Photo: Tom Athawes / Unsplash
Practical info for the United Kingdom
Emergencies, embassy, entry requirements, money: the essentials before you go, with the official source and the date each piece of information was checked.
Emergency numbers
Source: France Diplomatie, French embassy, Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas, Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych RP · verified on 26/10/2026
Currency and payments
Currency: Pound sterling (GBP).
ECB reference rate on 26/10/2026: €1 = 0.8382 GBP.
Source: SIX Group (ISO 4217), European Central Bank, EU Publications Office · verified on 26/10/2026
Time difference
Local time: UTC+00:00, the same time as in London (calculated on 26/10/2026).
Next clock change: 28/03/2027 (UTC+01:00).
The clocks change in London on 28/03/2027: the difference may change that day.
Source: IANA (time zones) · verified on 26/10/2026
Driving
Traffic drives on the left.
Mobile networks
Networks listed by the eSIMs we checked: EE (Sirocco, Airalo); 3 (Sirocco); Everyth. Ev.wh./T-Mobile (Sirocco); Guernsey Telecoms (Sirocco); H3G Hutchinson (Sirocco); Manx Telecom (Sirocco); O2 (Sirocco); O2 Ltd. (Sirocco).
eSIM prices for the United Kingdom
7 days, 5 GB · prices checked on 26/10/2026
3 brands compared, not an exhaustive listWhy this ranking?
Ranked by price: for each brand, the cheapest plan that covers 7 days and 5 GB.
Not an exhaustive comparison: 3 brands out of the dozens that sell eSIMs. The list of brands compared is in our Methodology.
eSIMeter is published by Mocom SAS, which sells Sirocco: the site is funded by those sales. No other brand pays us.
Frequently asked questions
What are the emergency numbers in the United Kingdom?
Single emergency number: 112 ; Single emergency number: 999
What currency is used in the United Kingdom?
Currency: Pound sterling (GBP). ECB reference rate on 26/10/2026: €1 = 0.8382 GBP.
What is the time difference in the United Kingdom?
Local time: UTC+00:00, the same time as in London (calculated on 26/10/2026). Next clock change: 28/03/2027 (UTC+01:00). The clocks change in London on 28/03/2027: the difference may change that day.
What should I know about driving in the United Kingdom?
Traffic drives on the left.
Which mobile networks operate in the United Kingdom?
Networks listed by the eSIMs we checked: EE (Sirocco, Airalo); 3 (Sirocco); Everyth. Ev.wh./T-Mobile (Sirocco); Guernsey Telecoms (Sirocco); H3G Hutchinson (Sirocco); Manx Telecom (Sirocco); O2 (Sirocco); O2 Ltd. (Sirocco).