Privacy reference
SIM registration laws by country
A single sortable reference for 70+ countries: which of them force you to hand over a passport, biometric scan, or national ID number just to activate a prepaid mobile SIM - and which don't. Every row cites its primary source. Last audited 2026-09-20.
Mandatory SIM registration has spread quietly since the mid-2000s. The stated goals are counter-terrorism, fraud prevention, and lawful intercept; the practical result is that in most of the world your phone number is now permanently tied to a named individual, an ID document number, and often a biometric template. For a traveller this shows up as queues at airport kiosks, passport photocopies handed to strangers, and occasionally IMEI blocks if you use a local SIM for longer than the tourist window allows (Turkey is the most-cited example).
The table below covers every country we could verify to at least medium confidence (70 as of 2026-09-20). Anon eSIM sidesteps all of them: because you attach as a foreign roamer through our partner networks, the destination country's point-of-sale registration rules never apply to you. You pay by card or crypto, install from a QR code, and stay off the local carrier's identity database entirely. That's not a legal grey area - it's how international roaming has worked since GSM launched.
14
Biometric
42
ID / Passport
2
Optional
12
None
| ID recorded | Visitors | If unregistered | Law / regulation | Source | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ฆ๐ท Argentina | ID / Passport | DNI or passport | Passport at kiosks/carrier stores | Line deactivated | Decreto 764/2000 + ENACOM Res. 3358 - DNI required | 2016 | ENACOM Argentina โ |
| ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | ID / Passport | 100-point ID check (passport = 70) | Passport + second document | Line not activated | Telecommunications (Service Provider - Identity Checks) Determination 2017 | 2017 | ACMA โ |
| Austria | ID / Passport | Passport or national ID | Passport accepted at retail | Unregistered lines deactivated | TKG 2021 ยง120 โ registration of prepaid SIMs mandatory since 1 Jan 2019 | 2019 | RTR Austria โ |
| Bangladesh | Biometric | NID + fingerprint; passport for foreigners | Passport + visa at operator centre | Line blocked | BTRC biometric SIM registration (2016) | 2016 | BTRC Bangladesh โ |
| Belgium | ID / Passport | eID, passport or bank-card verification | Passport accepted at retail | Line blocked until identified | Royal Decree of 27 Nov 2016 โ identification of prepaid card users | 2016 | BIPT Belgium โ |
| ๐ง๐ท Brazil | ID / Passport | CPF (tax ID) | Visitors cannot register without a CPF | Line not activated | Anatel Resolution 477 - CPF required | 2007 | ANATEL โ |
| Bulgaria | ID / Passport | National ID or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | Electronic Communications Act amendments โ prepaid user identification | 2010 | CRC Bulgaria โ |
| Cambodia | ID / Passport | National ID or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | MPTC Prakas on SIM registration (2012) | 2012 | MPTC Cambodia โ |
| ๐จ๐ฆ Canada | None | None by law; carriers require Canadian address | Big-three prepaid needs a Canadian address | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | CRTC โ |
| China | Biometric | Resident ID or passport + face scan | Passport + face scan at carrier store | Line not activated | MIIT real-name rules (2013); facial-recognition scan mandatory since 1 Dec 2019 | 2019 | MIIT China โ |
| Colombia | ID / Passport | Cรฉdula or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line/IMEI blocked | Decree 1630/2011 and CRC rules โ subscriber registration + IMEI database | 2011 | CRC Colombia โ |
| Croatia | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | HAKOM Croatia โ |
| Czechia | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | ฤTร โ |
| Denmark | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | Danish Energy Agency โ |
| Dominican Republic | ID / Passport | Cรฉdula or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | INDOTEL prepaid registration resolution | 2013 | INDOTEL Dominican Republic โ |
| Ecuador | ID / Passport | Cรฉdula or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | ARCOTEL subscriber registration rules | 2012 | ARCOTEL Ecuador โ |
| ๐ช๐ฌ Egypt | ID / Passport | National ID or passport | Passport at carrier/airport counter | Line deactivated | NTRA regulation - national ID or passport required | 2014 | NTRA Egypt โ |
