Egyptian expat phones ‘accidentally’ blocked due to glitch following import tariffs

Egyptian expatriates arriving from abroad found themselves facing an unwelcome surprise after discovering that their phones had been blocked upon entry into the country – despite being old devices registered on the network for several years. Several of those hit by the 90-day ban received no warning message. Communications and IT consultant Mohamed Saeed explained … The post Egyptian expat phones ‘accidentally’ blocked due to glitch following import tariffs appeared first on Egypt Independent. Parents often are conflicted about getting smartphones for their children at younger ages. Kentaroo Tryman/Getty Images Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Egyptian expatriates arriving from abroad found themselves facing an unwelcome surprise after discovering that their phones had been blocked upon entry into the country – despite being old devices registered on the network for several years. Several of those hit by the 90-day ban received no warning message. Communications and IT consultant Mohamed Saeed explained that these older phones were accidentally being blocked due to a technical glitch in the automated sorting algorithms during the database update. The system might mistakenly consider a device new if it doesn’t find an active and accurately documented record for it during the transition period, he said, or if the SIM card is registered after a long period of inactivity as if it were activated for the first time. Saeed added that this automatically places the device on the blocking lists for non-payment of dues and fees, which explains the absence of warning messages or a temporary grace period – the system dealt with it directly as a violating device. He explained that the only practical way to restore the service begins with dealing with the official system through the electronic application designated for that purpose. If the device is indeed old and was operated before the dates of the new decisions, the user have the right to submit evidence such as old invoices or travel dates to the competent authorities to correct the error in the database and remove the block manually without paying a single pound, Saeed said. Proper procedures The Executive Vice President and official spokesperson for the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA), Mohamed Ibrahim, revealed the procedures for handling mobile phones imported from abroad. Ibrahim said that a mobile phone can be used for 90 days upon its initial entry into Egypt without interruption – however if the phone enters Egypt again it may be automatically deactivated without prior warning, typically because the device was recently registered or the SIM card was purchased and activated within Egypt. The NTRA has provided several communication channels to address this issue – users can submit the required documents through customer service, and these documents include a copy of the entry stamp in their passport, their entry and exit visas, and their residency visa abroad, proving that the phone owner resides outside the country. Ibrahim added that these procedures are implemented quickly, with the phone being reactivated immediately upon document verification. The user is also granted an additional grace period of up to three months. He noted that similar cases can contact customer service directly and submit the required documents for immediate resolution. The procedures for Egyptians residing abroad are simple and clear, Ibrahim assured, and once the required documents are sent, the phone is restarted immediately without complications. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm TagsEgypt Egyptian expatriates mobile phone Al-Masry Al-YoumFebruary 15, 2026 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Messenger Messenger WhatsApp Telegram Share via Email Print