Phone Blocked in Egypt? What You Need to Know (and Why You Shouldn’t Worry If You Are on Holiday)
There is a new telecommunications rule in Egypt: if you enter the country with a phone purchased abroad, as soon as you put an Egyptian SIM card inside it, the phone has a 90-day period during which it will work normally. After that, it will be blocked and won’t have any mobile service. Not great news.
Let’s go into the details and see why you shouldn’t panic, and what to do if the block happens.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN – THE PHONE IS BLOCKED?
It simply means that the phone will have no mobile service. The phone will work perfectly over Wi-Fi, but there will be no 4G signal. It will basically be as if your phone has no SIM card inserted.
THIS PROBLEM IS TIME
If you spend less than 90 days in Egypt in a calendar year, then you have no problem. Your phone won’t be blocked. The phone block happens only after 90 days of being connected to an Egyptian mobile network, therefore, if you come and go in and out of Egypt but don’t spend more than 90 days in the country, you will be fine.
NO EGYPTIAN SIM? EVEN BETTER
IMPORTANT: if you don’t put an Egyptian SIM card in your phone, then your phone won’t be blocked. Ever. The 90-day period is triggered from the day you insert and activate a regular Egyptian SIM card. Period. So, if you come to Egypt with your eSIM, or simply plan on using Wi-Fi at hotels and bars, or your roaming plan, and you never put an Egyptian Sim in your phone, then you have nothing to worry about. You can stay as long as you want and your phone won’t be blocked.
MY PHONE IS BLOCKED! WHAT SHOULD I DO?
But if you are like me, spending a lot of time in Egypt running kite safaris with a brand new phone bought in the US, it may happen. The phone is blocked, and you need to pay a registration fee. It sucks, but there is no other way. Be prepared to pay around 20% of the original cost of the phone.
Changing the SIM card or buying an eSIM won’t solve your problem. To unlock your phone, you can use the Telephony app, but I didn’t manage to make it work. After a bit of research, I managed to find a local phone shop that the registration for me. If you need their info, simply contact me and I will give you the contact details of Mina, in Downtown El Gouna, who activated my iPhone literally today.
LOCAL OR GLOBAL?
Also important – this is a local problem. Even if your phone is blocked in Egypt, it will work perfectly outside of Egypt.
Bottom line for my kiters: if you come to Egypt on a kite safari, no worries. Buy a SIM card at the airport (I recommend WE or Etisalat as operators), and your phone will be fine.
