Italy, which is a good deal if you stream. Most visitors use far less. Our Italy plans start at $1.29, with 3 GB over 15 days at $2.10 and 10 GB over 30 days at $5.99.

The ZTL problem for drivers in Italy

If you are hiring a car, this section is the most useful thing on this page.

Most Italian historic centres are ZTL zones, zona a traffico limitato, where driving in without a permit triggers an automatic camera fine. The fine can arrive months later through your hire company, with an admin fee added on top.

Your phone helps, but do not trust it blindly. Maps apps do not always know when a ZTL is active. Watch for the round white sign with a red border at the entrance, and ask your hotel how to reach it by car before you set off.

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Driving in ItalyNavigation uses less data than people expect, about 5 MB an hour on Google Maps. Download the regions you will drive through before you leave, so a dead spot in the hills does not leave you guessing at a junction.

Is it better to buy a SIM card at the airport in Italy?

For most visitors, no. The queue eats into your arrival, and you still have no data for the part of the journey where you wanted it.

It is the right answer if your phone cannot take an eSIM, or you need an Italian number for a rental, a bank or a long stay.

Landing at Fiumicino with data already on

An eSIM installs at home over your own WiFi, sits switched off until you land, then connects while the plane taxis. You are through customs with maps, your train booking and your accommodation address already loaded.

Ours runs on TIM, WindTre and Iliad, all three on 5G. Having three networks on one profile matters more in Italy than elsewhere precisely because coverage varies so much between the north and the south.

The plan's days only start once it first picks up an Italian network, so there is no penalty for buying early.

Does an EU or UK phone plan work in Italy?

No, if your SIM is from another EU country. Your normal minutes and data work in Italy at home prices, Sicily and Sardinia included.

Travellers from North America, Australia or Asia usually face a daily roaming charge, so they do need a plan. From the UK, it depends on your network, so check before you fly.

Signal from Rome to the Dolomites

Rome: 5G across the city and most of the metro, patchy inside the Vatican Museums.
Milan: strong 5G across the city.
Venice: good, though the narrow calli between tall buildings drop to 4G.
Florence and Tuscany: strong in the city, thinner on the hill roads toward Siena.
Amalfi coast: fine in the towns, genuinely patchy on the cliff road between them.
Sicily and Sardinia: strong in coastal cities, real gaps inland.
Dolomites: good in the valleys, unreliable on the high passes.

Rome and Milan airport SIM questions

Can I buy a SIM card at Rome Fiumicino airport?

Yes. The airport lists TIM in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 arrivals, and Vodafone and WindTre in Terminal 3 arrivals. Bring your passport, because Italian law requires ID for a prepaid SIM. TIM Tourist costs €14.99 plus €10 for the SIM, and summer queues can be long.

Do I need a codice fiscale to buy a SIM in Italy?

Usually not, if you ask for a tourist offer. The law only requires an identity document, and a passport covers it. TIM's standard activation asks for a codice fiscale, but the tourist offers from TIM, Vodafone and WindTre are made for visitors from abroad.

Is it better to buy a SIM card at the airport in Italy?

For most visitors, no. You queue after landing, so you have no data for the part of arrival where you want it most. It is the right choice if your phone cannot take an eSIM, you need an Italian number, or you will use a lot of data.

Which network is best in Italy?

No single network wins everywhere. TIM is the old state operator, and Iliad is the cheapest. Coverage is thinner in the south and the mountains on every network, which is why our Italy eSIM can use TIM, WindTre and Iliad.

How much data do I need if I am driving in Italy?

Less than you might think. Google Maps navigation uses about 5 MB an hour, so a week of driving adds well under 1 GB. The bigger risk is a ZTL camera fine, which arrives months later through the hire company, so watch the signs as well as the screen.