Why do phones get blocked with a local SIM in Egypt (Hurghada) and do you need to register your phone?
Based on 1 discussion with 3 participants · Last activity: 21 days ago
TL;DR
Since 2026 Egypt requires mobile phones to be registered in a national database — phones not purchased through official retailers and registered can get blocked from working with local SIM cards, and tourists are affected too.
What the community said
The rule was introduced to stop illegal phone imports — many people used to bring phones from abroad without paying duties and taxes. Now a phone must be bought through an official retailer in Egypt and registered in the database, otherwise it risks being blocked; tourists with foreign phones get caught up in this by accident.
23 days ago Mandatory phone registration
The block isn't about the tourist SIM card itself (which can already get blocked separately) — it's specifically about phones brought in from abroad that aren't registered in the local database.
23 days ago
No official explanation was given by authorities when the rule was introduced — travelers only find out the reasoning after the fact, by discussing it among themselves.
24 days ago