How to unlock a blocked SIM card in Sharm El Sheikh without paying the extra tourist tax fee

From messages by 2 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 72 days ago

TL;DR

At Vodafone and Orange, unlocking a SIM as a tourist usually requires showing your visa stamp, but some branches may refuse and demand an extra 'tax' payment — results vary by office and staff.

What the community said

One traveler reported that both Vodafone and Orange refused to unlock the SIM, insisting on a mandatory tax payment for all tourists, even after showing the visa stamp in the passport.

Vodafone / Orange — refusal without tax payment

Another user asked whether the visa was shown to staff. In their case, Vodafone unlocked the SIM for free — they photographed the visa, filled out a form, got a signature, and the SIM was unlocked within 2 days.

Vodafone — free unlock in 2 days

The first traveler replied that the procedure may have changed over time — back in March someone else got their SIM unlocked without issue, but by summer they themselves were refused, even after showing the visa stamp and explaining they were a tourist.