Are you traveling to North Macedonia—Skopje and its giant statues, Lake Ohrid, Matka Canyon just a stone's throw from the capital—and assuming that getting internet there will be as easy as in Greece or Italy, which are right next door? Well, here comes the first Balkan surprise, and it's worth knowing before you pack your bags: this country is not in the European Union, so your usual mobile plan won't work the same way and could end up being very expensive. In this guide, I compare all the real options you have for getting connected—from hotel Wi-Fi to a local Macedonian SIM—and tell you which one I choose and why.
Why getting connected in North Macedonia isn't like in the EU
North Macedonia is not part of the European Union, so the "Roam Like at Home" European roaming doesn't apply here. To get connected without nasty surprises on your bill, you need an alternative: a local Macedonian SIM or a digital card that you set up before leaving Spain.
It's a deceptive destination precisely because of how close and European it seems. You fly a few hours from Spain, land in Skopje, and everything has a familiar Balkan and Mediterranean feel: mountains, monasteries, bustling cafes, and a great street life. But North Macedonia is a country candidate for EU membership, still outside the bloc, and that has a direct consequence for your mobile phone. All the European regulations that eliminated roaming surcharges abroad apply only between member countries. As soon as your phone connects to a Macedonian network, your Spanish operator treats you as if you were in a distant destination, with rates from another galaxy. It's the typical Balkan trap, the same one you find in Serbia, Montenegro, or Albania. The good news is that getting well connected is easy and cheap if you sort it out before you fly, instead of improvising at the airport with your phone already searching for a network on its own.
The big misunderstanding: you don't have free roaming in North Macedonia
Here's the mistake that costs many people money. You arrive in Ohrid, turn on your phone without touching anything, and use it as you would at home. The problem is that, outside the EU zone, your usual plan doesn't include North Macedonia, and "rest of the world" prices kick in. How much are we talking about? It depends on the operator, but the numbers are frightening:
- Movistar: around €12 per MB if you don't activate a bundle; calls are around €1.80/min.
- Vodafone: about €25 per GB in its non-European zone.
- Orange: bundles of about €9 per day that activate automatically as soon as you browse.
- DIGI: the cheap exception, about €2/GB in many destinations in this area.
A couple of Instagram videos from the lakeside and you've already burned through what a data plan for the entire trip costs. That's why the first thing I do is read the fine print of my operator's "non-EU" zone before leaving.
The surprising Balkan roaming bill is almost a meme among travelers. Don't let it happen to you: check your plan before you leave, not when you get back and open the bill.
You can find the detailed information in my guide on how much international roaming costs, and I compare the two options in eSIM vs. roaming. With those numbers in front of you, the decision almost makes itself.
The Western Balkans Agreement: why it doesn't cover you
Here's a nuance that confuses many people, and it's worth explaining honestly. You may have read that the Western Balkan countries have their own "Roam Like at Home" agreement among themselves: since 2021, a Macedonian traveling to Serbia, or an Albanian going to Montenegro, can browse at local prices without surcharges within the region. Sounds great... until you read the fine print. This agreement only covers SIMs issued within the region itself and to its residents. You, with a Spanish card in your pocket, are completely excluded: for your operator, North Macedonia is still an expensive "rest of the world" zone, and that Balkan pact does not apply to you at all.
And what about that good news that's so widely announced? The European Union and the six Western Balkan countries have begun negotiating the region's integration into the European roaming zone: in June 2026, the Council authorized opening talks, and it's said that surcharges could start to disappear from 2027, with total elimination on the horizon by 2028. But as of today, it is not in effect, so you cannot count on it for your trip. My advice is simple: plan as if cheap roaming didn't exist in North Macedonia, because right now, for an ordinary Spaniard, it doesn't. When the change comes, it will be a joy; in the meantime, a local SIM or a digital card remains the sensible answer.
All your options for internet, compared
For a tourist, there are basically four paths, and each has its moment. Hotel Wi-Fi is free but ties you to the building; roaming is convenient but very expensive; a local Macedonian SIM is very cheap for data but requires on-the-ground management; and an eSIM seeks a balance between price and convenience. Here's how I see it at a glance:
| Option | Approx. Cost | Coverage | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Roaming | Very high (up to €12/MB) | Your operator's | Occasional emergencies |
| Hotel Wi-Fi | Free | Only within the premises | Video calls in the room |
| Local Macedonian SIM | €6-8 for 10-20 GB | Excellent in cities | Long stays and groups |
| Travel eSIM | Reasonable, depending on GB | Local network, without changing card | Most tourists |
There isn't a single answer: if you're going for two weeks and sharing a car with friends, a local SIM might pay off for the data volume. If you're traveling for four days and want zero hassle, an eSIM almost always wins. The key is to cross-reference three variables: how many days you're staying, how much you'll consume, and how much on-the-ground management you're willing to do. With those three answers, the right option usually becomes clear. In the following sections, I break down each one so you can choose wisely.
