Will my phone be blocked when using an Egyptian SIM card in Sharm El Sheikh, and how can I avoid it?

Registering an IMEI at the airport as a tourist may not protect it on a later trip: one report said an airport registration made in September of the previous year was subsequently cancelled, leaving the phone blocked before the next visit. A support request asked for a passport, entry dates, visa, an IMEI screenshot, and an Egyptian contact number.

Follow-up service SMS messages may arrive only after you land back home. One traveler resolved the issue by following the links in those messages, without taking further action in Egypt.

To find the number of an Egyptian SIM, first check the phone’s SIM settings or About Phone section; the number is sometimes stored on the SIM by the operator.

A Huawei portable hotspot sold under the Vodafone brand can be a backup internet option. In roughly +37°C heat, one traveler reported about 6–8 hours from a full charge with intermittent hotspot use.

On arrival in Sharm El Sheikh, a phone that has previously used an Egyptian SIM may be checked at the airport. One traveler was then able to insert a new local SIM immediately, with no unlocking required.