Guides · Updated September 2026

SIM registration in the Philippines: what tourists need to know

Since 2022 every Philippine SIM must be registered with an ID. What the rule means for visitors, what the booth will ask for, and why an eSIM sidesteps it.

The SIM Registration Act came into force in December 2022. Every SIM sold by a Philippine carrier has to be tied to a registered identity before it can be used, and that includes the tourist SIMs sold at airports and convenience stores.

What the rule means for a visitor

• You register with your passport. Carriers also ask for proof of where you are staying, usually a hotel booking, and sometimes your return ticket.
• Registration is done at the carrier booth or in the Smart or Globe app. At the airport, staff will photograph the passport and do it for you.
• Tourist registrations are limited in duration, generally 30 days. After that the SIM stops working unless you extend, which involves more paperwork.
• Registration is free. The SIM and data promo are what you pay for.

In practice, the rule turns "buy a SIM" into a ten-minute process with a passport, and at a busy arrivals hall that is a queue. It is not difficult, just slow at the moment you least want slow.

Why a travel eSIM is not covered

The law applies to SIMs issued by Philippine public telecommunications entities. A travel eSIM from a foreign provider is a roaming line: the number and the subscription belong to a network outside the Philippines, and Smart or Globe carry it under a roaming agreement, the same way your home carrier's roaming would. No Philippine SIM is issued, so there is nothing to register.

That is why you can buy our eSIM from your sofa in the US with just an email address and have it work on landing. It is also why it does not come with a Philippine phone number.

When you do need a registered local SIM

• GCash and most local banking apps verify with a Philippine mobile number.
• Local services that call you back on a local number.
• Long stays past 30 days on the cheapest possible data, where a properly registered local line and a monthly promo cost less.

None of those stop you landing on the eSIM and sorting the local SIM out later in town, on a quiet afternoon, which is what most visitors who need both end up doing.

Common questions

Can I register a Philippine SIM without a passport?

No. A passport is the accepted ID for foreign visitors.

Can a friend register a SIM for me?

Registration is per person and per ID; a SIM registered to someone else is theirs, not yours. Do not rely on it.

Does the eSIM work without any registration at all?

Yes. Buy, install, land, connect.