| Estonia | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | TTJA Estonia โ |
| Finland | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | Traficom Finland โ |
| ๐ซ๐ท France | ID / Passport | Passport or national ID | Passport + address (hotel accepted) | Line not activated | Loi nยฐ 2006-64 (anti-terrorism), art. 5 - ID at activation | 2006 | Lรฉgifrance โ |
| ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | ID / Passport | Passport/ID via PostIdent, VideoIdent or eID | Passport via VideoIdent; can take hours | Line not activated | Telekommunikationsgesetz ยง111 - passport/ID required | 2017 | TKG ยง172 โ |
| Ghana | Biometric | Ghana Card (biometric); passport for visitors | Passport at operator store; 30-day non-citizen registration | Unregistered SIMs blocked (2023) | NCA SIM re-registration with Ghana Card (2021โ2023) | 2021 | NCA Ghana โ |
| Greece | ID / Passport | Passport or national ID | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | Law 3917/2011 - ID at point of sale | 2011 | EETT โ |
| Hong Kong | ID / Passport | HKID or passport | Passport accepted; limit of 10 prepaid SIMs per person per operator | Unregistered SIMs deactivated | Real-name Registration Programme for SIM cards (fully in force 24 Feb 2023) | 2023 | OFCA Hong Kong โ |
| Hungary | ID / Passport | Passport or national ID | Passport accepted at retail | Unregistered lines switched off | Act C of 2003 on Electronic Communications, as amended 2017 โ prepaid identification | 2017 | NMHH Hungary โ |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ India | Biometric | Aadhaar/e-KYC; passport + visa for foreigners | Passport + visa + local reference/hotel letter; activation 24โ48 h | Line not activated | DoT circular - Aadhaar/passport + biometric verification | 2017 | DoT India โ |
| ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | ID / Passport | KTP/NIK or passport | Passport at authorised outlets only | Line deactivated | Ministerial Regulation No. 12/2016 - KTP or passport required | 2018 | Komdigi Indonesia โ |
| Ireland | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | ComReg โ |
| ๐ฎ๐น Italy | ID / Passport | Passport + codice fiscale | Passport; retailer generates a tax code | Line not activated | Codice delle comunicazioni elettroniche art. 55 - Codice Fiscale + ID | 2005 | AGCOM โ |
| ๐ฏ๐ต Japan | ID / Passport | Passport + residence card/address | Tourist data SIMs sold against passport; voice SIMs need residence | Line not activated | Mobile Voice Communications Act - passport/residence card required | 2006 | MIC Japan โ |
| Jordan | ID / Passport | National ID or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | TRC prepaid registration instructions | 2010 | TRC Jordan โ |
| Kazakhstan | ID / Passport | IIN or passport; IMEI registered | Passport accepted; device IMEI registration required for long stays | Line/IMEI blocked | Law on Communications โ subscriber registration + IMEI registration | 2019 | MDDIAI Kazakhstan โ |
| Kenya | ID / Passport | National ID or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated; fines for retailers | Kenya Information and Communications (Registration of SIM-cards) Regulations 2015 | 2015 | CA Kenya โ |
| Lithuania | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | RRT Lithuania โ |
| Luxembourg | ID / Passport | Passport or national ID | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | Law of 2016 on identification of prepaid users | 2016 | ILR Luxembourg โ |
| Malaysia | ID / Passport | MyKad or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | MCMC prepaid registration directive (2006) | 2006 | MCMC Malaysia โ |
| ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico | Biometric | None since SCJN struck down PANAUT (2022) | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM (OXXO etc.) | โ | Padrรณn Nacional de Usuarios de Telefonรญa Mรณvil (2021, partially suspended by SCJN 2022) | 2022 | IFT Mexico โ |
| Morocco | ID / Passport | CIN or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | ANRT decision on identification of prepaid subscribers | 2010 | ANRT Morocco โ |
| ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | ACM Netherlands โ |
| ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand | None | None by law; carriers ask on tourist packs | Passport requested by carrier policy | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | Commerce Commission NZ โ |
