Guide

Permanent roaming rules for IoT: which countries restrict it and how to deploy anyway

Roaming SIMs are the default for global IoT fleets, but several regulators limit how long a foreign SIM may stay. The rules by country as of October 2026, what happens if you ignore them, and the three ways to stay compliant.

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Key facts

What it is A foreign SIM on a local network indefinitely

Restricted markets Brazil, Turkey, India, China, others

Typical limit 90 days to 1 year

Our approach Multi-IMSI plus local eUICC profiles

Pricing From US$1.00 per SIM and US$0.004 per MB

Permanent roaming is when a SIM issued in one country stays on a foreign network indefinitely. Several markets restrict it, notably Brazil, Turkey, India (for domestic devices), China, Nigeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with limits of 90 days to 1 year or local registration requirements as of October 2026.

Prices checked on 25 October 2026 · Hotspot allowed on every plan · Full refund if your phone cannot install the eSIM

UEUniversal eSIMs editorial team
Written and fact-checked by the connectivity team at Universal eSIMs, Hyderabad. We test plans on our own trips, check prices monthly and date every figure. Corrections: hello@universalesims.com.

What permanent roaming is

A roaming SIM carries a home identity (an IMSI) from one operator and uses other operators' networks under wholesale agreements. For travellers this lasts days. For a smart meter installed in São Paulo on a SIM issued in the Netherlands, it lasts the life of the device, which is permanent roaming. Operators dislike it because roaming agreements were priced for visitors, and regulators dislike it because the device sits outside local licensing, tax, lawful intercept and numbering rules.

Why regulators restrict it

Revenue and licensing: a foreign operator earns from devices on local spectrum without a local licence.
Lawful intercept and data residency: traffic may route through the home country's core network.
Numbering and emergency services: foreign identities complicate local obligations.
Network planning: operators cannot forecast permanently roaming traffic they do not contract for.

Rules by country, as of October 2026

Indicative regulatory position, October 2026; verify before deployment

Market Rule Practical effect Brazil Anatel requires devices on permanent roaming to use a local operator profile; 90-day tolerance is common practice Local IMSI or eUICC profile needed for fleets Turkey IMEI registration for foreign devices after 120 days; operators disconnect long-term roamers Local profile needed for long deployments India Domestic M2M devices must use Indian operator SIMs with KYC; foreign roaming SIMs are tolerated only for transit and short stays Deploy on Indian profiles; see below China Foreign SIMs cannot be used for domestic IoT; local operator SIMs with registration required Separate China arrangement Saudi Arabia and UAE Operators limit permanent roaming by contract; regulators require local registration for fixed devices Local profiles for fixed assets; roaming acceptable for vehicles in transit Nigeria and Egypt Regulators require local SIM registration for devices; permanent roaming is blocked by operators after 90 days Local profile needed Russia Data localisation and registration rules; operators disconnect long-term roamers Not served by our plans EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore No regulatory ban; some operators apply fair-use or anti-permanent-roaming clauses in wholesale contracts Multi-IMSI handles operator-level limits Most of Latin America and Africa Case by case; operator clauses more common than regulation Multi-IMSI plus local profiles where fleets are large

Rules change often and are enforced unevenly. This table is a planning aid, not legal advice. We review it quarterly with our carrier partners.

What happens when a SIM is cut off

Enforcement arrives as a network detach: the device loses registration and cannot reattach on that IMSI. For a tracker that means no location; for a meter, no readings; for a payment terminal, no transactions. Field visits to swap SIMs cost US$50 to US$200 per device in most markets, which on a 5,000-device fleet exceeds the connectivity bill for years. Designing for compliance before deployment is far cheaper than reacting.

Three compliant options

Multi-IMSI SIM. One SIM holds several home identities from different countries and switches to the one that is local, or at least not restricted, in the device's country. No field visit. This handles operator-level limits and many regulatory ones.
eUICC with remote profile download. The SIM (or embedded chip) downloads a genuinely local operator profile over the air once the device is installed. This satisfies strict regulators such as Brazil's. Universal eSIMs provisions local profiles through its eUICC platform on the IoT Scale and Enterprise tiers.
Local SIM at the factory or distributor. Simple but inflexible: a different SKU per country and no cover for devices that move.

Designing a fleet for it

Map every country of deployment against the table and flag restricted ones.
Choose eUICC-capable modules (SGP.32 IoT eSIM standard) for new hardware so profiles can be changed remotely.
Use a connectivity platform that shows the current IMSI and profile per device and can trigger a switch.
Budget for a local profile in restricted markets from day one rather than as an emergency.
Keep data residency requirements in view: some markets require the packet core to be local, which a local profile provides.

Pricing for all of this is published: IoT Go at US$1.00 per active SIM and US$0.004 per MB pooled, IoT Scale at US$0.60 and US$0.0025 from 1,000 SIMs, with eUICC profiles and private APN included from Scale. Estimate a fleet with the IoT cost estimator.

The India case

Indian rules require domestic M2M and IoT devices to use SIMs issued by Indian licensed operators, with KYC in the name of the enterprise and M2M-specific numbering. Foreign roaming SIMs in Indian devices are tolerated for transit (shipping containers, vehicles crossing borders) and short trials, not for fixed fleets. Universal eSIMs serves Indian deployments on Indian operator profiles under business KYC (GST number and authorised signatory ID), and global deployments from India on multi-IMSI SIMs. Export manufacturers in India shipping devices abroad can fit a single multi-IMSI SIM at the factory and let it localise on installation.

Frequently asked questions

What is permanent roaming in IoT?

A SIM from one country staying registered on a foreign network indefinitely, which is normal for IoT devices on global SIMs. Some regulators and operators restrict it.

Which countries ban permanent roaming?

Brazil, Turkey, China, India (for domestic devices), Nigeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have regulatory restrictions as of October 2026; many others have operator-level limits. The table above gives the detail.

How long can a device roam before it is cut off?

Typically 90 days where a limit exists, 120 days in Turkey, and indefinitely where only operator fair-use clauses apply. Enforcement varies.

What is a multi-IMSI SIM?

A SIM holding several operator identities that switches to the best one for the country it is in, avoiding both roaming restrictions and single-network outages.

Does an eUICC solve it completely?

For regulatory restrictions, yes, because a local operator profile makes the device a local subscriber. It needs eUICC-capable hardware and a platform to manage profiles.

Can I use your IoT SIMs for devices in India?

Yes, on Indian operator profiles under business KYC. Foreign roaming SIMs are not appropriate for fixed Indian fleets.

What does compliance cost?

Local profiles are included from the IoT Scale tier. On IoT Go, ask us for per-market profile pricing. Both are far cheaper than a field SIM swap.

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