SIM registration rules by country
Quick answer
This table records only what each country's own authority says about prepaid SIM cards bought in that country. A travel eSIM bought before the trip usually works by roaming, which the destination's registration rules may not cover. A cell marked not verified means we have not found an official statement yet — not that there is no rule.
Last verified: 27. september 2026
| Country | Prepaid SIM registration required | Passport accepted for visitors | How identity is checked | Travel eSIMs | Local SIM details | Legal basis | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Ja | Ja | The provider must not activate the service until it has the customer's details and has verified their identity. At purchase this means sighting one category A or two category B documents; Digital ID was added as a method in December 2025. | Not verified | Not verified | Telecommunications (Service Provider — Identity Checks for Prepaid Mobile Carriage Services) Determination 2017 | Category A documents include a passport issued in the customer's name. ACMA's pages could not be opened, so the legislation is the only source. | Federal Register of Legislation27. september 2026 |
| Kina | Ja | Ja | When a line is opened, operators must require a valid ID document and real identity information, and may not provide service if the user refuses. A foreign citizen's passport is a listed valid document. | Not verified | Covers fixed and mobile phones, including wireless data cards. | MIIT Order No. 25, Provisions on Registration of Telephone Users' Real Identity Information (电话用户真实身份信息登记规定) | Later tightening, such as face verification, was not checked against an official source. | State Council of the People's Republic of China27. september 2026 |
| Tyskland | Ja | Ja | Before activation the provider must check name, address and date of birth against an ID card, passport or other valid official ID. Other methods, such as video identification, are allowed only as set by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA). | Not verified | Section 172(2) accepts passports recognised under German immigration law. | §172 Telekommunikationsgesetz (TKG 2021) | BNetzA is reviewing concerns about video identification. | Federal Ministry of Justice · Bundesnetzagentur27. september 2026 |
| Hongkong SAR Kina | Ja | Ja | Real-name registration is required before activation. Providers use face-to-face registration, OCR reading of ID documents and manual checks. | Not verified | Applies to every SIM plan and prepaid card issued by Hong Kong providers. People without an HKID may use a valid travel document or passport, but HKSAR and BN(O) passports are not accepted. | Telecommunications (Registration of SIM Cards) Regulation (Cap. 106AI) | No official statement on roaming or foreign eSIMs was found. | Office of the Communications Authority · Office of the Communications Authority27. september 2026 |
| Indonesia | Ja | Ja | Indonesian citizens register with their NIK and facial biometrics. Foreigners use a passport together with a valid stay-permit document. Starter packs are sold inactive and can be activated only after registration is validated. | Not verified | At most 3 prepaid numbers per identity per operator. | Permenkomdigi No. 7 of 2026 on Registration of Mobile Cellular Telecommunication Service Subscribers | The ministry page says foreigners need a passport and a stay permit; how this applies to short-term visitors is unclear. The date of full enforcement is not verified. | Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi)27. september 2026 |
| India | Ja | Ja | Digital KYC: a live photo of the customer and the original proof of identity and address are captured at the point of sale through the operator's app, with extra safeguards for out-of-area and foreign customers. Paper KYC was discontinued from 1 January 2024. | Not verified | BSNL may issue pre-activated prepaid SIMs to e-Visa holders at airports, valid no longer than the e-Visa. | Department of Telecommunications instructions under the Unified Licence (2 August 2016, 3 April 2019, 5 December 2023) | Passport acceptance is confirmed by the BSNL e-Visa scheme and the rules for foreign customers; the full document list at other operators was not checked. | Department of Telecommunications · Department of Telecommunications · Department of Telecommunications27. september 2026 |
| Japan | Ja | Ja | ID is checked when the contract is made. Visitors present a passport, plus an address document or a written home-country address. From 1 April 2026 verification must in principle read the ID's IC chip; sending copies or uploading ID photos is no longer allowed. | Per the MIC Q&A, data-only SIMs fall outside the Act, and SIMs issued by overseas operators are not covered even when used in Japan by roaming, unless a Japanese operator provides them. | The Act covers voice-capable services, from network operators and MVNOs alike, and phone-rental businesses. | Act on Identification of Subscribers by Mobile Voice Communications Carriers and Prevention of Improper Use (携帯音声通信事業者による契約者等の本人確認等及び携帯音声通信役務の不正な利用の防止に関する法律) | The rule applies to voice SIMs, not data-only SIMs. Claims that data SIMs will be covered in future were not verified. | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications27. september 2026 |
| Sør-Korea | Ja | Not verified | Operators must confirm the subscriber's identity through the anti-fraudulent-subscription system when the contract is made, and may refuse service if it cannot be confirmed. Face authentication is being phased in from 6 July 2026 for activations with a resident ID card or driving licence. | Not verified | MSIT said in July 2026 that ID-authenticity checks with the Ministry of Justice are planned for alien registration cards around the second half of 2026 and for passports the following year, and that line opening will be tightened. | Telecommunications Business Act, Article 32-4 (전기통신사업법 제32조의4) | The law requires an identity check, but no official page found states which documents short-term visitors may use. | Ministry of Government Legislation · Ministry of Science and ICT (korea.kr)27. september 2026 |
