In Russia, in 2026, they may introduce the possibility of self-locking for issuing SIM cards.

The self-locking service for remote registration of SIM cards for citizens can be launched on the Gosuslugi portal in the spring of 2026. This was announced on March 27 in the office of Dmitry Grigorenko, Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the Government of the Russian Federation.

"The self-lock on remote registration of SIM cards may be launched in the spring of 2026, approximately in March," TASS reports.

According to him, this is due to the fact that fraudsters often use SIM cards issued to other citizens.

Disconnect from the rules: Russians will be able to set a ban on buying SIM cards without their presence

Will the impossibility of contracting by intermediaries stop fraudsters and how did the industry feel about the initiative?

Earlier, on March 24, it was reported that since the beginning of 2025, over 200,000 foreign citizens have been registered in the unified biometric System (UBS) to receive or renew SIM cards. About 80% of registered foreigners are residents of neighboring countries. In total, citizens of more than 100 countries are represented in the system.