Everything you need to know about using an eSIM in Spain.
Spain's networks are superb. Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, and MásMóvil cover the country with 4G at about 99% of the population and 5G across roughly 92%, including the Balearics and the Canaries. An eSIM Spain plan gets you on those towers the second you land in Madrid or Barcelona, no SIM-swapping, no airport counter queue.
Here's the part that catches people: Spain legally requires every prepaid SIM, physical or eSIM, to be registered to a named individual. It's Royal Decree 424/2005, a hard rule, not shop policy. Tourists register with a passport. Buy a local prepaid eSIM from Movistar or Orange and you're still handing over your ID.
And once you're on the line, Spanish law requires carriers to hold your call and location metadata for twelve months. Judicial authorisation is needed to pull it, but it sits there in your name regardless.
For a week to ten days, 5 to 10 GB covers maps, messaging, and photo uploads. Two weeks or more, bump to a bigger tier. Your data activates on first use, so buy ahead and connect the second you land.
A privacy-focused eSIM from ZILLA skips the named line entirely. No passport, no registered Spanish number, no twelve-month metadata ledger in your name. Pay with Bitcoin or Monero, scan, and you're connected. Same towers, none of the paperwork.