Can I buy a new SIM card in Egypt if I bought one there less than a year ago?

According to chat participants, the Egyptian network block doesn't happen immediately but kicks in about 90 days after using a local SIM. Once blocked, neither a new local SIM, eSIM, nor Russian roaming will work — only Wi-Fi. The block can reportedly be lifted by paying a tax of about 38% of the phone's value.

According to recent reports, if your phone used only an eSIM on a previous trip, that alone should not trigger Egypt’s IMEI block. People in the discussion say the block risk is associated with using a local Egyptian physical SIM card, not with an eSIM that roams on Egyptian networks.

If your phone is blocked on Egyptian networks, you can buy a separate mobile hotspot/router device and share internet through it. These devices are available both at carrier stores and in regular shops in Hurghada.

A phone previously used in Egypt (Sharm el-Sheikh) in 2025 continued to work without any block during a return visit to Hurghada in 2026.

Phones that were used in Egypt with a local SIM before 2025 are automatically whitelisted and will continue to work. A new phone not previously registered in Egypt is not whitelisted — it is safer not to insert a local SIM into it, and instead share internet from the older whitelisted device.

A phone can be blocked on Egyptian networks even after years of use with the same local SIM — the block and a tax payment demand can occur at any time, not only upon re-entry.

The M8 physical SIM card (available e.g. on Wildberries) is sometimes suggested as a workaround for phones blocked on Egyptian networks. However, if a device is truly blocked at the network level in Egypt, M8 will not work either — the phone becomes a 'brick' with no cellular service, only Wi-Fi. Russian roaming also stops working in this scenario.

A phone can be blocked on Egyptian networks at the device level — this is separate from the SIM issue. Trying to bypass the block using an eSIM does not work; the system still identifies and blocks the device.

If a new SIM doesn't work in your phone, visit a local mobile carrier store in Hurghada to check whether your device is blocked on Egyptian networks — they can test it on the spot.

Travelers who bought a SIM in December and return in July of the same year worry about network blocks. Based on others' experience, the block is tied to the device itself, not to how recently you previously bought a SIM.

A local Egyptian SIM card is cheaper than an eSIM. You can buy one at small shops near your hotel in Hurghada. However, if your device is blocked on Egyptian networks, neither option will work.