Internet
Yes
Calls
No
SMS
No
4G
Yes
Works only on unlocked eSIM-supported devices — check your phone compatibility before purchase
Most packages do not include calls or SMS
Choose one of three methods:
Scan QR code
Install via 'Quick Install' button
Manual setup through phone settings
Use the package within 3 months from purchase
Local (one country), Regional (multiple countries), Global (many countries)
Not available for Sicily
Montenegro is small, but in a single day you can easily go from the resort of Budva to old Kotor and on to Lake Skadar or the mountains. The country uses the euro yet is not in the European Union, so EU roaming rules do not apply here. An eSIM installed in advance gives you maps, taxis and messengers from the first minutes after landing, with no hunt for airport Wi-Fi.
You can buy an eSIM for Montenegro online right on this page from 4 500 ₸: choose a data plan, pay by card and get the QR code within minutes. An eSIM is a digital SIM card — it installs on your phone with no plastic card and no visit to a phone shop.
The eSIM connects to local mobile networks, so you have data wherever they have coverage — Podgorica, Budva and Kotor and the rest of the country.
Roaming in Montenegro with a Kazakh carrier is usually far more expensive, and roaming data runs out fast. With a Funsim eSIM you pay a fixed price for a data package and keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank SMS — roaming on it can stay off.
If your phone does not support eSIM, you can buy a regular physical SIM card with data for Montenegro at a Funsim point of sale: at Almaty and Shymkent airports, or at our offices in Almaty — 130/1 Abay St and 1 Pozharsky St. Handy if you remember about the internet right before departure.
A trip around Montenegro is usually a chain of short hops: Tivat or Podgorica airport, a resort on the coast, an excursion to a neighbouring town, sometimes a day in the mountains. Every step needs a connection: ordering a taxi, building a route, checking a ferry or bus timetable, messaging your host. Public Wi-Fi exists in cafes and hotels, but its quality varies, and between towns it is simply not available. On top of that, tickets for excursions, table bookings and chats with hosts are easier to sort out on the spot than to wait until a cafe network turns up.
Because the country is outside the EU, the European "roam like at home" rules do not work here, and an ordinary SIM from a European operator does not give the same terms as in Italy or Croatia. Roaming from Kazakh operators is usually noticeably more expensive than an eSIM, so check your operator's rates before you go. Also remember that near the border your phone may join a neighbouring country's network, and the terms of your plan will change, so in border areas check which network is selected. An eSIM is installed at home in a few minutes, and your main SIM stays in the phone for calls and bank SMS.
| Criterion | eSIM Funsim | Roaming | Local SIM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connection after landing | Install at home, switch the line on at the airport | Works at once, but terms need checking | Look for a shop or kiosk after arrival |
| Cost | Fixed package, price known in advance | Usually noticeably more expensive | Depends on operator and package |
| Trips to Croatia, Bosnia, Albania | Needs a regional plan, see the plans above | Separate terms for each country | Often valid for Montenegro only |
| Getting it | Online, no passport needed | Activated with your own operator | May require presence and documents |
| Main number and SMS | Stay on the home SIM | Stay as they are | You swap SIMs or carry two |
The country is compact, but on the coast, at the lakes and in the mountains both coverage and a traveller's needs differ noticeably.
The country's main resort, with beaches, nightlife and an old town. Coverage here is usually confident, and you use the internet for ordering taxis, finding restaurants, reading reviews, and booking excursions and boat trips. In the evening the seafront is crowded, so video sometimes loads more slowly than by day. It is easier to send photos and videos from the hotel or in the morning.
The old town of Kotor inside its fortress walls is a maze, and without a map it is easy to get lost, while narrow streets sometimes weaken the signal. Maps, online tickets for the climb to St John's Fortress and bus timetables along the bay come in handy. In neighbouring Perast you mostly need maps and boat trips to the islet of Our Lady of the Rocks.
The first large town on the way in from the Croatian border. Climbing the stairs of the old town and walking the promenade, you rely on maps, a translator and taxis. If you enter by land, switch on data at the border and check that the eSIM line is active so you do not hunt for Wi-Fi in the first cafe. Further along the bay you pass several small towns where you need data for parking and ferry timetables.
One of the country's two international airports and a modern marina with restaurants are here. Coverage on the bay shore is usually good. The internet is useful right after arrival: order a transfer, send the address to your host, check bus timetables and ferries across the bay.
The capital, main transport hub and home of the second airport. City coverage is stable, and data is needed for taxis, food delivery, finding cafes and checking routes further north and south. Travellers often change here between the coast and the mountains, so it helps to save offline maps for the road in advance. It is also handy to check bus timetables ahead if you are heading north.
The largest lake in the Balkans, a national park with boat trips, fishing villages and birdlife. In settlements such as Virpazar there is usually a signal, while on the water and in remoter coves it can weaken. Download an offline map and keep the internet for contacting the boatman. That is enough for reading excursion times and the weather forecast.
The southern coast, with the country's longest sandy beach and the port of Bar, where ferries leave for Italy. You need data for tickets, timetables, maps and messaging your host. As everywhere, the network at busy beaches is sometimes overloaded at peak hours, but maps and messengers need very little traffic.
The old royal capital at the foot of Mount Lovcen, with museums and a monastery. The road here is a serpentine, so the signal on the pass may drop for a moment. You need data for navigation, electronic museum tickets and a taxi back, so save the area map beforehand.
You do not need to install anything special, but a few familiar apps make the trip easier. Download them before you fly, while you still have fast Wi-Fi.
The main map for driving, walking routes and public transport. Before mountain stretches, download an offline area so navigation does not depend on the signal on passes and in gorges.
A ride-hailing service that works in Montenegro's larger towns. Handy in Budva, Kotor and Podgorica: the price and route are visible beforehand, and you need data only to order and track the car. In peak season cars on popular routes can run short, so order early.
Viber is very widespread in the Balkans, and many hosts, guides and tour companies reply there. Install it alongside WhatsApp and Telegram so you do not depend on a single channel.
Good for calling home and chatting with landlords over your eSIM data. Since most plans are data-only, replace ordinary calls and SMS with messenger calls.
The local language is close to Serbian and Croatian, and many signs and menus are written in the Latin alphabet. Download the language pack in advance so the translator and camera translation work offline.
Most hotels and apartments on the coast are booked through it. The app keeps the address, host phone and confirmation you need at check-in and for chatting with the host.
An app with maps that work without the internet, useful as a backup for mountain trails and national parks. Download the map of Montenegro at home over Wi-Fi.
Check that your phone supports eSIM and is not carrier-locked. Order online: no passport is needed, and you pay by card. Pick a plan on the page above to fit the length of your trip.
Install the eSIM at home by QR code, with the Quick install button or manually. You need Wi-Fi for this, so do not leave it until the airport.
Keep your main SIM in the phone for calls and bank SMS, and choose the eSIM as the line for mobile data.
After landing in Tivat or Podgorica, or on arrival at the border, switch on data roaming for the eSIM line and wait for the network to appear.
Before mountain stretches, trips to the lake and to national parks, save offline maps. If you plan trips to Croatia, Bosnia or Albania, make sure your plan covers them.
If your route includes Dubrovnik or Shkoder, choose a regional plan in advance and check the covered countries on the plan page.
