Before you start

Photo identification — Portuguese law requires every SIM, prepaid included, to be registered
An unlocked handset or eSIM-capable device
A NIF and a Portuguese IBAN, for postpaid or a fibre bundle
A Madeira address, for fibre

Step-by-step

1
Start prepaid with a passport
MEO, NOS and Vodafone all have Funchal stores, and their low-cost brands — Moche, WTF, Yorn, Uzo — run on the same networks for less. No NIF, no bank account. A Portuguese SIM roams across the EU at no extra cost.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Move to postpaid once you have a NIF and an IBAN
Contracts are cheaper per gigabyte and can bundle fibre and television, but require the tax number and a Portuguese direct debit. This is another reason the NIF-then-bank sequence matters here.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check coverage at the specific address, not on the island map
Madeira's terrain is extreme, and mobile coverage follows roads and settlements rather than filling area evenly. Deep valleys, the north coast and the interior have real shadows. If you are considering somewhere outside Funchal, check the address with the operator and, if you can, stand there with a phone before signing.
OnlineWho: You
4
Order fibre early and ask what reaches the flat
Portuguese fibre is fast and cheap by European standards, and Funchal is well served. In older buildings on steep streets, ask whether fibre reaches the apartment or stops at the entrance — and expect an engineer visit with a two to four week lead time.
OnlineWho: You
5
Establish whether the line in a let property is live
In a flat that is also a short-term holiday rental, the internet may be in the owner's name, bundled into the rent, or suspended out of season. Establish who holds the contract and whether it stays on for your whole term, and put the answer in the lease if your work depends on it.
In personWho: You and your landlord
6
Have a fallback if your income depends on being online
A mobile data plan with a decent allowance, or a second SIM on a different network, is cheap insurance on an island where a fault can take longer to fix than it would in Lisbon. Coworking spaces in Funchal and at Ponta do Sol are the other fallback and are part of what the nomad community exists to provide.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport or national ID, required to register any SIM
NIF and Portuguese IBAN, for postpaid and fibre
Proof of address, for fibre installation
Landlord permission where installation requires work to the building

Things most newcomers don’t know

Funchal's connectivity is genuinely good, and that is the whole basis of the nomad programme.

Madeira is linked to the mainland by submarine cable and Funchal has widespread fibre, which is why a regional government could credibly market the island to remote workers in 2021 rather than merely to tourists. A newcomer working for a European employer will find latency and reliability comparable to a mainland city. The programme's coworking spaces exist partly as a hedge against the individual flat that turns out to be the exception.

Source: Digital Nomads Madeira / regional connectivity

Terrain, not distance, determines coverage on this island.

Madeira is 57 km long and rises above 1,800 metres. Mobile coverage follows the settled coast and the road corridors; the deep ravines, the north coast and the high interior have genuine gaps. A village 12 km from Funchal on a map can be behind a mountain in signal terms. Check the specific address rather than the island-level map, and be sceptical of a rural bargain if your income depends on a connection.

Source: Operator coverage maps; community-reported

Every SIM in Portugal must be registered to identity documents.

There is no anonymous prepaid market. Bring a passport to the counter; a SIM bought without registration will not activate. Straightforward once known, and a mild shock if you arrive expecting to buy one from a kiosk with cash.

Source: ANACOM / Portuguese telecoms regulation

In a property that doubles as a holiday let, the internet contract is often not yours.

A flat rented to tourists in summer and to residents in winter frequently has the fibre in the owner's name, included in the rent, or suspended between seasons. Remote workers sign, arrive and find no active line and a several-week installation queue. Ask who holds the contract, whether it stays live for your full term, and get the answer written into the lease.

Source: community-reported; regional letting practice

Common mistakes to avoid

Expecting to buy an anonymous prepaid SIM without identity documents.
Choosing a rural address from the island coverage map rather than checking the specific location.
Signing a lease on a seasonally let flat without confirming the fibre line is live and stays live.
Paying a flagship carrier price for coverage a low-cost brand supplies identically.
Having no fallback connection when your income depends on being online from an island.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.