Whether you’re living in Greece or just visiting on vacation, using a prepaid cell/mobile phone card or καρτοκινητό (kartokinito) is a convenient and easy way to connect and keep in touch without the commitment. However, users can no longer be anonymous.

The new government that took power October 2009 decided to uphold and implement law 3783/2009, which strips prepaid cell/mobile phone users of anonymity and requires them to register. This measure was to take effect in July, but cell phone companies and unions resisted (see, “Prepaid cell phone cards in Greece to lose anonymity“).

Cosmote and Wind Hellas began mandatory registration of new users November 8, 2009; Vodafone announced the same two weeks later.

All existing users — regardless of company — will have until July 30, 2010 to register before the phone number is blocked and remaining talk time/credit erased. Each company has a different policy (detailed below), and this article will be updated as new information comes available.

There are 20,285,000 cell phone numbers in Greece, of which 13.5 million are prepaid but only 9 million of those are active in the hands of 6.8 million users. With only 215 days until the deadline, it means service providers need to register 41,860 phone numbers or 31,268 users a day, in addition to new customers.

Where to buy a SIM card & recharge card

New users can purchase a connection pack with SIM card for €5 at all the usual places: Periptera (kiosks), post offices, psilikatzidiko mini markets and, of course, direct from cell/mobile phone company stores and their commercial associates (i.e., Germanos, Multirama, One-Way, etc.).

Recharge, renewal or “top up” cards are also available at the same locations.

Be careful when buying connection packs from unauthorized outlets, as there are some pay-as-you-go SIM cards that are given away free at clubs and cafes, and award users a €5 credit if a minimum amount of air time is purchased every month by a certain date. Some online/street vendors do not disclose the expiration date and/or allow potential buyers to believe the connection pack is good after this date; it is not.

How much does it cost?

Aside from the cost of the connection pack, all products include 19% value-added tax (VAT); plus a 12% state tax is automatically deducted from the amount of talk time each time you recharge or top up.* There is no charge to receive calls.

Each company has a multitude of plans with prices for domestic and international sms (short message service or text message), MMS and per minute charges for phone calls to land lines and cell/mobile phones in the same or different network. Doing a comparison would be time-consuming and impossible to keep current because prices and terms change often.

There are always special offers as companies compete for millions of users, and promotions are frequently broadcast via sms in Greek or advertised on company Web sites in Greek and English.

* Certain purchases allow the user to keep the 12% tax. If you think 12% is high, Greece charges an average of 36% tax on cell/mobile subscriptions, which is the highest in Europe. The EU average is 17-20 percent.

How to register

First, determine if you are a new user or an existing user.

New users: Before using your prepaid phone for the first time to make a call or send sms/MMS, the SIM card will need to be registered. There is no fee to register, but it cannot be done online or by phone.

If for some reason you cannot appear in person, you can certify a dilosi (statement of facts) at a police station or KEP that assigns a representative to register and sign for you. See, “How to certify a dilosi or other document in Greece.”

Existing users: All current users must register by July 31, 2010. If you are abroad and have no plans to be in Greece before the deadline, the same certification must be made with the nearest Greek Consulate or Greek Embassy, which is supposed to offer KEP services. See, “Greek Embassies and Consulates Worldwide.”

* Please note that original terms from May specified that residents of Greece of all nationalities must have an AFM (Greek tax number), and cell phone providers may still ask for one, even though it is not stated in their policy. If you are legal here, you should have one anyway.

Second, find your cell/mobile phone provider and follow the instructions:

1. Cosmote (CosmoKarta, What’s Up, Frog Mobile, Ciao)

Existing users: An existing user is defined as anyone who activated a prepaid cell/mobile SIM card on or before November 7, 2009.

New users: A new user is defined as anyone who purchased a prepaid cell/mobile SIM card on or after November 8, 2009. Connection packs will continue to be available at all the usual places, but activation will require that the user register in person.

New and existing users must:
a) Appear in person at any Cosmote, OTEshops or Germanos location. Find a Cosmote, OTEshop or Germanos nearest you (in English).
b) Bring the SIM card or 20-digit number on its face.
c) Show a national ID card (tautotita) or passport (Note: Non-EU citizens are supposed to show an unexpired permit, but their policy did not state this in writing or by phone when I inquired. As this is Greece, they could still ask).
d) Sign a declaration that the information provided is true and correct.
e) Specify if they want to be unlisted or included in the directory.

Users of multiple numbers can register all at the same time with no restriction. Users aged under 18 must have a parent register them. All future changes to personal data and any loss/theft must be reported immediately.

2. Wind Hellas (Wind F2G/B-Free, Wind International, Q Card, Mo’Mad, AB Vassilopoulos)

Existing users: An existing user is defined as anyone who activated a prepaid cell/mobile SIM card on or before November 7, 2009.

New users: A new user is defined as anyone who purchased a prepaid cell/mobile SIM card on or after November 8, 2009. Connection packs will continue to be available at all the usual places, but activation will require that users register, and a recorded message will remind them of this fact.

