To make this document truly useful, I will need the input from those of you who
live in these countries AND are aware of the actual laws which govern the
ownership and/or usage of receivers therein.
Of course, if your country is not listed, please submit the necessary details
for your country and I will be happy to add them!
| Country | Scanner
Ownership | Restrictions |
|---|
| Algeria | ? | |
| Australia | Legal | |
| Austria | Legal |
- Scanners can only be imported and sold with permit
- Special license needed for ownership but you are still
not allowed to use
- No exemptions made for tourists
|
| Bahamas | ? | |
| Belarus | ? | |
| Belgium | Illegal
Permit available from BIT | |
| Bermuda | ? | |
| Bolivia | ? | |
| Brazil | ? | |
| Bulgaria | Legal |
- Illegal to make use of or divulge radio-based telephone communication
- Illegal to make use of or divulge "confidential" information
|
| Canada | Legal |
- Illegal to disclose information heard to third party
- Illegal to make use of or divulge radio-based telephone communication
- Illegal to receive or decode an encrypted subscription programming
signal
- Illegal to "intercept and make use of, or intercept and divulge, any
radiocommunication, except as permitted by the originator of the
communication or the person intended by the originator of the
communication to receive it" except for publicly accessible
broadcasting services
|
| Chile | ? | |
| China | ? | |
| Colombia | ? | |
| Croatia | ? | |
| Cuba | ? | |
| Czech Republic | Legal | |
| Denmark | Legal |
- Illegal to disclose information heard to third party
- Illegal to monitor cordless phone transmissions
- Illegal to monitor cellular phone transmissions
|
| Ecuador | ? | |
| Egypt | ? | |
| Estonia | Legal | |
| Finland | Legal |
- Illegal to disclose information heard to third party
- Illegal to decode encrypted transmissions
|
| France | Illegal |
- Even amateur radios are dangerous to own
|
| Georgia | ? | |
| Germany | Legal |
- Illegal to posess a non-CE-approved radio device except amateur
radios
- Illegal to listen any transmission which is not "directed to the
public" (broadcast signals and amatuer radio are for the public)
- Illegal to monitor cordless phone transmissions
|
| Greece | Illegal | |
| Greenland | Illegal | |
| Guam | ? | |
| Honduras | ? | |
| Hong Kong | ? | |
| Hungary | ? | |
| Iceland | ? | |
| India | ? | |
| Indonesia | ? | |
| Iran | ? | |
| Iraq | ? | |
| Ireland | Legal | |
| Israel | Illegal | |
| Italy | Illegal |
- Visitors are allowed to declare to Customs (and fill
out paperwork) but still illegal to use
|
| Jamaica | ? | |
| Japan | Legal |
- Illegal to monitor cellular phone transmissions
- Illegal to monitor cordless phones transmissions
|
| Jordan | ? | |
| Kuwait | ? | |
| Lebanon | ? | |
| Libya | ? | |
| Lithuania | ? | |
| Luxembourg | Illegal |
- Legislation passed in January, 1999 made ownership
and usage illegal
|
| Malta | Illegal |
- Even amateur radios are illegal
|
| Mexico | ? | |
| Netherlands | Legal |
- All transmissions (even encrypted) can be legally intercepted
except for telephone and cellular telephone
- Any encrypted transmission can be legally decrypted
- Illegal to disclose information heard to third party
- Illegal to record any transmission
|
| New Caledonia | Illegal | |
| New Zealand | Legal | |
| North Africa | See France | |
| North Korea | ? | |
| Norway | Illegal | |
| Pakistan | ? | |
| Peru | ? | |
| Philippines | ? | |
| Poland | Legal |
- Illegal to use information heard for personal gain
- Illegal to monitor cellular phone transmissions
- Illegal to monitor cordless phones transmissions
|
| Portugal | Illegal | |
| Puerto Rico | ? | |
| Romania | ? | |
| Russia | Legal |
- Legal to buy
- Need government permit to operate
|
| Saudi Arabia | ? | |
| Singapore | Illegal |
- Can be thrown in jail if caught with possession
|
| Slovenia | ? | |
| South Korea | Illegal | |
| Spain | Illegal | |
| Sweden | Legal | |
| Switzerland | ? | |
| Taiwan | Legal | |
| Thailand | Illegal | |
| Tunisia | ? | |
| Turkey | Illegal | |
| USA | Legal |
- Illegal to monitor cellular phone transmissions
- Illegal to monitor cordless phone transmissions
- Illegal to monitor scrambled/encrypted signals
- Illegal to monitor SCA signals
- Illegal to monitor voice paging signals
- Illegal to monitor remote radio-TV broadcast signals
- Illegal to monitor outside residence in a few states
- Illegal to monitor by convicted persons in a few states
- Illegal to monitor in vehicles in some states
- Illegal to manufacture cellular-capable receivers
- Illegal to modify to receive cellular signals
- Illegal to import cellular-capable receivers
- Illegal to use as an aid in commission of crime in most states
- Illegal to use information heard for personal gain
- Illegal to disclose or publish information heard to third party
(for signals which are NOT "readily accessible to the public")
|
| Ukraine | ? | |
| United Kingdom | Legal |
- Illegal to listen to any signal other than "general reception
transmissions" (i.e. TV, AM/FM radio, CB, HF, ham?) unless licensed or
specifically authorized by Secretary of State
- Illegal to disclose information heard to third party
- The general consensus of the monitoring population is that you can
listen to pretty much everything and won't be bothered EXCEPT for
police transmissions! Don't get caught by police with a scanner...even
just having their frequencies programmed into memory will land you in
jeopardy.
- For more details, see
the official word
|
| Venezuela | ? | |
| Virgin Is | ? | |
| Yugoslavia | ? | |
