{"id":475620,"date":"2026-05-09T01:17:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T01:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/475620\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T01:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T01:17:11","slug":"new-starlink-policy-requires-passport-check-live-portrait-for-international-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/475620\/","title":{"rendered":"New Starlink Policy Requires Passport Check, ‘Live Portrait’ for International Use"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you use Starlink<\/a> outside your home country, you may be required to provide your passport details or risk having SpaceX suspend your service.<\/p>\n

Starlink.com has been updated to mention a new \u201ctravel registration\u201d policy that appears to apply to all customers using satellite internet service internationally.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTravel registration is required for all Starlink use outside of the country or territory where you initially registered your account (your registered home country or territory),\u201d the company wrote<\/a> on the support page, which PCMag noticed today. It adds: \u201cFailure to complete registration for international travel will result in service being disabled when abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support page includes instructions on how customers can complete the registration within their accounts. It requires the user to submit their full legal name, nationality, date of birth, passport number, a copy of their passport, and a live portrait. \u201cIf your service is disabled due to incomplete travel registration, you can complete registration to reactivate,\u201d the company says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Starlink<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: Starlink.com)\n<\/p>\n

This comes after we spotted<\/a> several<\/a> Starlink subscribers posting<\/a> about receiving a red banner pop-up asking for passport details and live portrait verification, which involves using the Starlink app to snap a selfie. The registration needs to be completed in 25 days, or the Starlink service will be deactivated, the pop-up says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: Starlink On Boats Facebook group)\n<\/p>\n

Since last year, SpaceX has required<\/a> customer verification in some<\/a> markets, including countries in\u00a0Africa, citing local regulations. But lately, the company\u2019s pop-up has been appearing for customers and travelers who say they\u2019re based in the US and Canada.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The pop-up asking for customer verification. (Credit: Starlink Canada Facebook group)\n<\/p>\n

Still, one customer in a Starlink Australia Facebook group reports<\/a> being confused by the pop-up since they\u2019ve been with Starlink for over four years.<\/p>\n

Another user in Canada who reported<\/a> receiving the pop-up says they’ve never traveled outside the country. \u201cFound out the reason I need to verify. It\u2019s because I have the [Starlink] Mini<\/a> and can travel with it,\u201d the user wrote after contacting Starlink customer support.\u00a0The Mini is a portable Starlink dish that works with the Roam plan, which supports international travel. <\/p>\n

Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n

We reached out to SpaceX about the customer verification pop-up earlier this week, but we haven\u2019t heard back. The company also didn\u2019t immediately respond about the new travel registration policy. But it\u2019s possible SpaceX is trying to crack down on bad actors who are abusing its satellite internet service, which is available in over 150 markets. The Starlink Roam plan lets<\/a> a customer use the service internationally in supported markets for \u201cup to 60 days per trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Facebook, some Starlink customers also suspect the verification pop-ups are part of a \u201cKnow Your Customer\u201d approach often adopted by financial firms to shut down illegal activities. Over the years, scammers<\/a> in Myanmar, drug cartels<\/a> in Latin America, including a narco-submarine<\/a>, and Russian military forces, have all been spotted using Starlink, which has prompted SpaceX to try to clamp down<\/a>. (Later this month, SpaceX will also shut down<\/a> a location data feature in Starlink that\u2019s been effective at countering GPS jamming and spoofing.)<\/p>\n

Although the new travel registration policy could help Starlink mitigate liability, it might also create confusion, especially for Starlink users who don’t have a passport. On Facebook, some users have been questioning whether the pop-up is legit or a scam attempt, given that it asks for sensitive information. <\/p>\n

About Our Expert<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Michael Kan<\/p>\n

Principal Reporter<\/p>\n

Experience<\/p>\n

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.<\/p>\n

Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service. <\/p>\n

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast<\/a> to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation<\/a> with Motherboard.<\/p>\n

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out<\/a> in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.<\/p>\n


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