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Comment by lukeqsee | Hacker News Reader

I know the process in Europe (Germany & Italy, at least) is similar, without the need for a local reference or visa. I was very surprised (and frustrated) to discover the need for a photocopy of my passport, but the need for connectivity and the inexpensiveness of the plans finally won me over.

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Not everywhere in Europe – from my experience to get a prepaid SIM card in Austria, France, Sweden, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and most likely many other countries you just need to plop some cash on the counter and be on your merry way. Documentation is generally only required for a card with a contract.

Yeah, the process of buying a SIM card in China is:

1. Go to a store (or stall) that has them.

2. Pay money.

In what I (apparently naively) thought wasn't a coincidence, that's exactly the same process that the US uses. I'm kind of shocked to hear that in some countries (Australia?!) you need documentation to purchase one.

Same in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Portugal (to add to your list of just getting a pre-paid SIM). Getting a mini-SIM is a bit more expensive at the moment if you have a newer phone. In the U.S. T-Mobile doesn't ask for anything identifying either.

In the Netherlands it's really easy, go to any phoneshop and walk out with a pre-paid sim after paying cash.

In Germany you need ID, maximum 2 per ID at a time....

while nominally the process in Germany is similar, if you do get a SIM from a touristy area, they don't really put you through the paperwork. I went into a store and brought a SIM card and they didn't even ask for an address, the shop assistant put his own store's address into the customer address field on the point of sale system.

In the UK there are vending machines at the airport.

I also had a clerk use the store's address. As well as allow me to use my DL# as ID, now that I remember.

I wasn't necessarily trying to equate the two, but it's definitely different from the days of "buy a prepaid phone for cash", a la, Bourne. :)

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