As The Insider writes, the measure being worked on by the Ministry of Digital Development will affect smartphones that have not gone through customs clearance, including those bought abroad for personal use, as well as counterfeit devices. According to the publication, three RBC sources reported this, and a ministry representative confirmed that such an initiative is indeed being discussed.
The new rules are planned to be закрепить in a government decree on the database of user equipment identifiers. The document is being prepared as part of the second package of measures to combat cyber fraud, adopted in summer 2026, and the relevant provisions are due to enter into force in March 2027. The new registration requirements, according to the plan, will begin to apply in April 2027.
Smartphones that were already operating in Russian networks before April 2027 will not need to be registered, regardless of the method of import. In the database, each device is to be assigned one of three statuses: “allowed”, “prohibited”, or “not registered”.
IMEI is a unique 15-digit number that the manufacturer assigns to each mobile device, and operators receive it each time the phone connects to the network. Information will be transferred to the state database by telecom operators and the Federal Customs Service. The creation of such a system was previously also linked to a more effective fight against the threat from UAVs.
Stolen and lost smartphones, devices restricted in use by court order, as well as devices that do not meet safety requirements, are planned to be classified as prohibited. In the first version of the draft decree, published at the end of June, registration of smartphones imported from abroad was voluntary, and legally imported commercial batches were supposed to enter the database automatically through customs and network connection.
It has not yet been decided whether registration will be paid; according to two RBC sources, the new version of the draft allows for a fee to be charged. In June, the Ministry of Digital Development promised free IMEI registration, and the possibility of a charge for “gray” smartphones was discussed back at the end of 2025, when it was proposed to tie it to the device price. For personal imports without paying duty, limits apply: up to €10,000 by air and up to €500 when traveling by land transport.
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