Before you start

An unlocked or eSIM-capable phone
Passport
An Australian address — a hotel is fine
To be physically in Australia if activating online with a foreign passport

Step-by-step

1
Pick the network first, then the reseller
Telstra has the widest regional coverage and the highest price. Optus and Vodafone are cheaper and entirely adequate across South East Queensland. Boost runs on the full Telstra network and is the usual compromise for people who drive out of the city.
OnlineWho: You
2
Buy a starter SIM or eSIM
Available at Brisbane Airport, every 7-Eleven, Coles, Woolworths, Australia Post and phone shop. eSIMs can be bought online and provisioned without collecting anything.
In personWho: YouTypically AUD 10–40 for a starter pack including initial credit
3
Activate with identity verification
Activation is online and requires identity documents. A foreign passport is accepted, but if you use one online you must be physically in Australia at the time.
OnlineWho: YouUsually minutes; sometimes a few hours
4
Move to postpaid only once you have credit history
Postpaid plans and handset contracts run a credit check that a recent arrival typically fails. Prepaid data allowances in Australia are generous, so staying prepaid for six months costs you very little.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with a valid Australian visa
Australian address
Australian bank account and credit history, for postpaid plans only

Things most newcomers don’t know

You cannot activate an Australian SIM from overseas on a foreign passport.

The identity verification rules require you to be physically in Australia. Landing with a live local number is not achievable unless you already hold Australian identity documents. Buy the SIM in advance if it makes you feel organised, but plan the first hour after landing around activating it.

Source: Carrier activation requirements under the Telecommunications Service Provider Determination

The moment you leave South East Queensland, network choice stops being cosmetic.

Queensland is enormous and thinly covered outside the coastal strip. A Vodafone plan that is indistinguishable in New Farm becomes useless on a drive to the Scenic Rim, Fraser Coast or the outback. If your weekends involve leaving the metro area, buy the Telstra network — through a reseller like Boost, not at Telstra prices.

Source: community-reported, consistent with published carrier coverage maps

Keep the phone charged and enable emergency alerts before storm season.

Brisbane's summer brings severe storms, hail and flash flooding, and the state emergency alert system pushes warnings by SMS to phones in the affected area. That only works if you have a local number registered to a local address. It is a genuine reason to get a Queensland SIM in your first week rather than roaming for a month.

Source: Queensland Government — Emergency Alert system

Home internet is a wholesale market where the retailer barely matters.

The NBN is a national wholesale network, so most retailers resell an identical connection. What varies is the speed tier and the typical evening speed figure, which retailers must publish. Compare that number rather than the plan name or the brand.

Source: ACCC — broadband speed claims guidance

Common mistakes to avoid

Expecting to activate from abroad on a foreign passport — you must be in Australia.
Buying the cheapest network without checking coverage on the roads you will actually drive at weekends.
Signing a 12- or 24-month postpaid contract before you know which suburb you will live in.
Paying an airport premium for a starter pack sold cheaper in every 7-Eleven.
Choosing an NBN plan by brand rather than by the published typical evening speed.

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