{
  "id": "communication/sim-card-tied-to-residency",
  "signature": "AI tells a foreigner in Egypt their registered SIM card will keep working for its full data-plan validity regardless of their visa or residency status",
  "signature_zh": "",
  "regex": "(egypt.*sim.*card|buy.*sim.*egypt|egyptian sim.*(register|deactivat|block))",
  "domain": "communication",
  "category": "administrative_barrier",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "Egypt's National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) requires foreigners to register a SIM in person with an original passport and valid residency document, capped at 5 voice lines and 5 data lines per operator, and requires the operator to link the SIM's validity to the holder's residency period - the line is disconnected one month after residency expires unless a renewed residency document is provided. This is separate from the data-plan duration printed on the package.",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "any",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "Assume a registered Egyptian SIM keeps working through its full advertised plan validity even after the buyer's visa or residency permit expires",
      "why_fails": "NTRA's Mobile SIM Cards Sales Regulations for Individuals require operators to link SIM validity to the holder's residency period and disconnect the line one month after residency expiry absent a renewed residency document - deactivation is tied to immigration status, not the data plan.",
      "fail_rate": 0.7,
      "condition": "Registered foreigner SIM (not a short-term unregistered tourist SIM)",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.tra.gov.eg/en/mobile-sim-cards-sales-regulations-for-individuals/",
        "https://flatswipe.app/en/guides-egypt/egypt-sim-card"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "Try to register more than 5 voice lines or 5 data lines per operator on one foreign passport",
      "why_fails": "NTRA caps foreign customers at 5 voice lines and 5 data lines per mobile operator using a single passport; additional registrations are refused.",
      "fail_rate": 0.5,
      "condition": "Registering multiple lines on one passport",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.tra.gov.eg/en/mobile-sim-cards-sales-regulations-for-individuals/"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "Bring an original passport plus a valid residency document (or visa) to an operator branch in person and sign the contract on-site",
      "success_rate": 0.9,
      "how": "This is the route NTRA recognizes for a foreigner to get a registered line; the agent keeps a colored copy of both documents and the operator must verify the residency period is still valid.",
      "condition": "Any foreigner obtaining a registered SIM",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.tra.gov.eg/en/mobile-sim-cards-sales-regulations-for-individuals/",
        "https://www.tra.gov.eg/en/mobile-sim-cards-sales-regulations-for-corporate-accounts/"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "Before your visa or residency document expires, bring the renewed document back to the operator to keep the line active",
      "success_rate": 0.75,
      "how": "",
      "condition": "Long-term foreign resident renewing status",
      "sources": [
        "https://flatswipe.app/en/guides-egypt/egypt-sim-card"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": []
  },
  "official_doc_url": null,
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": null,
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.7,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.8,
  "resolvable": "true",
  "first_seen": "2026-09-10",
  "last_confirmed": "2026-09-10",
  "last_updated": "2026-09-10",
  "evidence_count": 3,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": [
    "communication/sim-card-tied-to-residency/eg"
  ]
}