New regulatory restrictions for foreign SIM cards and eSIMs in roaming came into effect in Russia on October 6, 2025.

What restrictions have been introduced?
Russian telecom operators are now required to block data and SMS services for subscribers while roaming for 24 hours from the moment they first register on the network.

How it works:
• The blocking is activated automatically upon first connecting to a Russian network,
• The restriction is lifted after 24 hours,
• If the SIM card is inactive for three days after the blocking is lifted, the blocking is renewed for another 24 hours—and so on until the next activity.

Important: Voice services (calls) are not affected by the restrictions and remain fully accessible.

What should I do?
The issues of international cooperation in coordinating the mutual application of national requirements also lie within the scope of the RCC's activities, which, among other things:
• implements the Agreement on the Terms of Interoperator Settlements for the Provision of International Telecommunication Services in the CIS Member States in 2015;

• actively participates in efforts to establish fair prices for roaming services in the region.

The consequences of the imposed restrictions and possible solutions to the associated difficulties in creating a unified information and communications space in the RCC/CIS region will be the subject of joint work between the RCC Telecommunications and Infocommunications Operators Council and the newly created RCC Telecommunications Commission.

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