Horizon eSIM’s Kosovo plan runs on IPKO’s network and costs €8.49 for 3 GB over 15 days or €18.19 for 10 GB over 30 days, which works out at about 57 and 61 cents a day. Those are the prices on 9 November 2026, and the Kosovo eSIM page always shows the current one.
Between autumn and the end-of-year holidays, many families in Kosovo have someone flying home from Germany, Switzerland or Austria. Others use the months after summer for Croatia, Montenegro or Istanbul, when the old towns are less crowded and hotel prices usually fall. In both cases the phone needs data at the airport, for the taxi, the map and the message to the family group chat.
Roaming on a German, Austrian or Swiss SIM
The Stone Bridge in Prizren. Photo: Danielle Barnes / Unsplash
Kosovo is outside the European Union’s “roam like at home” rules. On a German or Austrian SIM, data here is usually charged as roaming, and Swiss operators set their own rates. Some operators sell Balkan add-ons, so check your tariff before you travel.
An eSIM is bought online and added to your phone with a QR code, and it connects to IPKO when you land, with 4G and 5G where there is coverage. Your physical SIM and your number stay where they are.
Keeping your own number
The Horizon eSIM is data-only. If you leave your physical SIM switched on, you still get bank text messages and calls to your number, while WhatsApp and Viber calls use the eSIM. Your home operator may charge for incoming calls while you roam. On that line, switch off data roaming and set the eSIM as your mobile data line, so your data never goes through the roaming SIM.
3 GB or 10 GB
For a visit of a week or two, with Wi-Fi at your parents’ house and the phone used for maps, messages and photos, 3 GB over 15 days is usually enough. Take 10 GB over 30 days if you’re staying longer, watching video, working remotely or sharing data with the family. At about 61 cents a day, that still costs less than a macchiato in Prishtina.
Hotspot sharing is free on every Horizon plan, so the children’s tablet can run on the same data. Horizon fixed-data plans have no throttling. You can also buy an eSIM for your parents or someone else on the eSIM for family page.
Validity starts only when the eSIM first connects to a network in Kosovo, so you can buy it now even if you’re only coming for the December holidays. Relatives who grew up in Germany or Austria and find German easier can read the same page in German.
On to the coast: Croatia and Montenegro
Dubrovnik’s city walls, Croatia. Photo: Xiaoqian Shen / Unsplash
After the summer, Dubrovnik, Split and Kotor are less crowded and accommodation usually costs less. If you’re driving the coast, one regional eSIM saves you buying a new SIM card at every border.
Horizon’s Balkans plan covers 11 countries: Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. It costs €5.73 for 5 GB or €11.28 for 10 GB, both valid for 30 days, and each of the 11 countries also has its own plan if you’re staying in just one. Kosovo isn’t included, so for the days you spend in Kosovo you need the Kosovo plan or the Europe + Kosovo plan.
Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. Photo: olga brajnovic / Unsplash
Travellers on a Kosovo SIM usually roam like at home in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, depending on their package and fair-use limits. Croatia, Greece and Turkey are outside that arrangement, and that is where an eSIM helps most.
Istanbul in autumn
Galata Tower, Istanbul. Photo: Anna Berdnik / Unsplash
For many Kosovars, Istanbul is one of the easiest trips of the autumn. There are direct flights from Prishtina, and Kosovo passport holders can stay up to 90 days within six months without a visa. October and November are milder than the summer months, and November brings fewer visitors, so the queue at Hagia Sophia is usually shorter.
A Kosovo SIM pays roaming rates in Turkey. The eSIM for Turkey uses the Vodafone or Türk Telekom networks and costs €3.92 for 10 GB or €7.66 for 20 GB, each valid for 30 days. If Istanbul is one stop on a longer route, the Balkans plan covers Turkey as well.
Which plan for which trip
| Your trip | Plan |
|---|---|
| A family visit, staying in Kosovo | Kosovo, 3 GB or 10 GB |
| Kosovo first, then the Montenegrin or Albanian coast | Europe + Kosovo, one eSIM for every country |
| Driving down from Germany to Kosovo | Europe + Kosovo, one eSIM for the whole route |
| Croatia, Montenegro and Turkey on one trip | Balkans |
| Only Istanbul or the Turkish coast | Turkey |
Most recent phones can hold several eSIMs at once, so adding this one doesn’t mean deleting another.
Setting it up before you fly
1.Make sure your phone is on the list of eSIM phones and is unlocked. On iPhones and many Android phones, dialling *#06# shows an EID number if the phone supports eSIM. Otherwise, look for the EID under Settings > About phone.
2.Buy the plan. The QR code arrives by email.
3.Scan it at home on Wi-Fi a day or two before you leave, and keep the line off until you travel. The installation guide walks through each step.
4.When you land, switch the eSIM on, choose it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line. Validity starts with that first connection.
Support and refunds
Horizon has human support 24/7 in every language on its site, Albanian included. If you ask for your money back, its refund policy returns the full amount, even when the eSIM has been partly or fully used. The company behind Horizon eSIM is based in Prishtina.
Note: In partnership with Horizon. This article contains affiliate links through which Prishtina Insight’s publishing partner KALLXO.com may earn a commission on purchases.