Why do phones get blocked when using a local Egyptian SIM card, and how to unblock them?

The block kicks in about 90 days after an Egyptian SIM is first used in the phone: mobile data stops working and only Wi-Fi remains available. Instead of the visa-based unblock process, an alternative is paying a 38% tax on the phone's value.

According to reports, iPhones brought into Egypt get blocked by the carrier after about 3 months of using a local SIM card — unlike phones purchased locally.

If your phone was already in Egypt using a local SIM before January 2025, you might avoid the block, but it's not guaranteed — even resident phones eventually get locked.

A major wave of phone blocks happened in 2025, mainly affecting phones first registered with a local SIM starting early 2025. The strict blocking policy was lifted after September 2025, with only occasional residual cases now.

If your phone gets blocked, a workaround is to bring a second phone 'new to Egypt' just for sharing mobile internet, or use a hotspot from friends.

To unblock the phone, visit an official carrier store, file a request, and provide scans of your visas from recent trips (e.g., 5 trips over 1.5 years) — unblocking takes about 2 days.

The 'unlock fee' has varied over time: about a year ago an iPhone 12 cost around $75 USD equivalent, six months later it dropped to $25-30. An older iPhone 14 used for hotspot was assessed at about $30 in August 2025.