Phone & SIM in Germany — connected on day one

Buying a SIM card in Germany requires ID verification, usually done one of two ways: a video-identification call through the carrier's app (you show your passport to camera and answer questions), or in-person verification at a Deutsche Post branch (Postident) or a carrier's physical store. Most carriers also ask for a registered German address — this is where your Anmeldebestätigung (address registration certificate) becomes useful again, since some providers request it for verification or for shipping a physical SIM. Bring your passport and, once you have it, your Anmeldebestätigung, to make activation smooth — trying to activate a SIM before you've registered your address can cause delays with certain carriers.

Because Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar all run on one of the three real networks, you get the parent network's coverage for a fraction of the price — check the parent network's coverage map (Netzabdeckung) for your specific university town before choosing, since rural coverage still varies meaningfully between Telekom, Vodafone and O2.

Prepaid (Prepaid-Tarif) needs no credit check — you top up as you go, cancel anytime, and it's the standard recommendation for the first few months while you're still settling in. Contract (Vertrag) plans, often 24-month terms, can be cheaper per gigabyte long-term and sometimes bundle a phone, but providers may run a Schufa credit check, and a thin or nonexistent German credit file can mean rejection or a required deposit. Once you've been in Germany a year or more, built some financial history, and are confident you'll stay put, a contract from congstar or O2 can be meaningfully cheaper per month than staying on prepaid.

Airalo, Holafly and similar eSIM marketplaces sell short-term German or EU-wide data plans you can buy from Bangladesh and activate the moment you land, if your phone supports eSIM. This covers maps, WhatsApp and email for your first few days while you sort ID verification and address registration for a proper long-term German SIM — it's rarely the cheapest ongoing option, so plan to switch to Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect or congstar once you've registered your address.

Under EU "Roam Like At Home" rules, most German mobile plans let you use your regular data, calls and text allowance while travelling in other EU/EEA countries at no extra roaming charge, up to a fair-use data cap set by your provider. This matters because a German student visa often makes short trips to neighbouring Schengen countries easy — check your specific plan's roaming data cap before a long weekend in Amsterdam, Vienna or Prague.

WhatsApp, Messenger and IMO handle the vast majority of video and voice calls to Bangladesh for free over wifi or mobile data. For calling Bangladeshi landlines or non-smartphone numbers, check whether your plan includes international minutes — some congstar and O2 add-on packs include discounted minutes to Bangladesh — or use a calling-credit app for per-minute international rates, which is usually far cheaper than a standard carrier international rate.