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Starlink has begun issuing mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) requests to users across multiple markets, requiring individuals to upload government-issued identification to maintain service. The development, confirmed by an official notice on Starlink’s website, signals a significant tightening for customers relying on roaming packages from other countries.
According to Starlink’s official registration page, users will see a red banner in their account dashboard stating: “Regulations require that additional information must be provided to complete your registration.” Customers must upload a clear image of a valid passport or national ID. Documentation cannot be expired or damaged, and verification may take up to a day. Failure to comply risks immediate service deactivation.
The move presents a critical challenge for users in Zimbabwe who may have registered their Starlink dishes to foreign countries to bypass local residential waitlists or lower pricing. These customers typically do not possess the matching local ID required to clear the verification check.
Users in certain regions, such as Nigeria, are required to link their Starlink accounts with national digital IDs (biometric verification). Kenya recently introduced an in-person requirement. As of early 2026, Kenyan subscribers must complete in-person verification with a valid ID.
Starlink’s KYC enforcement could be driven by two factors: mounting regulatory pressure from local governments demanding customer identification for telecom services, and SpaceX’s commercial interest in ensuring users pay full regional pricing rather than exploiting roaming loopholes.
For Zimbabwean users on foreign-registered roaming plans, the outlook is increasingly uncertain. Without a valid ID matching the dish’s registered country, service deactivation appears likely. Affected customers have limited options: re-register locally where Starlink is authorised, or risk losing connectivity altogether.
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