Quick answer
eSIM IP address: usually not the country you are visiting. With home routing, the usual setup in roaming, your IP address comes from the network that issued the eSIM profile; with local breakout, it is a local address (IETF). UnlistedSIM, a no-ID eSIM seller paid in crypto with plans from $1.09, has not published its per-plan exit countries yet: this registry sets out the 8 columns we will publish and how we will measure them.
Exit IP and routing: key facts
| Home routing (common in roaming) | The IP address is assigned by the network that issued the profile, and all traffic goes back to it (IETF) |
|---|---|
| Local breakout | The IP address is assigned by the visited network, and traffic leaves locally (IETF) |
| UnlistedSIM per-plan exit countries | Not published yet |
| What the registry will publish | Exit country, routing type, median latency to 3 targets, IPv6 yes or no, and for China a dated Google and WhatsApp test |
| What it will never publish | Full IP addresses, hostnames, network numbers (ASNs), ICCID or IMSI prefixes |
| Licence planned for the data | CC BY 4.0, with a link to this page, once the first dated rows are published |
| Encryption | No VPN included; HTTPS and radio-link encryption remain separate |
| ID / KYC at checkout | None: no ID document, no selfie, no email |
Why is my IP address not in the country I am visiting?
Because a travel eSIM usually works in roaming, and roaming usually means home routing. Your phone connects to a local antenna, but the subscription belongs to a network in another country.
The IETF's analysis of roaming architectures (draft-ietf-v6ops-ipv6-roaming-analysis-03) describes two cases:
- Home routing: the IP address is allocated by the home network, the one that issued the profile, and all traffic is routed back to that home network. Websites see an IP address in the home network's country.
- Local breakout: the IP address is allocated by the visited network, and traffic leaves locally. Websites see a local IP address.
The same document notes that local breakout gives lower latency, with fewer network hops, because home routing adds a detour through the home network. Which case applies is decided by the network that issued the profile and its agreement with the visited network, not by your phone.
What is the difference between home routing and local breakout?
Who assigns your IP address, and therefore which country websites think you are in.
Routing types and what they change
| Routing type | Who assigns the IP address | Country websites see | Latency | Typical consequence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home routing | The network that issued the eSIM profile | The issuing network's country | Higher: traffic makes a detour (IETF) | Your IP country and your location do not match |
| Local breakout | The visited network | The country you are in | Lower, with fewer hops (IETF) | Local rules, including website blocking, apply to the connection |
Which exit country do UnlistedSIM plans use?
We have not published it yet. We have not measured it plan by plan, so we state nothing per plan until a dated test exists.
What decides it: the network that issued the profile of each plan, and the routing agreed with the visited network. The answer can differ between two destinations, and it can change over time. It is not something the buyer chooses at checkout.
While the data is missing, assume that your exit IP address may be in a country other than the one you visit. Check it yourself after activation (steps below), and keep this in mind for banking apps and streaming services. For China, read eSIM in China: do Google and WhatsApp work?: we have not tested Google or WhatsApp on our plans there.
What will the Exit-IP & Routing Registry publish?
One row per plan and destination, with 8 columns. No column will be filled with an estimate: a value appears only after a dated test.
The 8 columns of the registry
| Column | What it will contain | How it will be measured |
|---|---|---|
| Plan and destination | The plan as sold on our pages, and the country where it was tested | From the order used for the test |
| Test date and city | The day and the city of the measurement | Recorded at the time of the test |
| Exit country | The country of the public IP address that websites see | Read from at least two independent IP geolocation services; if they disagree, both answers are shown |
| Routing type | Home routing, local breakout, or an exit in a third country | Exit country compared with the visited country and with the country of the issuing network |
| Median latency to 3 targets | Round-trip time in milliseconds to three fixed public targets, the same for every row | Median of repeated measurements, with the number of samples shown |
| IPv6 | Yes or no: does the connection receive a public IPv6 address? | Checked on the device, then with an IPv6 test service |
| China only: Google | Whether Google Search opened on mobile data | Tested in a named city, on a stated date |
| China only: WhatsApp | Whether a WhatsApp message was sent and received on mobile data | Tested in a named city, on a stated date |
How will the exit country and the routing be measured?
