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New Regulations in Russia: Foreigners Face Mobile Service Disconnection Without Biometric Registration

July 4, 2025

New Regulations in Russia: Foreigners Face Mobile Service Disconnection Without Biometric Registration

Starting Tuesday, foreigners in Russia who have not provided biometric data to the authorities will face disconnection of their mobile phone services, as announced by the Ministry of Digital Development.

Although the disconnections begin on Tuesday, as of January 1, foreign nationals wishing to establish mobile contracts have been required to enroll in the Unified Biometric System (UBS), which is a government-operated database for collecting biometric information.

Individuals who obtained their SIM cards before the new year must go to their mobile service provider’s office to register with the UBS and confirm their identity.

The disconnection process will first restrict international and long-distance calls, followed by a reduction in internet speeds. After a grace period of 30 days, all services will be completely cut off for those who fail to register.

Additionally, foreigners are required to present a SNILS—a Russian equivalent of the U.S. Social Security number—register on the Gosuslugi public services platform, and provide an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

According to the rules, an individual may have no more than 10 SIM cards registered in their name.

The Ministry of Digital Development emphasized that these measures aim to combat fraudulent activities and regulate the use of unregistered SIM cards.

Official statistics from the ministry report that over 2 million foreign citizens have already registered with the UBS and entered contracts with telecommunications companies in compliance with the new regulations.

Furthermore, the ministry noted that phone numbers inactive for more than three months will be deactivated.

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