Permanent roaming rules by country

A device that uses a SIM from another country is roaming. Roaming was designed for people who travel and come home, so many operators and some regulators treat a device that stays abroad for good differently from one that visits. This is called permanent roaming. The rules differ from country to country, and they change.

What the rules look like

Some regulators set a limit. Saudi Arabia lets a foreign SIM in an IoT device work for up to 120 days, and it must be replaced with a local SIM in that time. Turkey cuts off a device brought from abroad after 120 days unless its IMEI has been registered. India’s telecom regulator has recommended that foreign profiles on IoT eSIMs be replaced with Indian ones within six months. Brazil bans permanent roaming between its own operators and is reviewing how its rules apply to IoT.

In other places the regulator leaves it to the operators. The European Union counts IoT devices as roaming users, and permanent use is agreed between operators. In the United States, Canada and Australia we found no regulator rule on foreign IoT SIMs, so the roaming agreements between operators decide. Canada’s regulator only requires the roaming it mandates between Canadian networks to be occasional, not permanent.

There is no single worldwide day limit. Where a period exists, it is set by that country’s regulator or written into an operator’s agreement.

What it means for devices you deploy abroad

If devices will stay in a country for months or years, plan how they will get a local identity there. The common options are these.

• A local profile on an eUICC. The SIM chip in the device downloads a profile from a local operator over the air and switches to it.
• Multi-IMSI. The SIM holds several identities and can use one issued for that country. Many such identities still roam, so check what each one is in each country.
• A local SIM. A SIM from a local operator, fitted before or at installation.

Each option needs an operator in that country to agree to it. Some countries also ask for device registration, local numbers or a local company. Check this before devices ship, because changing a SIM after installation usually means a site visit.

Why the dates matter

Regulators review these rules. Brazil and India have both reviewed their rules on IoT roaming since 2024. The table in the Advanced tab gives each rule with its source and the date we last checked it.

What is permanent roaming?

A roaming device is registered on a visited network with an IMSI that belongs to another operator, usually in another country (3GPP TS 23.003). Roaming agreements and most roaming rules assume the visit is temporary. Permanent roaming means a device staying on the visited network indefinitely.

There is no common definition. Brazil’s regulator gives one, more than 90 consecutive days outside the service area, and it applies to national roaming between Brazilian operators. Elsewhere the host operator draws the line in its roaming agreement, and the thresholds differ between agreements.

The rules fall into three groups.

• A regulator limit on foreign SIMs or foreign devices, with a stated period (Saudi Arabia, Turkey’s device register).
• A regulator ban whose treatment of foreign IoT SIMs is under review (Brazil), or a period that has been recommended but not set (India).
• No regulator rule, with roaming agreements deciding (permanent use in the EU and EEA, and the countries listed below the table).

Rules by country

A country is listed only where we have read the regulator’s own text. A missing country is not a sign that permanent roaming is allowed there. China, for example, is not listed because we have not found a published regulator rule on foreign IoT SIMs there to cite.

Where no regulator rule was found

In the United States and Australia we found no regulator rule on how long a foreign IoT SIM may roam. In Canada, the CRTC requires the wholesale roaming it mandates between Canadian carriers to be incidental, not permanent (Telecom Regulatory Policy 2017-56), and sets no rule for foreign IoT SIMs. Permanent roaming there depends on the roaming agreement between the SIM’s home operator and the host network. An agreement can allow it, price it differently, limit it or refuse it. BEREC’s report notes that access seekers accept clauses limiting permanent roaming for M2M outside the EU and EEA, such as shaping, traffic blocking or extra charges.

Where a regulator sets a period, an operator can still set a shorter one.

Ways to comply

• eUICC localisation. The device downloads a local operator’s profile using GSMA remote provisioning (SGP.02 for server-driven M2M, SGP.32 for IoT devices) and then uses that operator’s IMSI as a domestic subscriber. See eSIM, eUICC and MFF2 and eSIM standards. In India, DoT’s 2025 instructions require an SM-SR holder controlling M2M eSIMs in India to integrate with an Indian operator’s SM-DP on request within three months.
• Multi-IMSI. An applet on the SIM switches between IMSIs. It helps only where the IMSI used in the country belongs to a local operator and is used on that operator’s network. An IMSI from a sponsor in another country is still roaming. See multi-network SIMs and multi-IMSI.
• Local SIMs. A SIM from a local operator, fitted for that market.

Other conditions can apply with any option. Saudi Arabia limits devices to pre-defined applications during the 120 days. Turkey’s register is about the device, so a local SIM does not by itself register an IMEI brought from abroad.

Practical points

• Record the country each device is installed in and the date it first registered there. Most limits run from that date.
• Read the regulator’s rule and the roaming agreement. Both apply, and the stricter one is the limit in practice.
• Decide on localisation when designing the device. An eUICC with remote provisioning can take a local profile over the air, while a plain SIM can only be swapped by hand.
• Recheck the rules on a schedule. The table shows when each was last read at its source.

See also roaming and permanent roaming.