With the same steps for every plan, so that rows can be compared.
Test protocol
Buy the plan like any customer
The eSIM is ordered through the normal checkout and installed on a test phone from its QR code.
Connect in the destination
Wi-Fi is turned off and mobile data runs on the travel eSIM, in the destination country. A row tested elsewhere will say so.
Read the public IP address
The IPv4 address, and the IPv6 address if one is assigned, are read from at least two independent IP lookup services. Only the country is published.
Classify the routing
Same country as the visited one: local breakout. Country of the network that issued the profile: home routing. Any other country: recorded as an exit in a third country, with the country named.
Measure the latency
Repeated round-trip measurements to three fixed public targets; the median and the number of samples are recorded.
China only: test Google and WhatsApp
Google Search and a WhatsApp message on mobile data, with the city and the date. A result describes that day and that city, not a guarantee.
What the registry will never publish: full IP addresses, hostnames, network numbers (ASNs), and ICCID or IMSI prefixes. The exit country, the routing type and the latency answer the reader's question; the rest would identify our commercial partners and individual connections. Corrections will be dated in the changelog.
Why does the exit country matter?
Because websites and apps decide what to show, and whether to trust you, from your IP address.
- Banking and login apps. A bank or an authentication app may flag a login, or lock you out, when your IP country and your location do not match. Keep your home SIM active for SMS codes.
- Streaming and geo-blocks. Services that license content by country usually decide your catalogue from your IP address, so a home-routed eSIM may show the issuing network's catalogue, not the one of the country you visit or your own.
- China. A secondary travel guide says a travel eSIM that reaches the global internet directly usually needs no VPN, but warns that traffic routed through local Chinese networks may still be blocked. Jetpac, an eSIM seller, says its China eSIM keeps Google blocked while WhatsApp works. It depends on the routing of each plan, and we have not tested ours. Apple also says eSIMs from carriers outside mainland China cannot be installed there: install before you go.
- Latency. Home routing adds a detour through the issuing network (IETF). Video calls and games feel it first when the issuing network is far away.
What do other no-KYC eSIM sellers disclose about exit IPs?
Little, and unevenly. The only comparison we found is a forum post: a tester on the official GrapheneOS forum posted results on 21 May 2026 for several no-KYC eSIM sellers, including Silent.link, VoidMob, LNVPN (now nadanada) and PikaSim; read the thread for each result.
Exit-IP disclosure, as reported by a third-party tester
We sell eSIMs. Our plans are included in this comparison and marked. The other rows report a forum user's findings of 21 May 2026, which we have not re-tested; the sellers may have changed since.
| Seller | What the tester reported about the exit IP |
|---|---|
| UnlistedSIM (us) | Not published yet: this registry describes what we will publish |
| PikaSim | The exit location is shown before connecting |
| VoidMob | The exit country and the carrier can be chosen, as reported by the tester (not verified) |
| Silent.link | A single exit IP address, visible only by asking support |
| LNVPN (now redirects to nadanada) | Read the thread |
Checked on
Source: GrapheneOS Discussion Forum, thread 35716, post of 21 May 2026. lnvpn.net/esim redirected to nadanada.me/esim on 9 October 2026. More on these sellers: PikaSim, VoidMob, nadanada, Silent.link alternative.
Do I need a VPN with a travel eSIM?
If you need encryption, yes: an eSIM does not itself provide a VPN tunnel.
- What the eSIM does not do. The operators that carry your traffic, the visited network and, with home routing, the issuing network, can see which servers you connect to. HTTPS protects the content of most websites, not the destinations.
- What a VPN changes. It encrypts the traffic between your device and the VPN server, hides the destinations from the mobile operators, and makes websites see the VPN server's IP address instead of the eSIM's exit IP.
- What a VPN does not change. The mobile network still sees your device (IMEI) and its approximate location, and the VPN provider sees your traffic instead of the operator.
- Local law. Some countries restrict VPN use. Check the rules of the country you visit.
The who sees what page lists every party that sees part of your connection.
