SIM CARDS FOR FOREIGNERS

Starting January 1, 2025, all foreign citizens are required to submit their biometric data to obtain a SIM card in Russia.

SIM cards received before January 1, 2025, must be re-registered by July 1, 2025. Otherwise, they will be deactivated.

To simplify this process for you, we’ve prepared a step-by-step guide:

1. Apply for and receive your SNILS (individual insurance account number) at any multifunctional center for public services (МФЦ). You can find a comprehensive list of locations here. You’ll need to bring your passport and its notarized translation into Russian, as well as have access to your email inbox. You will be able to pick up your document immediately – or within up to five days in some cases.
2. After you’ve received your SNILS, you will need to create a personal account on the Gosuslugi platform. This can also be done at a multifunctional center for public services (МФЦ). To do that, you’ll need to provide your passport, a notarized translation of your passport, your SNILS, your migration card, and your migration registration. Ask the center’s staff to create a verified Gosuslugi account. Please note that if you create a simplified Gosuslugi account, it will not work for biometric registration.
3. Register your biometric data at any convenient branch of a bank (find the list here) at which you already have a banking account. Bring your passport, a notarized translation of your passport, your SNILS, your migration card, and your migration registration. You must also have access to your personal page on the Gosuslugi platform and to your email inbox.
4. Visit a branch of your mobile plan provider with the following documents: your passport, a notarized translation of your passport, your SNILS, your migration card, and your migration registration. You must also have access to your personal page on the Gosuslugi platform and have confirmed your biometric data at the bank. The staff will provide you with a contract that you should familiarize yourself with and sign. You may be asked to provide your phone’s IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) code. To do this, call *#06# on your phone and the code will be shown on screen.
5. Activate your SIM card at the mobile provider’s office or on your own via Gosuslugi.

If you have any questions or requests, please get in touch with the International Students Learning and Support Center via int.students@itmo.ru.