PrePaids in Europe this summer.

[Motel75]

Originally Posted by borjeg

@richard1000
Yes, there other notations of the recharge cards, but really doesn't help very much if very few shop are carrying them.

You've got to be kidding -- you didn't see a Tabacchi or a kiosk anywhere in Italy?

As for the Passport, you commented on something else. Of course I had a valid passport issued by the officals in my home country, but it is not valid in shops in Germany. Only passports from Germany and some former Soviet Union states are valid in German shop. These are the only ones with an address in.

That's not true at all, although there are always going to be difficult and poorly-informed shop clerks, who are the rule, rather than the exception, in Germany.

If you want a postpaid account, and you are a non-German citizen, you need to present your foreign passport and police registration to prove your address in Germany. It doesn't make any difference if the foreign passport has an address or not (as it would be a foreign address).

But for prepaid there's no such requirement for police registration, only that you show a foreign passport (and sometimes a bank card). They do ask for an address, but your hotel will do. If you were told something else, it was wrong. (When the World Cup was on, Vodafone and T-Mobile both advertised prepaid SIMs to foreign visitors, not something they would do if these were not available to non-residents.)

[andy]

I bought a Vodafone Germany SIM, showing my passport. They wanted an address, but not actual proof of it.

But Sunsim is better value since then, ordered online with a foreign credit card, delivered anywhere in Germany in a day or two.

Originally Posted by borjeg

As for the Passport, you commented on something else. Of course I had a valid passport issued by the officals in my home country, but it is not valid in shops in Germany. Only passports from Germany and some former Soviet Union states are valid in German shop. These are the only ones with an address in.

Actually passports from Germany don't contain the full address only the city of residence. Only German national ID cards contain the full address. So it should be no problem buying a sim card with a passport that doesn't contain the address as long as you can give them an address where you stay.
But as Motel75 said there are probably a lot of poorly informed shop clerks who never had such a situation before because most germans use their id card.

[borjeg]

Originally Posted by Motel75

You've got to be kidding -- you didn't see a Tabacchi or a kiosk anywhere in Italy?

That's not true at all, although there are always going to be difficult and poorly-informed shop clerks, who are the rule, rather than the exception, in Germany.

If you want a postpaid account, and you are a non-German citizen, you need to present your foreign passport and police registration to prove your address in Germany. It doesn't make any difference if the foreign passport has an address or not (as it would be a foreign address).

But for prepaid there's no such requirement for police registration, only that you show a foreign passport (and sometimes a bank card). They do ask for an address, but your hotel will do. If you were told something else, it was wrong. (When the World Cup was on, Vodafone and T-Mobile both advertised prepaid SIMs to foreign visitors, not something they would do if these were not available to non-residents.)

Of course I saw them, theese are also shops that sell recharges! but only large. That's what I've been trying to tell you. Is my English THAT bad?

Well, if it is a law or not doesn't really make any difference if they still refuse to sell me what I'm asking for, because my address is not in the passport.

[borjeg]

Originally Posted by andy

I am also disagreeing with this. I bought a Vodafone Germany SIM, showing my passport. They wanted an address, but not actual proof of it.

With what are you disagreeing?

The fact that they didn't sell me?
The fact that my passport is valid?
The fact that my address is not in my passport?
or...?

I'm sorry, but I don't understand at all with what you are disagreeing...

[chrget]

Originally Posted by Motel75

However, it is the law in Germany (and a good thing, too, in light of terrorism and organized crime) that a mobile phone SIM can only be registered on presentation of a government-issued ID card or passport.

This of course is not true -- at least not yet. So far, Telecoms (not just mobile operators) just have to register their customers' names and addresses, but that's it. There is no legal requirement for having to present official ID. Of course an operator or merchant may require you to do so, but that's a different story.

On a related note, it is quite naive to believe that registration of cards will actually make some sort of difference when it comes to terrorism or organized crime. But that's a political discussion and thus quite off-topic here.

Regards,
Chris.

[roj]

Well, actually for next summer!
If I - resident in the UK - wanted to buy a pre-paid SIM from say Vodafone,
(their CallNow card) for use in France, can I do this from the UK? If so - How?
Scan in page of passport/ pensioner's bus pass - what?
Any advice would be welcome as a means for complying with essential bureacracy.
Cheers,
roj

[Effendi]

Originally Posted by borjeg

Only passports from Germany and some former Soviet Union states are valid in German shop. These are the only ones with an address in.

Never had problems buying a German card just with my Italian ID, not even passport... I just discovered I live in a former Soviet Union country: Italiastan!

BTW Tabacchi shops also sell small refills, at leat the 10€ ones. They usually don't have the scratch cards anymore, they just ask you for your number and they refill it automatically.


Bak to the initial purpose of this thread, I bought 2 new prepaid cards this summer as well.
- Georgia: I went to a small shop with Geocell sign and the English speaking girl just asked me for passport and made choose among hundreds of free numbers on a printed page. I chose my number, she gave me the card, all ready to go, very straightforward. The only problem is that instructions are in Georgian only, not even russian. On their website, in English, there are instructions for activating services like data and configurations too. After 1 day I could use also the 3G network.
- Armenia: I went to an Armentel official shop, very nice, in central Yerevan. They asked just for passport and in 5 minutes I had my card, in very nice cd-box, ready to go, with booklet in Armenian and English. No data settings there, but you can find them in their website, in English.