| Malaysia | Ja | Ja | Original documents are required, and registration must go through a secure automated platform such as OCR, biometrics or a MyKad reader; registration by SMS is no longer allowed. Foreigners may use a passport, work permit card or student card. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | A government directive to providers, enforced through MCMC guidelines; MCMC names no statute. The FAQ pages are undated, so later changes are possible. | Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission · Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission27. september 2026 |
| Filippinene | Ja | Ja | Every SIM is sold deactivated and is activated only after registration, which is done electronically on the operator's platform or website. Foreign nationals register their full name, nationality, passport number and Philippine address. Tourists (9(a) visa) present a passport (bio-page and visa page), proof of address such as a hotel booking, and a return ticket or any ticket showing when they leave the Philippines. Registration is free. | Under the NTC rules, registration covers every SIM a Philippine public telecommunications entity provisions, eSIMs and data-only SIMs included. The text read says nothing about SIMs issued by foreign operators and used by roaming. | SIMs registered by 9(a) tourists are valid temporarily for 30 days and then deactivated automatically; validity can be extended only on presenting an approved visa extension. Foreign nationals on other visas are not subject to the 30-day limit. | Republic Act No. 11934 (SIM Registration Act), Sections 4–5; NTC Memorandum Circular No. 001-12-2022 (Implementing Rules and Regulations) | The Act and the implementing rules were read on the Supreme Court E-Library. The Official Gazette page could not be opened (HTTP 403). | Supreme Court of the Philippines E-Library · Supreme Court of the Philippines E-Library27. september 2026 |
| Singapore | Ja | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | One person may register at most 3 prepaid SIMs. SIM-misuse offences cover SIMs and eSIMs registered with Singapore providers. | Not verified | The pages of IMDA, which sets the registration rules, could not be read, so the identity check and accepted documents are not verified. | Ministry of Digital Development and Information · Singapore Police Force27. september 2026 |
| Thailand | Ja | Ja | Since 18 August 2025, new prepaid and postpaid users, and anyone swapping the SIM on an existing number, must show a valid original document and pass a real-time face check (liveness detection). Non-Thai users present their original passport. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Based on the Government Public Relations Department's reports, not the NBTC notification itself, which we could not open. The legal basis, any limit on numbers per person and the rules for foreign roaming SIMs are therefore not verified. | Government Public Relations Department (Thailand) · Government Public Relations Department (Thailand)27. september 2026 |
| Taiwan | Ja | Ja | Operators must check and record the user's name, address and two identity document numbers before activation, prepaid included. For a foreign national the two documents are the passport and the permanent residence certificate, or either one plus another document that identifies the person. | Before carrying international roaming offered by foreign operators the regulator lists as high-risk, operators must, where technically feasible, check the passport number and name against a designated database. With no entry record the roaming is refused unless the user shows ID at a counter. | For prepaid service to non-nationals, operators must check the database periodically and restrict or stop the service once the user has left or overstayed. It can continue if the user re-enters within the validity period and registers again. | Mobile Broadband Business Regulations, Articles 77–78 (行動寬頻業務管理規則); Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act, Articles 15, 19–22 (詐欺犯罪危害防制條例) | Short-term visitors have no permanent residence certificate, so they need a passport plus a second document; which second documents operators accept was not checked. The NCC list of high-risk foreign operators was not read. | Ministry of Justice, Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan) · Ministry of Justice, Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan)27. september 2026 |
| USA | No | Not verified | No federal rule requires prepaid SIM registration. An FCC rule requires originating providers to know their customers and exercise due diligence against illegal calls, but it mandates no specific method or document. | Not verified | Not verified | 47 CFR § 64.1200(n)(4) (know-your-customer duty for originating providers; no prepaid registration mandate) | In 2026 the FCC sought comment on requiring name, address and ID details from prepaid SIM buyers, so this may change. State laws were not checked. | Federal Communications Commission · Federal Communications Commission · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)27. september 2026 |
| Vietnam | Ja | Ja | Under Circular 08/2026/TT-BKHCN (in force 15 April 2026), a mobile number's subscriber data — personal ID number, full name, date of birth and facial biometrics — may only be authenticated in one of four ways: the VNeID app, the operator's own app, a point of sale the operator owns, or a fixed-address point run by another company under an authorisation contract with the operator. | Not verified | Not verified | Decree 163/2024/ND-CP, Article 16; Circular 08/2026/TT-BKHCN | The source is the government portal's summary of the Circular (16 June 2026), not the full text. It says numbers registered by foreign nationals with a passport had to be re-authenticated under Article 6 within 60 days of the Circular taking effect, or outgoing service is suspended. Article 6 itself, which sets how foreigners are authenticated, was not read. | Government e-newspaper (chinhphu.vn)27. september 2026 |
Rules change. Before you travel, open the authority's link in the table and check again. This page is not legal advice.
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Does a travel eSIM need registering?+
It depends on the plan and the country. Most eSIMs bought before a trip roam and need no registration with the destination's authority, but some plans that include a local number may ask you to verify your identity. The plan page says so when it applies.
Why do some cells say not verified?+
Because we only fill in what we read on an official page. Where the official page does not address the point clearly, we leave it open rather than guess from blogs or other sellers.