International Scanner Laws

International Scanner Laws

Post the laws regarding scanner usage in your country, countries you have visited, etc. This list does not necessarily cover laws pertaining to an international traveler bringing a scanner into the country unless otherwise noted.

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Andorra
• Angola
• Antigua & Deps
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bosnia Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Burkina
• Burundi
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Canada - Scanners permitted as long as not being used for profit.
• Cape Verde
• Central African Rep
• Chad
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Comoros
• Congo
• Congo {Democratic Rep}
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• East Timor
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Estonia
• Ethiopia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Germany - Scanners primarily not permitted
• Ghana
• Greece - Permitted
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ireland {Republic}
• Israel
• Italy
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Korea North [DPRK] - All Radio sets and TVs from Socialist State Government are pre set. To only local media/State Run Propaganda, all foreign media is either jammed and well as forbidden all together. According to ("The uncensored library") around year 2011 - 2012 cellphones finally become accessible to citizens but yet still heavily monitored and restricted. (Fun fact: a minecraft library to bypass international Censorship)

• Korea South
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mali
• Malta
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Myanmar, {Burma}
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nepal
• Netherlands - Scanners permitted
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Norway
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Poland - Permitted
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Romania
• Russian Federation
• Rwanda
• St Kitts & Nevis
• St Lucia
• Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Sao Tome & Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Slovakia - Scanners permitted. Sharing about received transmissions is not allowed. Decoding encrypted signals is officially prohibited.
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Spain - Scanners Permitted
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Swaziland
• Sweden - Scanners permitted. You are not permitted to share what you have heard on frequencies not intended for the public. No streaming allowed.
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Togo
• Tonga
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom - Scanners permitted with specific rules. " it is illegal to listen to anything other than general reception transmissions unless you are either a licensed user of the frequencies in question or have been specifically authorised to do so by a designated person." (See: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/spectrum-offences/radio-interception)
• United States - Scanners Permitted. In a few states, mobile scanner usage is not allowed without a ham radio license.
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vatican City
• Venezuela
• Vietnam - Scanner permitted as long as it complies with Vietnam MIC Circular 08/2021/TT-BTTTT on radio frequency usage (see: https://extendmax.vn/vietnam-mic-circular-08-2021-tt-btttt-list-of-equipment-exempt-from-frequency-license)
• Yemen
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe