The Federal Law No. 303-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Communications” and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” was introduced, providing new rules in regard to the disposal and registration of sim-cards for foreign citizens.
As from January 01, 2025 the following rules apply:
- purchase of a sim-card by a foreign citizen (and registration of the sim-card on their name) is only possible under the condition of presence of biometric data of such foreign citizen in the United Biometric System (in case a foreign citizen registered a sim-card before the said effecting date, they shall undergo the re-registration procedure before the deadline of July 01, 2025 by personally visiting their mobile telephony operator’s office and by providing the required information\documents, otherwise access to the use of the sim-card will be restricted by the mobile telephony operator);
- the other requirements for purchase of a sim-card by a foreign citizen include: a) presence of a verified account with “Gosuslugi” (state information system for state and municipal services), b) presence of the SNILS number (individual number for compulsory pension\social insurance), c) provision of translation into Russian certified by notary of a copy of the passport of the foreign citizen applying for a sim-card;
- sim-cards can no longer be purchased and registered by a foreign citizen via Internet, but only at mobile telephony operator offices during a personal visit;
- no more than 10 mobile phone numbers can be registered on the name of one foreign citizen.
If you are seeking support in complying with the newly updated requirements, please feel free to contact our team for clarification and assistance.
