People who have pay-as-you-go SIM cards in their mobile phones are to be required to identify themselves, the communications commissioner’s office announced on Thursday.

The new rule applies to both regular SIM cards and e-SIM cards, with the commissioner’s office saying the new regulation “aims to enhance security and ensure the uninterrupted provision of telecommunications services to consumers”.

A deadline of November 10 has been set for people to submit their details to their service provider.

This process, the commissioner’s office said, “is free of charge and does not require a change of number or SIM card”.

It added that “even cards which remain active but have not been used recently” must have their owners identified, lest they be cancelled after November 10.

“After the deadline, any cards which have not been identified will be automatically deactivated and will not be able to be used for calls, sending texts, or using mobile data,” it said.

It then said that in cases where pay-as-you-go cards are used by minors, an adult must provide their details, and that the regulation also concerns other devices which require SIM cards to operate, including alarm systems, drones, and GPS trackers.

People are able to identify themselves either online, via the website of their service provider, or at their providers’ shops.

The commissioner’s office also called on people to “contact their provider for more information or to check the status of their card”.

“Compliance with the new legislation is considered essential for the uninterrupted continuation of mobile telephony services, whether for personal use or for critical home or professional,” it added.

Personal data protection commissioner Irene Loizidou Nicolaidou told the Cyprus Mail she was satisfied that the new law will not lead to any data protection issues, explaining that “only authorised locations” are able to take note of people’s identify card details.

“You cannot go and buy a SIM card at a corner shop and be asked to hand over your identity card to them there. It is only shops belonging to the providers themselves and their websites where you will be asked to provide identification,” she said.

She also stressed that people’s identity cards “will not be photocopied” during the registration process, though people’s details will otherwise be recorded.

“They will not be keeping any physical record, anyone’s identity card, or even a photocopy of it. Of course, there will be a register of people – this is the point of the regulation, to know who owns SIM card – but there will be no photocopying or holding onto anyone’s documents,” she said.

When the new rules enter force in November, Cyprus will join a growing number of countries which require all SIM cards to be attached to an owner who has formally identified themself.

In Greece, for example, people who buy SIM cards are required to produce identity cards at the point of sale, while in Turkey, any person who wishes to use any mobile phone for more than 120 days is required to register.

Turkey event went a step further earlier this week, blocking access to eight of the world’s most popular global e-SIM providers, thus forcing people who wish to use their mobile phones to access mobile internet in the country to use local providers.

Popular global providers including Airalo and Holafly were affected by the ban. In Cyprus, it is as yet unclear how the new regulations will impact global e-SIMs.

A number of countries still do not require those purchasing SIM cards to identify themselves. One such example is the United Kingdom, including crown dependencies, though SIM card users on the UK mainland who have not identified themselves are unable to access adult content on their mobile phones.

Likewise, people in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Malta, among other countries, are not required to identify themselves when purchasing a SIM card.