Gosuslugi with biometrics: for SIM cards and banks, among others.

Illustration. --

I’ve had SIM cards for a long time (since 2005 or 2006) and a bank account with Tinkoff, which was the first bank to allow non-residents to open one. I was therefore in the category with a longer deadline to register in the new system by 2025.

Since I already had Russian SIM cards, I provided a Russian number. I’m not sure if foreign numbers are currently accepted. I assume they are, otherwise, there’s a catch-22 at the start.

In February 2025, I went to relax for a few days in Kaliningrad. Before my trip, I ordered a notarized translation of my passport online, with express delivery a little before my departure date to a SDEK agency in Kaliningrad, not far from my hotel. SDEK is a large courier company, like DHL. For the translation, you send a photo or scan of the passport page with personal details. A notarized translation is a sealed document with a red ribbon (and with original signatures and stamps, "analog").

I took the early afternoon bus from Gdańsk, and upon arriving in Kaliningrad, I went to the SDEK depot where I had the translation delivered.





The next day, I went to the main MFC (Multifunctional Center) located at the end of Leninsky Boulevard, at the corner of Victory Square, across from the cathedral. At the reception, I mentioned I wanted to register for a SNILS, and the clerk printed a queue ticket for me. I waited a little less than half an hour. Here’s one of the wings of this MFC:





The agent informed me that the SNILS would be ready after a day. I received a receipt. I waited until the next day, and the day after, I returned to the MFC and requested another queue ticket for the SNILS. At the counter, I presented my passport with the translation and the receipt again. The agent issued me the certificate with my SNILS number. Here it is:



Over the next two days, I wandered around the oblast, visited the Curonian Spit, etc., then returned to the MFC to register on Gosuslugi. No luck—there was technical maintenance, and the service was only available again on Monday. But I had to return home over the weekend and go back to work on Monday.

In early April 2025, I went to Pskov. I visited the main MFC in the northern bank district, about a 10-15 minute walk from the Church of Cosmas and Damian. At the reception, I asked for a ticket to register on Gosuslugi.



The hall of this MFC:



At the counter, I presented my passport with the translation, provided my mobile number (which is required for the procedure), and gave an email address. The process took a long time, almost an hour, because there were network slowdowns. We had to retry sending the confirmation SMS to my phone several times. Once everything was completed, the Gosuslugi app was activated:





Right after, I went to the SBER branch on Oktyabrskaya Street for EBS (biometric registration). Same process: I provided my passport with the translation, and I showed my phone with the Gosuslugi profile open so the agent could collect and verify my information. Then, I read a series of numbers (from 0 to 9, then from 9 to 0, and then in random order) to record my voice, and a photo of my face was taken with a webcam. But the upload of the audio and photo files didn’t go through due to network overload. The agent explained that they had peak overloads at certain times. I came back the next day in the middle of the day, the procedure was restarted, and my biometric profile was activated. On the phone app, this corresponds to the following (note "foto" and "golos" = voice):



As indicated, this needs to be renewed in 2028.

I have a dedicated phone when I'm in Russia, with two SIM cards and the usual apps. In this photo taken from that phone held in front of the screen where I'm typing this, the Biometrika and Gosuslugi app icons are at the top left:



The connection to Gosuslugi works without a VPN from abroad, at least so far.

Thanks for all this info. Just a quick (maybe silly) question: do you need to go through all these steps for a simple prepaid SIM card, or is it just for contract SIMs?

Thanks for all this info. Just a silly question: do you have to go through all these steps for a simple prepaid SIM card, or is it just for contract SIMs?

All "normal" SIM cards, i.e., those offering voice, SMS, and internet. Some providers might offer internet-only SIMs, similar to those for USB modems, so not for phone calls.

The concept of a subscription doesn’t really exist because there are no forced subscription plans. If you don’t pay the next monthly fee, the SIM card simply becomes inactive, but there’s no legal action from the bank.

The process is supposed to be simplified, reduced to a single counter handling the three steps in one go: SNILS, Gosuslugi, and biometrics. But between theory and practice, there can be delays.

Hi there, If your wife is Russian, you just need to put everything in your wife’s name. It’ll be a bit more complicated if you want to activate your OZON bank card, but it’s doable. At the bank, they simply scanned me with a camera. Best, Patrick

Hello, It’s recommended not to use your Russian SIM card outside Russia, except with Wi-Fi. The same goes for a European SIM card—you should only use it with Wi-Fi in Russia. You risk having your Russian or European SIM blocked for at least 48 hours... I’d advise bringing a dedicated phone for Russia and another for the EU. Best regards, Patrick

It is advised not to use your Russian SIM card outside of Russia

In some cases, it’s necessary to have an active Russian SIM abroad to receive SMS confirmation codes for certain websites. So far, I haven’t had any issues with my Russian SIMs being blocked when returning to Russia.

Otherwise, to access certain Russian sites, what matters is having a Russian IP address—whether via SIM or Wi-Fi doesn’t make a difference. For example, the railway site RZD requires a Russian IP address, but Tutu does not.

You risk having your cards—Russian or European—blocked for a minimum of 48 hours...

