eSIM / roaming in Russia as a foreigner

crg_root

Hello,
I was planning to go to Russia (Moscow / St Petersburg) for Christmas / New Year's eve, and I've read recently about the 24hr period when your sim card is kind of blocked from the internet the moment you enter Russia.
I heard that you should update the settings to manually choose an internet provider, as you may have another one selected automatically after some time, so the 24 hours period is reset, unfortunately.

Using public WiFi may also be a bit tricky, as many of them (from Shopping centers / etc) require a valid russian phone number for validation.

DId anyone travel recently to Russia and has any updates / advices on this?

Thanks!

donFlorero

crg_root Reports on this issue are inconsistent. I was in Russia recently, but arrived before the 6th of October. There were indeed some temporary restrictions on Internet usage, because of drone alarms. A Belarusian SIM card was definitely working normally, also after 6th of October. There is a thread in reddit about this issue, some say it is only the first 24h, others say selecting Tele2 manually works, others say it was only a temporary issue. What I can confirm is that quite frequently you need a call/sms to a Russian number for using public WiFi. However, in hotels usually you are able to skip this process altogether or the hotel can provide another solution. Getting a Russian SIM as a foreigner, as you might know, is a cumbersome process, but definitely possible. Sorry to say, but things are indeed not easy at the moment.

KO______

donFlorero I entered Russia late September, my UK SIM card was working fine and roaming with data. On or around October 6, the SIM appeared to no longer work with data.

After reading donFlorero's comments I started to research on google. Indeed on October 6, changes were made. For all intents and purposes, foreign SIM cards no longer work in Russia. Its been roughly a month and still no data.

Some websites state its a 24 hour delay, but that hasn't been the story in my case.

Access to wifi networks outside of your hotel is basically impossible without a Russian cell phone number.

At this point I will just plan ahead as much as possible. Download offline maps, screenshot important info, and try to remember there was a time when we had no cell phones to get around. I've had good luck with downloaded maps and GPS location tracking on those apps. So at least you have a way see where you are.

I'm curious if anyone has a workaround for this.

https://etravelsim.com/blogs/updates/russia-imposes-24-hour-internet-and-sms-block-on-foreign-sim-cards

NorseVictory

KO______

Unfortunately there is no work around this other than gettng a local sim. Mobile operators are trying to work with government officials, but nothing has come of it yet.

donFlorero

KO______ Worth mentioning here is also that GPS sometimes doesn't work either, especially in Moscow. So don't rely on searching a direction from your current position.

KO______

NorseVictory I think you're right but I was hoping for a workaround to get my data back. The reports are supposed to be a 24 hour delay but because I was already in Russia on the 6th, it appears something different happended in my case. I've tried to connect to other networks, MTS, Beeline, Megafon, but none seems to allow data. MTS has been the most stable for my SIM card in the past but nothing seems to work now.

NorseVictory

KO______ one thing you also dont want to do is change networks - it resets the "24 hour clock"

KO______

Thanks for the insight guys. Might be time to get a Russian SIM card.

pattruong9872

I am currently in Russia and from my experience, the 24 hour delay is true. Maybe it is just me but my US SIM card is working just fine. I did buy a Global eSIM from Simify just in case and that seemed to work okay too. Both of my SIM cards are connected to beeline
Also I have to mention my phone plan from my cellphone carrier does come with traveling benefits so maybe it makes the difference
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-gbr4-JrSy8JZlchknimEPyTI17Q2Wh0/view?usp=sharing

KO______

pattruong9872 Interesting. I was connected to Megafon for more than 24 hours this weekend and no data. I had solid 4G data and even local calls in Russia prior to Oct 6 with my roaming package. But now nothing I do seems to get it back to normal. I tried manually connecting to Beeline but it says the network is "forbidden."

UPDATE: After returning to StP today all roaming functions are back to normal. Data is working fine. Seems the issue wasn't the 24 hour delay but instead was a coverage issue outside Moscow and StP.

Cal

pattruong9872
"Also I have to mention my phone plan from my cellphone carrier does come with traveling benefits..."

pattruong9827, do you mind if I inquire as to which US carrier you have? I am using T-mobile (the USA T-mobile) and I also have travel benefits that are supposed to work in Russia. Do you use T-mobile?

KO______

KO______ I will give one final report on my experiences. Roaming inside Russia with a UK SIM card has worked well with no issues in both StP and Moscow. However, traveling to other smaller cities its been hit or miss. This led me to think there was a issue with the new laws but it seems it is simply a network coverage issue. Leaving either of those cities, then returning, everything is right back to normal.

fesslowell

I was hoping to do a trip to Russia next summer, but if the situation remains this uncertain, I won't feel comfortable doing so. I need to know for sure that my phone will work. I have heard too many reports of phones not working after the 24 hours. Some people wait days or weeks, and they still don't work. Does anyone have an update with how foreign phone SIM's are working now? Thank you.

phoebe

Next Summer is a long way off so many law changes and geo political wrangling to go before then. That said current situation is pretty desperate with Foreign SIMs currently blocked on connection in Russia, 24 hours minimum but indefinitely in a lot of cases. E sims exactly the same with many now not even offering Russia. Getting a local SIM even worse with your details etc taken and processed by government on line services.

fesslowell

phoebe Yes. You are right. A lot can change. Who knows what will happen with the 28 point plan. There really isn't a good reliable option for phones at the moment. June is a long way away, but I can only wait so long until I book my flights and hotels because prices always go up. I guess I'll wait until around the new year at the latest. My passport expires in 1 year. This is the ideal time to visit Russia, so I can visit Ukraine on my new passport the following year. If they see Russian stamps, they are not letting a lot of people in.

olga2

Here you will find a way to activate the foreign number before the end of the 2 hours.

https://t.me/ranarod/26691