Roaming with Scarlet: calls, SMS & Internet abroad

Call and surf abroad without surprises

Are your bags almost packed? Or are you leaving soon for an important business trip? With Scarlet, you stay connected, wherever you go. Discover everything you need to know about using your mobile subscription abroad. Within the EU zone, you can surf, text, and call just like you do in Belgium. Outside the EU zone, specific roaming rates apply. Our goal: clear, simple roaming with no hidden fees.  

Scarlet roaming abroad: understanding the costs

Within the EU Zone: use your mobile subscription like home

Heading to an EU Zone country? Thanks to EU roaming, you can surf, call, and send SMS messages to the country you're visiting and back to Belgium at the same rates you enjoy in Belgium.  

What's included?  

  • Calls, texts, and data included in your bundle, at the same rate as in Belgium, for calls and SMS to the visited country and to Belgium (excluding calls and SMS to any other country). 
  • Roaming is automatically activated: you don't need to do anything  
  • Valid in all EU countries + United Kingdom, Monaco, Andorra, Gibraltar and San Marino 

Important: Switzerland, Turkey, and Moldova are not included in the EU zone roaming area, so specific tariffs apply.

Outside the EU Zone: tailored rates for each destination

Far away from home? Then different rules apply. But with Scarlet, there are no unpleasant surprises regarding the cost of roaming outside the EU zone. What do you pay outside the EU zone?  

  • Tariff varies depending on your destination country. 
  • You pay per MB consumed, per minute of call, or per SMS sent  
  • As soon as you cross the border, you'll receive an SMS with the applicable rates. 
  • Mobile internet outside the EU Zone is blocked by default; you are free to reactivate this if you wish. 

We are upfront about this: outside the EU Zone, roaming charges are added to your mobile subscription. It's best to check the prices before you travel to avoid a high roaming bill upon your return.

Consult all roaming tariffs per country

To know the exact price of calls abroad, SMS, and mobile data for your destination, always consult our PDF document, which lists all applicable roaming rates by country, before your trip. And most importantly, turn off mobile data abroad if you don't need it to avoid unpleasant surprise.  

What exactly is roaming?

Roaming means you can use your Scarlet mobile subscription on a foreign network. You can then make calls, send SMS, and use internet abroad by connecting to a partner network. Example in the EU Zone: If you're a Scarlet customer traveling to Germany, your device will automatically connect to the local network in Germany, allowing you to make calls, send texts, and browse the internet just like you do in Belgium. 

Roaming vs. International calls: understanding the difference?

  • Roaming call/SMS is when you are outside Belgium and you make a call, send a text message (or receive one) or use mobile data from abroad. Even if you are in France and call or text Belgium, that's roaming.
  • An international call/SMS occurs when you call or send a text a foreign number from Belgium. For example, if you call or text France or Morocco from Belgium.

Tips to minimize roaming costs when abroad

At Scarlet, we want you to travel stress-free. We want you to stay connected… but not to break the bank. Here are some simple tips to manage your mobile consumption abroad, especially outside the EU Zone. 

  • Use Wi-Fi wherever possible: hotel, café, holiday accommodation...  
  • Limit automatic app updates to Wi-Fi to avoid data consumption 
  • Check your data usage abroad regularly via your phone's settings  

And for peace of mind: Scarlet automatically blocks your connection and sends you an usage alert per SMS when you reach €60 and again at €121 in roaming charges. These notifications allow you to keep precise control over your spending. You can change your limit before you depart if you wish.

Frequently asked questions about Scarlet roaming

At Scarlet, we keep it simple and straightforward. Your roaming rates? That depends on where you're traveling. 

  • Within the EU Zone (and the United Kingdom, Monaco, Andorra, San Marino): No fuss! Your subscription (calls, SMS, data) works just like in Belgium. Not a cent more. If you exceed your bundle, the rates remain the same as at home (€0.0006/MB, €0.16/min, €0.07/SMS). Simply put, you roam like you're at home. 
  • Outside the EU Zone (Switzerland, Turkey, and the rest of the world): That's where things change. Rates are specific. We charge per minute, per SMS, and per MB. To avoid bill shock, your mobile internet is blocked by default outside the EU Zone. Clever, right? And so you're not left in the dark, you'll receive an SMS with local rates as soon as you cross the border. 

A tip? Take a look at our PDF of roaming rates by country before you go. Zero fluff, all the info is there. And to put your mind at ease, we'll send you SMS alerts when your roaming charges hit €60, then €121. You're always in control. 

Yes, roaming is automatically activated for your use within the EU Zone. For trips outside the EU Zone, we block mobile internet by default to help you avoid an unpleasant bill. You're then free to activate it yourself by sending "YES ROAM" to 1995 (free SMS). Every customer leaving the EU Zone will also receive a free SMS with instructions. 

In countries within the EU Zone (Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland) as well as the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Monaco, Andorra, and San Marino: yes, without extra charges. Use your national bundle for surfing, calling, and sending SMS to the EU Zone and Belgium, excluding any other countries. Outside the EU Zone, rates depend on the country. It's best to check our PDF before you go. 

Within the EU Zone, it's included. Outside the EU Zone, the cost of receiving calls depends on the destination. Sometimes, receiving calls can be charged. Tip: activate consumption notifications to stay in control. 

Well, if your bundle is used up, it's used up! Logical, right? But don't panic: the out-of-bundle rates for your data, calls, and SMS while roaming within the EU Zone and to Belgium are the same as if you were in Belgium and surfing, calling, or sending SMS to Belgium: Data: €0.0006/MB; Calls: €0.16/min; SMS: €0.07. And that's true even if you're in Barcelona. No surprises! 