Hotel Wi-Fi: useful, but not your Plan A
Almost all hotels, hostels, and apartments in the country—in Skopje, Ohrid, Bitola, or Struga—offer free Wi-Fi, and it's usually good for the basics: uploading daily photos, making a video call at night, or downloading a series before bed. Many cafes and restaurants also provide it without a problem, and taking advantage of it helps you stretch your mobile data. It's a good complement. But as a primary plan, it falls very short for one obvious reason: it only works where there's a network, and you'll be spending most of your day out, strolling along the shore of Ohrid, climbing to the Monastery of Saint John at Kaneo, or navigating Matka Canyon. Without a connection, you have no maps, no translator, and no way to call a taxi.
And there's a security issue that I can't stress enough: open public networks are not trustworthy. Never enter your bank details there without a VPN, and disable automatic connection to unknown Wi-Fi networks. If you're interested in why your own plan almost always beats relying on someone else's Wi-Fi or a portable router, I compare it in depth in eSIM vs. pocket Wi-Fi. My summary: use hotel Wi-Fi as backup, never as your sole way to stay connected during your trip.
The local Macedonian SIM: A1, Telekom, and Lyca
North Macedonia has two major operators and a third option for the most budget-conscious. A1 Makedonija has the widest coverage and performs best in rural areas; Makedonski Telekom (the former T-Mobile, now under the Telekom brand) competes head-to-head and is strong in 5G; and Lycamobile is the cheap virtual operator, especially useful if you plan to make many international calls. The two major operators have stores in cities and counters at Skopje Airport, offering prepaid packages with lots of data for little money. These are the prices circulating in 2026 (the currency is the Macedonian Denar, about 61 MKD per euro):
| Package | Data | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Prepaid | 10 GB + social media | 30 days | ~499 MKD (≈€8) |
| A1 Prepaid Data | 20 GB | 14 days | ~399 MKD (≈€6.50) |
| Telekom Prepaid | 10 GB | 30 days | ~399 MKD (≈€6.50) |
| Telekom Prepaid | 20 GB | 30 days | ~499 MKD (≈€8) |
As you can see, in terms of data volume, a local SIM is hard to beat, and basic starter cards are available for 200-300 MKD (€3-5). The catch? The hassle: you have to go to a store or an airport counter, and by law, they will ask for your passport to register it in your name. Plus, you change your number to a Macedonian one, which is a hassle if you're expecting bank verification SMS. If you're torn between this option and a digital card, I'll help you decide in eSIM vs. local SIM. For long stays and groups, it makes perfect sense.
The eSIM: my recommendation for most travelers
For the average traveler visiting Skopje and the lake for a week, my clear choice is the eSIM. It's a digital card installed on your mobile with a QR code, without having to physically insert or remove anything. It connects to the same Macedonian networks as a local SIM (mainly A1 and Telekom), so the coverage is practically the same, but with two huge advantages: you set it up from your couch at home and you keep your active Spanish number for calls and bank SMS. You land in Skopje, activate the data, and you're already browsing, with no queues, no counters, and no passport on the table.
If you've never used one and it sounds like Greek to you, in what is an eSIM I explain it step-by-step; and if you want specific details for this destination—plans, GB, and activation—you have it all in the North Macedonia eSIM guide. The only thing you should check beforehand is that your mobile is compatible: almost all iPhones from XS onwards and recent mid-to-high-end Androids are. For price, convenience, and zero risk of surprise bills, it's the option I recommend to nine out of ten people who ask me how to get connected in North Macedonia.
Coverage by area: Skopje, Ohrid, Bitola, and Matka Canyon
Coverage in North Macedonia is better than many people expect, especially since A1 and Telekom have pushed with 5G. In cities and throughout the tourist strip, you'll have plenty; the problem is only in the high mountains and some enclosed corners. Here's a breakdown of the key areas:
- Skopje: Solid 4G throughout the city and 5G already in a good part of the center. Streaming, maps, and video calls without a hitch.
- Lake Ohrid (Ohrid, Struga): the World Heritage area is well covered with 4G and 5G in the town; in the more remote shore and on the roads of Mount Galičica, the signal drops a bit.
- Bitola and other cities: Fast 4G and growing 5G. The country's second-largest city won't give you problems.
- Matka Canyon: 15 km from Skopje, with good coverage in the parking lot and at the jetty; but when you go by boat between the gorge walls or into the caves, the signal drops. Normal for such a narrow gorge.
- Parks and mountains (Mavrovo, Šar Planina, Pelister): Irregular 4G and sections with no coverage. A1 usually holds up best.
