SIM cards for India, Croatia, and Turkey
Apr 21, 2007 | 2:56 pm
#16
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Los Angeles,CA,USA
Programs: UA MM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 931
Another data point: my daughter lived in Alanya, in the south of Turkey, from January through May 2006 and had no trouble with an unlocked phone from e-bay and a Turkcell sim chip.
Apr 21, 2007 | 6:57 pm
#17
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: UA 1K SPG Plat 75
Posts: 136
in India they're not supposed to sell you a new SIM card without proof of residency, ID photocopies, a big long form filled out etc. I've found the enforcement to be pretty lax though, as the dealer wants to make a quick buck too.
Apr 21, 2007 | 8:10 pm
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,077
In practice, what's been previously required (generally) is at least a photo copy of the passport "face page" or some other ID documents, whether a resident of India or not.
Worst case, most any party retained while in India -- say a licensed driver -- would be more than willing to get a prepaid account activated in their name for the use of their client.
Apr 21, 2007 | 10:22 pm
#19
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: RTP
Programs: AA(EXP), BA, Hilton, Starwood
Posts: 1,250
I mailed this thread to a Turkish friend of mine and he had a good laugh. He called the registration fee a "stupidity tax."
The big advantage of buying the nokia in the first country you hit is that you get at least one charger with the right set of plugs on it. I hate carrying adaptors.
Oh, and my Turkish friend tells me that the Grand Bazaar is now open 7 days/week and he reccomends that you buy your Nokia adaptor there and refuse to pay more than $3USD for it. But he says make them plug it in first and show you that the phone will charge for it. :-)
The big advantage of buying the nokia in the first country you hit is that you get at least one charger with the right set of plugs on it. I hate carrying adaptors.
Oh, and my Turkish friend tells me that the Grand Bazaar is now open 7 days/week and he reccomends that you buy your Nokia adaptor there and refuse to pay more than $3USD for it. But he says make them plug it in first and show you that the phone will charge for it. :-)
Apr 21, 2007 | 11:19 pm
#20
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: 99654
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,450
Oh, and my Turkish friend tells me that the Grand Bazaar is now open 7 days/week and he reccomends that you buy your Nokia adaptor there and refuse to pay more than $3USD for it. But he says make them plug it in first and show you that the phone will charge for it. :-)
adapters to go with it for a few bucks from
Street vendors in New York City
China town vendors
Flee markets
Chargers are usually $2-$5 and the adapters cost anywhere from
25-50cents each to a few dollars.
Jun 23, 2008 | 11:03 am
#21
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Programs: UA Lifetime 1K (3.52MM BIS miles) AA EXP (3.64MM)
Posts: 1,097
Is proof of residency now required for purchase/activation of a SIM card?
In practice, what's been previously required (generally) is at least a photo copy of the passport "face page" or some other ID documents, whether a resident of India or not.
Worst case, most any party retained while in India -- say a licensed driver -- would be more than willing to get a prepaid account activated in their name for the use of their client.
In practice, what's been previously required (generally) is at least a photo copy of the passport "face page" or some other ID documents, whether a resident of India or not.
Worst case, most any party retained while in India -- say a licensed driver -- would be more than willing to get a prepaid account activated in their name for the use of their client.
Since this thread is about a year old I'd like to confirm that it's still true?
Also this thread didn't mention what bands are used in India...I have a tri-band phone.
Jul 3, 2008 | 6:21 am
#22
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: Nothing much anymore.
Posts: 173
I was able to use the SIM card in a Turkish phone.
Check out http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/d...sim_cards.html for some more information.