How can I check my exit IP myself?
In two minutes, after you activate the eSIM.
- Turn off Wi-Fi, so the phone uses the travel eSIM's mobile data.
- Open two different IP lookup websites in the browser and note the country each one shows.
- Compare IPv4 and IPv6. Some lookup sites show both; the two addresses can be placed in different countries.
- Compare with where you are. The same country suggests local breakout; another country suggests home routing, or an exit in a third country.
- Check again in each new country, since the routing can differ between destinations.
Exit IP and travel eSIMs: FAQ
Will my IP address be in the country I visit with a travel eSIM?
Often not. Most travel eSIMs work in roaming, and with home routing the IP address comes from the network that issued the profile, in its country. With local breakout, the address is local. Which case applies depends on the plan and the destination, not on your phone. Check with two IP lookup sites after activation, with Wi-Fi off.
Which country will my IP be in with an UnlistedSIM eSIM?
We have not published it yet. Our per-plan exit countries and routing types will appear in this registry only after dated tests. Until then, assume the exit IP may be in another country than the one you visit. UnlistedSIM, a no-ID eSIM seller paid in crypto, sells plans from $1.09 with no ID and no email.
What is home routing?
Home routing is the roaming setup where the network that issued your eSIM profile assigns your IP address and all your traffic goes back through it, as the IETF describes. Websites then see an IP address in that network's country. It adds a detour, so latency is usually higher than with local breakout.
What is local breakout?
Local breakout is the roaming setup where the visited network assigns your IP address and your traffic leaves locally. Websites see an IP address in the country you are in, local rules apply, and latency is usually lower, with fewer network hops, according to the IETF's analysis of roaming architectures.
Does a travel eSIM hide my location?
No. The visited network sees your device (IMEI) and its approximate location through the cells it uses, whatever the exit IP. Only websites may see another country, because of the IP address. An eSIM does not itself provide a VPN tunnel either. Our checkout asks for no ID, but that is private checkout; networks still see device identifiers and location.
Do I need a VPN with a travel eSIM?
Consider a VPN for an additional tunnel or a chosen exit country. An eSIM does not itself provide that tunnel: the operators can see which servers you contact, while HTTPS protects the content of most sites. A VPN encrypts traffic to its server and changes the IP websites see. It does not hide your device or location from the mobile network. Some countries restrict VPNs.
Will my banking app work with a travel eSIM?
Usually, but it may flag the login if your IP country and your location do not match, which happens with home routing. Some banking or authentication apps may even lock you out until you confirm the login another way. Keep your home SIM active for SMS codes, since UnlistedSIM eSIMs are data only, with no phone number.
Do Google and WhatsApp work in China with a travel eSIM?
It depends on the routing of the plan, and it is not guaranteed. eSIM sellers disagree: Jetpac says its China eSIM keeps Google blocked while WhatsApp works, and KnowRoaming says both work on its China eSIM. We have not tested Google or WhatsApp on our plans in China; the registry will publish a dated test with the city. Install the eSIM before you arrive, as Apple advises.
Sources (6)
- draft-ietf-v6ops-ipv6-roaming-analysis-03: IPv6 roaming analysis (home routing and local breakout) — IETF (2014-08-09)
- Tested the no-KYC eSIM providers on GrapheneOS, results on what works best — GrapheneOS Discussion Forum (user post) (2026-05-21)
- SIM cards and internet access in China (secondary) — China Guidelines (2026-06-14)
- How to buy an eSIM for China (eSIM seller, search snippet) jetpacglobal.com/blog/how-to-buy-esim-for-china — Jetpac (checked 2026-10-09)
- China eSIM with no VPN (eSIM seller, search snippet) knowroaming.com/blog/esim/destinations-and-travel/knowroaming-chine-esim-no-vpn — KnowRoaming (checked 2026-10-09)
- Using eSIM on iPhone models purchased in mainland China (support article 123879) — Apple (2026-09-09)
Data-only eSIMs with no ID
Paid in crypto with a top-up from $10, no ID, no email. Check the exit IP yourself after activation until our registry rows are published.