| Nigeria | Biometric | NIN (biometric); passport for foreigners | Passport + visa; NIN enrolment for residents | Unlinked lines barred (2024) | NCC NINโSIM linkage directive (2020โ2024); biometric NIN required | 2020 | NCC Nigeria โ |
| Norway | ID / Passport | Passport or national ID | Passport accepted at retail | Line not activated | Ekomforskriften ยง6-2 โ customer identification required for all subscriptions | 2005 | Nkom Norway โ |
| Oman | ID / Passport | Civil ID or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | TRA prepaid registration rules | 2013 | TRA Oman โ |
| Pakistan | Biometric | CNIC + fingerprint; passport + fingerprint for foreigners | Passport + visa + fingerprint at franchise | Line blocked | PTA Biometric Verification System (BVS) mandatory since 2014 | 2014 | PTA Pakistan โ |
| Peru | Biometric | DNI + fingerprint; passport for foreigners | Passport at operator store | Line not activated | OSIPTEL โ fingerprint verification at point of sale (2018) | 2018 | OSIPTEL Peru โ |
| Philippines | ID / Passport | Government ID; passport for foreigners | Passport + proof of address/ticket; registered online | Unregistered SIMs deactivated (July 2023) | Republic Act 11934 โ SIM Registration Act (2022) | 2022 | NTC Philippines โ |
| Poland | ID / Passport | Passport or PESEL | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | Anti-terrorism Act 2016 - passport/PESEL required | 2016 | UKE โ |
| ๐ต๐น Portugal | ID / Passport | NIF + ID | Passport; NIF assigned at sale for tourist SIMs | Line deactivated | Lei n.ยบ 32/2008 - NIF (fiscal number) + ID required | 2008 | ANACOM โ |
| Qatar | ID / Passport | QID or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | CRA prepaid SIM registration regulation | 2010 | CRA Qatar โ |
| Russia | Biometric | Passport; biometric for foreign nationals | Biometric registration at a service centre; tourist eSIMs from foreign operators unaffected | Line blocked | Federal Law 126-FZ art. 44/45; from 2025 foreigners must register biometrics via Gosuslugi and are capped at 10 SIMs | 2025 | Roskomnadzor โ |
| Rwanda | ID / Passport | National ID or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | RURA SIM registration regulations (2013) | 2013 | RURA Rwanda โ |
| Saudi Arabia | Biometric | National ID/Iqama or passport + fingerprint | Passport + fingerprint at carrier store; tourist SIMs at airports | Line blocked | CST fingerprint registration for all SIMs (2016) | 2016 | CST Saudi Arabia โ |
| ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | ID / Passport | NRIC or passport | Passport; max 3 prepaid SIMs per person | Line not activated | Info-communications Media Development Authority code - passport required | 2005 | IMDA โ |
| Slovakia | ID / Passport | National ID or passport | Passport accepted at retail | Line deactivated | Act 351/2011 on Electronic Communications, 2016 anti-terror amendment | 2016 | Rร Slovakia โ |
| ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | ID / Passport | ID/passport + proof of address (RICA) | Passport + hotel address | Line deactivated | RICA (Regulation of Interception of Communications Act) - ID + address | 2011 | ICASA โ |
| ๐ฐ๐ท South Korea | ID / Passport | ARC or passport | Passport at carrier or airport counter | Line not activated | Telecommunications Business Act - ARC/passport required | 2012 | KCC Korea โ |
| ๐ช๐ธ Spain | ID / Passport | DNI, NIE or passport | Passport + address | Line deactivated | Real Decreto-ley 13/2012 - DNI/passport required | 2012 | BOE โ |
| Sri Lanka | ID / Passport | NIC or passport | Passport accepted at retail (airport counters) | Line deactivated | TRCSL prepaid registration rules | 2008 | TRCSL Sri Lanka โ |
| Sweden | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement (registration proposals not enacted) | 2000 | PTS Sweden โ |
| ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland | ID / Passport | Passport or national ID | Passport accepted at retail | Line not activated | Fernmeldegesetz (FMG) art. 12b - ID required since 2017 | 2017 | BAKOM โ |
| Taiwan | ID / Passport | Passport + second ID for foreigners | Passport + second photo ID at carrier store | Line not activated | Telecommunications Management Act โ two forms of ID for prepaid | 2005 | NCC Taiwan โ |
| Tanzania | Biometric | NIDA ID + fingerprint; passport for foreigners | Passport at operator store | Unregistered SIMs switched off (Jan 2020) | TCRA biometric SIM registration (2019โ2020) | 2020 | TCRA Tanzania โ |