Switzerland is not part of the European Union or the European Economic Area. Therefore, roaming regulations do not apply there. So, roaming charges are to be expected.

Good news: the United Kingdom remains included in Scarlet's EU Zone, even after Brexit. You can use your national bundle for your data, calls, and SMS to the EU Zone and Belgium there. 

When roaming services are available in a foreign country, the quality of service offered in that country may differ from that offered in Belgium due to various local factors related to the technologies available in the visited country: the state of deployment of the latest technology, local network coverage, available speed, latency, as well as other external local factors such as topography, etc.

Do you want to know which technologies are available in the visited country? You can consult the list of technologies available in each of the European Union countries (+ Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) for each operator with which a roaming agreement has been concluded in that country. This indicative list is subject to errors and changes. It is regularly updated based on information provided by foreign operators.

The name of the network selected while roaming may appear on your screen under a different commercial name, chosen by the foreign operator, independently of Scarlet's wishes. Furthermore, for the reasons explained above (such as network coverage or topography), certain technologies may not be available throughout the visited territory.

It may happen that, while roaming, local value-added service numbers are not technically accessible by call or SMS to roaming users, or that certain television content available in Belgium is not available while roaming outside the European Union. It may also be that applications or content accessible to local users are not accessible to roaming users, for technical or legal reasons.

When you are roaming, you can track your internet usage at any time

• by sending the word DATA via SMS to 8888: information on the amount of your out-of-plan consumption abroad will be sent to you by SMS (sending and receiving are free)

• by checking the MyScarlet app (using the app consumes data that will be deducted from any mobile internet plan or will be charged if the plan is already used up).

  • Phone calls and data connections made in non-terrestrial zones (for example, from a ship during a cruise or from an airplane) use satellite networks corresponding to another geographical area and are considered outside the European Union. The national rate does not apply to these communications, and roaming fees related to these communications will be charged. Connecting to non-terrestrial networks, sometimes unintentionally, can increase the amount of your bill. To avoid this, it is better to:

• For a complete block of calls, SMS, and internet connection via these non-terrestrial networks:

  1. Activate airplane mode on your device via settings
  2. Or request the free opt-out of roaming outside the European Union via the MyScarlet app while retaining the ability to roam within the European Union

• To block only the internet connection via these non-terrestrial networks: request the opt-out of internet connection in non-terrestrial zones. In this case, you retain the ability to make calls and send SMS via non-terrestrial networks at the rate outside the European Union and the ability to roam within the European Union. To block only your internet connection on non-terrestrial networks, follow the steps via this link.

You can avoid connecting to foreign networks via your device settings:

  • either by deactivating the automatic selection of the network operator and manually selecting Proximus
  • or by removing roaming

In order to avoid high bills, your mobile Internet connection abroad will be blocked if your data consumption abroad goes 60 EUR (incl. VAT) above the bundle.

If you wish to continue surfing, you can request to remove this limit at your own responsibility. If so, your mobile Internet connection will be blocked again if the usage reaches EUR 121 (incl. VAT), unless you decide to remove this second limit too. If so, you continue to surf without limit at your own responsibility.

You can change this setting at any time.

Value Added Service (VAS) numbers are e.g. premium-rate numbers, freephone numbers or shared cost numbers you can call and/or text to receive access to services like gaming, matchmaking, content editing, information such as the weather forecast , doctors on call, etc. When you travel outside Belgium (roaming) and you call or text to any VAS number (local, Belgian, EU or non-EU):

  • your national tariff is not applicable
  • the tariff advertised for local users is not applicable
  • higher charges could apply, also for services advertised in the visited country as freephone numbers (these are only free for local users and not for roamers).

VAS numbering ranges vary from country to country. To avoid bad surprise on the bill, you can verify which VAS numbering ranges are subject to increased costs by clicking on https://roaming.scarlet.be/en/vas The info is available per EU country (including Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway) but is unfortunately not available for the other countries.

Access to web pages (whether free or paid) is only possible as long as the mobile internet connection usage block ("data barring") is not activated. If such a block has been implemented, you will have access to these pages but only via Wi-Fi.

In an emergency situation, Scarlet recommends calling the European single emergency number 112 free of charge. This number is available from any EU country, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, for local users as well as users in roaming.

You can check which local alternative means are available to contact emergency services in each EU country (including Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) by clicking on https://roaming.scarlet.be/en/emergency

Public warning mobile applications are mobile applications that can be downloaded by the user on his smartphone in some countries in order to receive public warnings in case of imminent or developing major emergencies and disasters in the visited country.

You can verify the availability of local public warning mobile applications per EU country (including Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway) by clicking on https://roaming.scarlet.be/en/emergency

In the interest of transparency, when you enter a foreign country, you receive an SMS with information about the applicable rates for mobile communications in that country, including for mobile internet usage. If you do not wish to receive SMS messages about rates, you can request to disable this service by calling 1992. You can also change your choice at any time. If the country you are visiting is one of the 26 other countries in the European Union, you will also receive an SMS informing you of the available means to contact emergency services in the visited country. For security reasons, you cannot request to disable this service, and we even encourage you to keep this SMS.

The General Conditions and the price list are applicable.

The rate per call is charged per minute. Calls are charged per second after the first minute. The rate per SMS is charged per SMS. The rate for mobile internet (via 4G, 3G, EDGE, or GPRS) is expressed per MB but charged per KB in Belgium and in roaming. The rate per MMS is charged per MMS. Incoming and outgoing calls to satellites (EMSAT, Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya) (+870, +871, +872, +873, +874, +881, +882) are billed at €10 per minute in Belgium and in roaming.