Latest Changes: Iran’s Mobile Phone Registry Scheme
Under Iran’s National Mobile Registry Scheme which was implemented starting October 2017, all new mobile phones purchased inside Iran or imported by travelers visiting Iran must be registered to work with Iranian SIM Cards.
Since its implementation, the plan has witnessed at least two major changes which were announced in our previous posts. However, under the new directive issued last week, there have been yet another change of procedure in registering new phones.
According to the new directive, “registering new phones which are imported by travelers in the Hamta system has been stopped since December 10th,” and travelers only need to register their mobile phone in Iran’s Customs Administration website which is dedicated for registering mobile phones only.
While travelers previously had to register their phone on Hamta website or application in addition to the Customs website, under the new directive they no longer need to do that.
Although the website has been exclusively designed for registering mobile phones which are imported by travelers, but the website is only in Persian language! If you don’t understand Persian, just ask an Iranian friend to help you out.
In order to register your phone and pay its import tax, you’ll need to register your phone’s IME (International Mobile Equipment Identity) here. If your mobile supports a dual-sim, you need to register the 2 IME codes using the green + sign.
In following steps, you’ll be asked to choose your mobile’s brand and model, followed by your nationality, ID number, Passport number and mobile number. After paying the import tax which is systematically calculated based on your mobile’s model – again through Iranian banking cards only – you’ll have to wait up to 3-4 days until you receive an activation code from Hamta system.
Please be aware that if the IME code is not provided correctly your phone will not be registered and the tax tariff you’ve paid will not be refunded. According to announced procedure, the Iranian Customs Administration sends its received information to the Hamta system every 3 days and after it has approved the validity of the provided information.
Exemptions
There are also two other groups who are exempt from registering their phones. The first group are travelers including expats visiting Iran, foreign tourists and business people visiting the country.They can use Iranian SIM Card on their phones for maximum 30 days (since the first day of using the SIM Card) without registering.
The second group are those who intend to use their foreign SIM Card when visiting Iran at the cost of paying a roaming charge.
