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Pakistanis in UAE can continue using their home country SIMs without blocking
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that in order to serve the country’s diaspora, it has “introduced facilitative measures to prevent the blocking of mobile SIMs during their foreign stay
- PUBLISHED: Mon 26 Jan 2026, 11:13 AM
- By:
- Waheed Abbas
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Pakistanis living in the UAE and other countries can use their mobile phone SIM without being blocked by their government when they’re living abroad.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that subscribers are required to inform their respective service providers to ensure the continuity of their service.
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The regulator said that in order to serve the country’s diaspora, it has “introduced facilitative measures to prevent the blocking of mobile SIMs during their foreign stay.
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Under this initiative, subscribers may inform their respective service providers to avail this facility for a specific duration, subject to applicable charges (if any).”
This will greatly benefit more than 1.7 million Pakistani nationals living and working in the UAE.
In total, there are around 10 million Pakistani citizens living and working in foreign countries, with more than half, 5.5 million, in the Gulf countries, mostly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“This initiative enables Pakistani citizens staying abroad to retain subscriptions to their mobile SIMs, ensuring uninterrupted access to mobile services through their respective service providers,” the Pakistani regulatory body said in a statement on social media.
Requirements
The prepaid subscribers, it said, are required to generate at least one activity, such as making a call, sending an SMS, using mobile data, or loading balance, within a period of 180 days to keep their connection against their name.
For post-paid connections, subscribers must ensure timely payment of the monthly line rent and any outstanding dues. “Regular and on-time bill payments are sufficient to maintain the active status of the connection,” it said.
PTA advised Pakistanis coming to the UAE and living here to remain in regular contact with their respective service providers and strictly comply with applicable usage and payment requirements to ensure uninterrupted mobile service.
The Pakistani diaspora in the UAE hailed this service, which will allow them to remain connected with loved ones.
“This is a great initiative by the government because my mobile phone SIM used to stop working after some time, and I had to shift all my data to a new mobile. Now, that will no longer be the case,” said Sajid Ahmed, 33, a Pakistani national from Lahore.
“In addition, there are also some issues accessing the internet when we are at the airport because the service requires a local (Pakistani) mobile number to send a code. Now, I’ll be able to keep my family and friends updated when I’m inside the airport,” said Ahmed.
Sameena Noor, a Pakistani citizen living in Sharjah for over 10 years, said she loses her relatives’ mobile numbers when she returns from the home country to the UAE while changing the SIM.
“Since I don’t have to change the SIM from one phone to another, this will save me from the hassle of looking for numbers all the time,” she added.
