Russia to introduce new rules for foreigners purchasing SIM cards from Jan 1
Moscow, Dec 26: The procedure for purchasing SIM cards by foreigners will become stricter in Russia from January 1, 2025, the country's Ministry of Digital Development announced on Thursday.
The new rules will be introduced for foreigners with stricter measures aimed at combating fraudsters and "gray" SIM cards.
According to the new rules, the communication contract can only be concluded in person at a communication store; one person can register no more than 10 numbers, including corporate ones; one will need SNILS, a State Services account and biometric identification verification registered in the Unified Biometric System; and, the contract will specify a unique 15-character device number — IMEI.
The changes will, however, not affect Russian citizens as the new rules only apply to foreigners and stateless persons.
Those foreigners who already have SIM cards will need to confirm their identity at a communications store before July 1, 2025 and have to undergo the SNILS procedure.
SNILS is an insurance number of an individual personal account, which is assigned to each citizen by the Social Fund (SFR). The insurance number consists of 11 digits and is assigned once. It does not change even if documents are lost or the full name is changed. SNILS is used for pension contributions, as well as for registration on State Services and department websites. The digital document can be used to submit applications and receive electronic services.
To obtain SNILS, a foreign citizen or stateless person needs an identity document. For a foreign citizen's passport, a notarized translation into Russian will also be required.
The ministry stated that foreigners who have already issued more than 10 SIM cards will need to terminate the extra contracts to stay in touch. If this is not done, the provision of services to all numbers will be suspended from July 1, 2025.
To register confirmed biometrics in the Unified Biometric System (UBS), a non-Russian would need his or her passport and its notarized translation into Russian or an identity document of a stateless person; SNILS and a verified account on Gosuslugi. If one does not have an account on Gosuslugi, a bank employee will create one when registering biometrics.