| ๐น๐ญ Thailand | Biometric | Passport + facial photo | Passport + photo at any retailer | Line deactivated | NBTC facial-recognition rule - passport + selfie required | 2019 | NBTC Thailand โ |
| ๐น๐ท Turkey | ID / Passport | Passport + IMEI registration | Passport; foreign handset blocked after 120 days without paid IMEI registration | IMEI blocked | Law No. 5809 + IMEI registration mandate | 2009 | BTK Turkey โ |
| ๐ฆ๐ช UAE | Biometric | Emirates ID or passport + biometric | Passport at airport/carrier counter | Line deactivated | TDRA - Emirates ID + biometric capture | 2012 | TDRA UAE โ |
| Uganda | ID / Passport | National ID; passport for foreigners | Passport accepted at operator store | Line deactivated | UCC SIM registration regulations; National ID (NIN) required | 2017 | UCC Uganda โ |
| Ukraine | Optional | Optional | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No mandatory registration; voluntary registration under Law on Electronic Communications (2021) | 2021 | NCEC Ukraine โ |
| ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom | None | โ | Anyone can buy a prepaid SIM | โ | No statutory prepaid SIM registration requirement | 2000 | Ofcom โ |
| ๐บ๐ธ United States | Optional | None by law; carriers require US address/ID | Big-three prepaid needs a US address; MVNO SIMs need online activation | โ | No federal mandate; carriers require US address/ID in practice | 2005 | FCC consumer guide โ |
| Vietnam | Biometric | ID + photo | Passport + photo at operator store | Line deactivated | Decree 49/2017/ND-CP - photo + ID required | 2017 | MIC Vietnam โ |
Showing 70 of 70 countries. Table last updated 2026-09-20.
Method
Sources are national telecom regulators and published legislation, cross-checked against the GSMA's "Access to Mobile Services and Proof of Identity" reports and Privacy International's SIM-registration research.
A "high" confidence dot means the statute itself, or the regulator's own page, states the rule explicitly. A hollow "medium" dot means the rule is widely reported and enforced in practice, but the citation we can give is the regulator's homepage rather than the specific instrument. Countries we could not verify to at least medium confidence were left out of the table entirely rather than guessed at.
Corrections are made within one business day โ email help@anonesim.io with the country and a source. The whole table is reviewed quarterly.
Cite this table
The data is published under CC BY 4.0. Copy this line if you reference it.
SIM registration laws by country, Anon eSIM, https://anonesim.io/sim-registration-laws, last updated 2026-09-20 โ CC BY 4.0
FAQ
Why do some countries require ID to buy a local SIM?
+
Governments cite counter-terrorism, fraud prevention, and lawful-intercept obligations. In practice mandatory SIM registration creates a permanent link between a phone number, the IMEI it first registered on, and a named individual - which is why it's a privacy concern independent of the security case.
Does Anon eSIM require ID in any of these countries?
+
No. Anon eSIM attaches as a foreign roamer through partner networks, so the local point-of-sale registration rules do not apply to you. You buy the eSIM with card or crypto, install from a QR code, and never register your identity with the destination carrier.
Which countries have biometric SIM registration?
+
As of 2026: Thailand, India, Vietnam, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Peru, and Russia for foreign nationals. Mexico's PANAUT biometric registry was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2022 and is suspended.
Where can I still buy a local SIM anonymously?
+
In 2026 the list includes the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Czechia, Croatia, Lithuania, Estonia, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico (since 2022) and Ukraine, where registration is voluntary. The US has no federal rule but carriers require a US address in practice, so it is anonymous in law and not in practice.
How often is this table updated?
+
We audit the sources quarterly. The last review was 2026-09-20. If you spot an out-of-date row, email help@anonesim.io and we'll refresh it within a business day.
Next step
Skip the registration desk entirely
Anon eSIM works in every country in the table above. Pay with card or crypto, install from a QR code, and land online - no ID, no biometric, no local carrier account.