Before you start

An unlocked handset, or an eSIM-capable one
A US address for postpaid, but not for prepaid
A payment method — prepaid accepts foreign cards, postpaid usually does not

Step-by-step

1
Activate an eSIM before flying, or buy prepaid on arrival
A US eSIM activates before you land, so you have a working number for the taxi, the landlord and the bank. No identity registration is required at any point.
OnlineWho: YouDay 1
2
Check your handset is unlocked and band-compatible
Phones bought on contract abroad are frequently locked, and US band combinations trip up some regional models. With 3G shut down there is no fallback network to land on.
OnlineWho: You
3
Start prepaid rather than fighting a credit check
Postpaid runs a credit check. With no US file you will be declined or asked for a deposit. Prepaid has no check and is usually cheaper for the same data.
OnlineWho: You
4
Leave Wireless Emergency Alerts switched on
WEA is how tornado warnings, flash-flood warnings and evacuation orders reach handsets, and it is on by default. People disable it because a 3am test is annoying and then miss the one that matters. Hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November.
Mobile appWho: YouBefore June
5
Sign up for the county's own alerting as well
Wireless Emergency Alerts are broadcast by area; the City of Jacksonville and the Florida Division of Emergency Management also run address-level notification for evacuation zones, which is more precise about whether your street is included.
OnlineWho: You
6
Port rather than cancel if you switch later
Number portability is a legal right and works between carriers and MVNOs. Request the port from the new carrier — never cancel the old service first, or the number is gone.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport for postpaid; nothing at all for prepaid
US address for postpaid
A payment card — prepaid usually accepts foreign cards, postpaid rarely does

Things most newcomers don’t know

Your evacuation zone is a letter, and you need to know yours before June.

Florida assigns coastal and riverine addresses to lettered evacuation zones, and orders are issued by zone rather than by neighbourhood. Because the St. Johns River runs right through Jacksonville and floods from storm surge pushed upriver, zones here extend well inland of anything you would call the coast. Look yours up when you sign the lease, not when a storm is named.

Source: Florida Division of Emergency Management

Wireless Emergency Alerts are the channel that actually reaches you.

WEA pushes tornado, flash-flood and evacuation messages to every compatible handset in the affected area with no sign-up. It is enabled by default, and the common failure is that people switch it off after a test. In a city with near-daily summer thunderstorms and a genuine tornado risk inside landfalling systems, that is the alert you want.

Source: FCC — consumer guides

The US has no SIM registration at all.

Most countries in this app require passport registration to activate a SIM. The US requires nothing whatsoever for prepaid, which makes day-one connectivity one of the easiest parts of arriving.

Source: community-reported

The credit check is the barrier, not the documentation.

Carriers check credit before offering postpaid, and a newcomer with no file gets declined or charged a deposit. Prepaid sidesteps it entirely and usually costs less for the same allowance.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Turning off Wireless Emergency Alerts after a test and missing a real warning.
Not knowing your evacuation zone letter before hurricane season starts.
Bringing a carrier-locked handset and discovering it on arrival.
Applying for postpaid with no credit file and facing a large deposit.
Cancelling the old carrier before requesting the port, and losing the number.

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

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