Which rules actually reach you

Every rule on this site falls into one of two shapes, and the difference decides whether it is your problem. A rule written about the handset you carry reaches you no matter what SIM is in it. A rule written about a local line reaches you only if you buy one. Sellers blur the two, because half of this table says «yes, this reaches you».

6 rules follow the phone — a roaming profile changes nothing

4 rules apply to a local line you would have to buy

Rules that reach any traveller

These follow the device. Buying our profile — or anyone's — does not move you out of scope, and the country page says what to do instead.

Country	What is regulated	What it demands	Read at
🇹🇷 Turkey	The handset itself	IMEI registration and a duty past 120 days	BTK / MCKS read 10 Aug 2026
🇪🇬 Egypt	The handset itself	90-day tourist exemption from the activation date	tra.gov.eg read 12 Aug 2026
🇮🇩 Indonesia	The handset itself	IMEI registration; duty and VAT above the USD 500 allowance	beacukai.go.id read 12 Aug 2026
🇵🇰 Pakistan	The handset itself	60 days unregistered, or 120 free days with temporary registration	pta.gov.pk read 12 Aug 2026
🇳🇵 Nepal	The handset itself	MDMS registration; the notice states no fee	NTA MDMS notice read 12 Aug 2026
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	Calls over messaging apps	Nothing from you — the block sits in the network	TDRA VoIP Regulatory Policy v2.0, §3.2 read 14 Aug 2026

Rules that stop at the local line

These are written about a contract with a local operator. A roaming profile is a contract with a foreign one, so the requirement never starts — not as a loophole, but because the document names a different thing. The «why» column quotes the reason from the text itself.

Country	What is regulated	Why it stops there	Read at
🇯🇵 Japan	Voice lines Name, address of residence, date of birth	The Act defines the service through sound; a data-only profile is not that service.	Act No. 31 of 2005, Articles 2–3 read 14 Aug 2026
🇹🇭 Thailand	Tourist SIMs and lines per passport Passport only; max 3 numbers per operator; 60-day life, no top-up extension	Clause 8 names a Thai operator’s own tourist product, sold as a Thai line.	Royal Gazette vol. 142, special part 284 ง read 14 Aug 2026
🇨🇳 China	Joining a Chinese carrier’s network Passport for a foreign citizen	The duty attaches to 入网 — signing up with a Chinese operator.	MIIT Order No. 25 (2013), Articles 3, 6–7 read 14 Aug 2026
🇵🇭 Philippines	Local SIM registration Passport, nationality and a Philippine address	RA 11934 registers subscribers of Philippine SIMs; a roaming profile is not one.	Republic Act No. 11934 (2022) read 12 Aug 2026

Where this list stops

Countries we have not sourced are not here Oman, Qatar and Nigeria carry the language of a real consequence in search results, but we have not read a regulator document for them. A table like this is only worth reading if absence means something.

Every country in the catalogue 204 countries with plans, each with its rule status stated plainly — including «not checked yet». › What a phone costs to register Where a device rule carries a fee, the calculator works it out from each regulator's own formula. ›

Each row is a summary of the country page behind it, and that page carries the document and the date. Rules change without notice — check before you fly, and tell us if you find one of these out of date.