New and existing users must:
a) Appear in person at any of Wind Hellas’ 400 authorized locations. Find a Wind Store nearest you (in English).
b) Bring the SIM card or 20-digit number on its face.
c) Show a national ID card (tautotita) or passport (Greek and EU citizens); passport and photocopy plus original unexpired residence permit or alien’s card (non-EU residents of Greece); passport (non-EU visitors to Greece);
d) Sign an application that the information provided is true and correct.
e) Specify if they want to be listed or unlisted in the directory (you can change your mind at any time).

Users of multiple numbers can register all at the same time with no restriction. Users aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. All future changes to personal data or any loss/theft must be reported immediately.

Non-EU residents of Greece without permits are ineligible to register prepaid phones with Wind, and their numbers will be blocked. (Asking a friend or relative to register your number in his or her name will assign them complete responsibility, and I recommend against it.)

3. Vodafone (Vodafone Prepaid, formerly a la Carte; CU, Olympiakos, Vodafone International, Carrefour)

Find a Vodafone store nearest you (in English)

a) Greek citizens: Must present the phone SIM card and Greek passport or Greek ID.

* Minors without a Greek ID, passport or similar document must have their parents/guardians register their identity.

b) Foreign nationals/immigrants living in Greece, plus tourists and other temporary visitors, must present the SIM card and one of the following:
– Passport
– Greek Residence permit
– Special Identity Card for Foreign Nationals of Hellenic Descent
– Foreign national ID card
– Special document for asylum applicants
– Special ID card for foreign fugitives
– Special document of tolerated residence for foreign nationals who have not been granted refugee status
– Non-deportation certificate for a foreign nationals who have applied for naturalization or a special refugee travel document (T.DV)
– Permit of residence for humanitarian reasons

Existing prepaid cell phone users have until July 30, 2010 to register their identity. All new users must register before activation of the SIM card.

* Hat tip to EllasDevil for giving me the link to add the Vodafone section.

How to recharge

All scratch cards are available from the same locations as connection packs, and electronic recharge, renewal and top-ups can be made from physical stores, certain bank ATMs within Greece and online, via cash/debit/credit card, e-banking and remotely.

Each company has its own set of denominations ranging from €1 to €50. To get a sense of the options available, click the brand of interest: Cosmote Renewal, Vodafone Top Up, Wind Airtime Renewal.

Unless otherwise stated, a Greek SIM card and the credit or units are good for one year from the date of last recharge, renewal or top-up.

Changing device

Should the cell/mobile phone user swap the SIM card into a new or different device or phone, nothing needs to be done as long as the phone number/SIM card stays the same. Registration is unique to the SIM card and phone number, not the device being used.

If the registered SIM card malfunctions or is lost for some reason, and you would like to keep the same phone number, the service provider will transfer your identity to the replacement SIM card.

Questions and Comments?

I can answer general questions, so I will leave comments open. However, I recommend that readers contact their cell/mobile phone companies with questions pertaining to registration; I will not hesitate to reiterate this, if readers do not heed my advice.

My personal experience consists of having a contract/tariff/subscription (syndesi) and a prepaid SIM card that was registered in 1998, when it was mandatory. I have never been anonymous and am therefore not required to go through the process again.

Readers are encouraged to share their experience of registration, if so inclined.

Contact Info

Cosmote — www.cosmote.gr
Vodafone — www.vodafone.gr
Wind Hellas — www.wind.com.gr

Prepaid or pay-as-you-go programs go by different names and each has its own Web site, but only three URLs are given because these cell phone providers own all of them. If you don’t know which company owns what, please go back to the ‘How to Register’ section, where they are listed.

Sources

“Ξεκινούν την ταυτοποίηση καρτοκινητών Cosmote και Wind” – Eleftherotypia
“Διευκρινίσεις επί της διαδικασίας από τη Wind”
“Δύο φορές ο πληθυσμός μας σε συνδέσεις” – Eleftherotypia
“Έλα στη Vodafone μέχρι 30/07/2010 και ταυτοποίησε το καρτοκινητό σου εύκολα, γρήγορα και αξιόπιστα” – Vodafone
“Πρωταθλητές ακρίβειας στους λογαριασμούς κινητών τηλεφώνων” – Ta Nea
Conversations with the three companies listed above

In the News

Published after enet.gr and my article:

“Ξεκινά σήμερα η δήλωση κατόχων καρτοκινητού” – Ta Nea
“Ξεκινά σήμερα η ταυτοποίηση κατόχων καρτοκινητών” – Kathimerini
“No anonymity with prepaid cell phones” – eKathimerini
“Πως θα βγάλετε ταυτότητα στο καρτοκινητό σας” – Eleftherotypia

Related posts

“Conversations with my Greek cell phone provider”
“Prepaid cell phone cards in Greece to lose anonymity”
“3G no likey my PB”
“OTE: On the Exodus”

Photo from ebay.co.uk

* Article updated Febuary 10, 2010

http://bit.ly/GRprepaidcell