Since last summer, a decree has been in place that blocks roaming for foreign SIM cards for 24 or 48 hours upon crossing the border or, in some cases, as soon as they connect to a network. It’s a security delay after which everything works normally again, but the timer restarts if the phone is turned off and back on.

The issue with mobile internet is different. During periods of high activity from NATO drone swarms, 4G is severely limited in some cities. Basically, only essential services (Yandex Go, Kart, Navigator, RZD, Ostrovok, 2GIS, banking apps, etc.) work—everything else is blocked. I experienced this two months ago in Pskov and Vladimir. However, everything was normal in Saint Petersburg, though VPNs were blocked there.

Hi there, For the VPN, it's normal—you need to use an obfuscated server, which makes things easier. Russian law doesn’t allow advertising VPNs that aren’t banned for private individuals. Best, Patrick

Hi there,

Using a SIM card with Wi-Fi? I don’t get the concept. You just deactivate it—obviously, you can use a phone without a SIM card over Wi-Fi. Besides, if this only applies to physical SIMs with voice service, why not just use a data-only eSIM, which should still let you do everything? What’s the point of having a voice phone number?

Michel

Hello, Actually, I didn’t explain myself well. You need to prevent the SIM card from working by deactivating it and then use Wi-Fi. Best regards, Patrick

. Why not just use a data-only eSIM, which should still let you do everything? What’s the point of having a voice phone number?

If the phone isn’t eSIM-compatible :-) A Berlin-based company sells eUICC modules in SIM form, with a dedicated app to download eSIM profiles. That’s probably an alternative, but I haven’t tried it: https://esim.me/

In some cases, SMS functionality could be useful, as well as simply having a local number.

if the phone isn't compatible with eSIMs :-)

Given the hassle you describe, it seems well worth investing in a phone that supports eSIM.

in some cases, the SMS function could be useful, as well as simply having a local number.

You really have to be motivated.

Michel

if the phone isn't compatible with eSIMs :-)

Given the hassle you describe, it seems well worth investing in an eSIM-compatible phone.

in some cases, SMS functionality could be useful, as well as simply having a local number.

You really have to be motivated.

The current process is slow, especially. For a short occasional trip, it’s not worth it. If it’s a long trip, it makes life much easier, and for frequent travel, it’s almost essential—it lets you buy train, bus, and flight tickets online well in advance. Russia is highly digitized, with phone apps, NFC, or QR code payments being common for a long time.

The government plans to simplify the three procedures (SNILS registration, Gosuslugi account creation, biometrics) into one. But that’ll take ages.

It’s clear that it’s confusing for a tourist to queue up at an administrative center, and if you don’t speak a bit of Russian or aren’t already familiar with the country, it can feel like climbing a mountain and cause a huge time loss, even though Russians are very helpful.

For those who are familiar with the country, though, it’s a piece of cake.

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a practical aspect to keep in mind: if you need to access your online banking or use your VISA for a purchase while in Russia.

In my case, my bank blocks Russian IPs, and on top of that, in recent months, there have been major VPN blocks in some urban areas. In those cases, you’ll need a non-trivial solution like a VPN or VNC and similar tools.

Hello, If you don’t have a VPN, **do not** contact your bank (checking your balance or anything else), because they’ll know where you are and may close your account without any justification. VNC isn’t useful and doesn’t do anything, just like GoodbyeDPI... There are VPNs that work in Russia, but they’re becoming rare. (paid or free) But if you’re coming for three months, grab a pen and track your expenses. EU (or US) Visa or debit cards are no longer accepted in Russia. You *might* still use them at places that take them, but those are rare—and you might end up sending your money to a bank in Australia (true story). Best, Patrick

If you don’t have a VPN, **do not** contact your bank (checking your balance or anything else), because they’ll know where you are and may close your account without any justification. VNC isn’t useful and doesn’t do anything, just like GoodbyeDPI... There are VPNs that work in Russia, but they’re becoming rare. (paid or free) But if you’re staying for three months, grab a pen and track your expenses. EU (or US) Visa or debit cards are no longer accepted in Russia—you can still use them at places that take them, but those are rare, and you’ll likely end up sending your money to a bank in Australia (true story).

I was referring to cases where you might need to log into your online banking. For example, you’re in Russia for three or four weeks, and you get an email reminding you about an unpaid bill back home. You want to pay it while you’re in Russia by logging into your bank to make a transfer.

Same goes for using your Visa on a non-Russian site. I ran into this in October. I was in St. Petersburg and needed to buy a return ticket from Tallinn to Oslo. Not a purchase on a Russian site, but on Norwegian Airlines’ website, using my Visa. My bank blocks Russian IPs—I always use a VPN. But this time, VPNs were blocked.

VNC: If you have a dedicated server in the EU with a desktop, and you connect via VNC or something similar (NoMachine, RDP) through an SSH tunnel, that’s not a VPN. You’re controlling a remote Linux or Windows desktop, where you can open a browser to make purchases or payments. This works in cases where transaction confirmation uses a code generator (like Digipass).

Hello, In Kaliningrad, you can also go to this address for the Snil procedure—it’s the same process, but faster. It’s near the train station: Межрайонная инспекция ФНС России № 1 по Калининградской области PlPloshchad' Kalinina, 1-7, Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, 236022 Best regards, But where you went, there are way more restaurants around. Patrick