My advice for nature is simple: download offline maps from Google Maps or Maps.me before you go and treat mountain routes as offline territory. No card will give you magical coverage inside a canyon or in a valley between peaks. For everything else—90% of a typical trip through the country—you'll be connected without a problem. If your plan is mainly Skopje, Ohrid, and cities, don't worry about the signal.
How much data do I really need?
This is the question I get asked most often, and almost always the answer is the same: you don't need as much data as you think. Unless you're going to telework or do a lot of high-quality streaming from your phone, a moderate plan will be more than enough. What really consumes data are videos and long video calls; maps, messaging, and social media consume very little. This is the table I use to calculate:
| Type of trip | Recommended data |
|---|---|
| Weekend in Skopje | 2 GB |
| One week: Skopje + Ohrid | 3-5 GB |
| Two weeks across the country | 8-10 GB |
| Digital nomad or intensive use | Large plan or local SIM |
A trick: rely on hotel Wi-Fi for heavy downloads (uploading photo albums, updating apps) and reserve mobile data for when you're out and about. With that, a 3 to 5 GB plan is more than enough for a normal week of tourism between the capital and the lake. And if you run short, you can always top up. Another useful reference: an hour of maps in the car uses barely a few megabytes, while half an hour of high-quality video can eat up more than 1 GB.
How to get everything ready before you fly
To ensure you don't forget anything, this is the little ritual I follow before any trip to a non-EU country like North Macedonia. It takes ten minutes and saves you 100% of the scares:
- Deactivate roaming data in your phone settings, so you don't accidentally incur expensive roaming charges as soon as you land in Skopje.
- Check if your phone supports eSIM (Settings > Phone information, or search for your model online).
- Choose and buy your data plan in advance, calculating GBs using the table above.
- Install the eSIM at home, with Wi-Fi, by scanning the QR. Do not activate it until you arrive if your plan starts counting days from the first use.
- Download offline maps of the mountain areas and Matka Canyon that you plan to visit.
I review it the night before flying, with my suitcase already packed, so I arrive at the airport knowing that as soon as I turn on my phone, I'll be connected. No searching for stores, no queues, and no crossing my fingers about the return bill. Preparing your connection is as important as booking your hotel: it's what you'll use every day of your trip, from maps to translation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have free roaming in North Macedonia?
No. North Macedonia is not part of the European Union, so "Roam Like at Home" does not apply. With your Spanish plan, you will pay "rest of the world" prices, which can be up to €12 per MB. To connect cheaply, you need a local SIM or an eSIM.
Do I need a passport to buy a local SIM?
Yes. By law, all prepaid SIMs in North Macedonia are registered in the buyer's name: they will ask for your passport at the store or airport. With a travel eSIM, you save yourself the hassle because you activate it online before leaving.
Is there 5G in North Macedonia?
Yes. Both A1 and Telekom have 5G networks, with Skopje leading the way and increasing deployment in Ohrid, Bitola, and other cities. Outside urban areas, you'll have fast 4G, which is more than enough for maps, social media, and video calls.
Does my phone work in Matka Canyon and Ohrid?
In Ohrid, very well: 4G and 5G in the town and good signal on the main shore. In Matka Canyon, you have coverage at the jetty, but it drops when you go by boat between the gorge walls or into the caves. Download offline maps just in case.
How many GB do I need for a week?
For a week between Skopje and Lake Ohrid, 3 to 5 GB will be more than enough if you use the hotel Wi-Fi for heavy downloads. Maps and messaging use very little data; what really drives up consumption is high-quality video.
Does the Western Balkans roaming agreement apply to me?
No. That "Roam Like at Home" pact only covers SIMs issued within the region and to its residents. With a Spanish card, you're out: for your operator, North Macedonia is still a high-tariff zone.
Can I manage with just hotel Wi-Fi?
You can, but I don't recommend it. It works well in the room, but it leaves you stranded as soon as you go outside, without maps or a translator. Use it as a backup and have your own data plan for daily use.
When will European roaming be free in North Macedonia?
The EU and the six Western Balkan countries have begun negotiating their integration into the roaming zone, with possible first steps towards 2027. But it has not yet come into force, so as of today you must expect high tariffs or use an eSIM.
Conclusion
Getting connected in North Macedonia is easy once you understand the essentials: you are not in the EU, so your usual roaming won't work and can be very expensive, and the Balkan agreement doesn't cover you if you have a Spanish card. From there, choose wisely. Hotel Wi-Fi is good support, a local SIM is unbeatable for data on long stays, and an eSIM is the most convenient and balanced option for most. Calculate your GBs, prepare everything at home and forget about the problem. My advice, after comparing everything: get your mobile ready before you leave with an eSIM for North Macedonia and don't worry about it. You can activate yours here and land already connected, without queues or counters in Skopje. Have a good trip to Ohrid.
