Starlink Restricts International Roaming Rules – Roam Unlimited Now Limited To 30 Days Abroad

Back in May, while researching Starlink’s new Roam 300GB plan, we spotted a short-lived update on Starlink’s website that appeared to reveal major upcoming restrictions on international use.

That language disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving it unclear whether Starlink had accidentally published future changes or was simply testing options that would never be implemented.

Several weeks later, PCMag discovered similar new language in Starlink’s legal terms that would have limited Roam Unlimited users to just 14 days outside their home country and 60 days of international use per year. But that language was also quickly removed, and Starlink’s public documentation reverted to its longstanding policy allowing international use for up to 60 days per trip.

Now Starlink is finally making actual changes to international roaming, but they differ from what we expected and what Starlink briefly published and pulled.  The final version is less restrictive than the 14-day proposal, but it will still significantly reduce international flexibility for many Starlink Roam users.

The changes have already gone into effect for new customers as of July 14th and will apply to existing customers beginning August 17th.

Here are the details...

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Roam International Changes

Under the new rules, Starlink Roam Unlimited customers can use the service outside their registered home country or region for up to 30 days at a time (more on regions below). This is now the only Roam plan that includes international usage outside designated regions.

This replaces Starlink’s previous policy allowing international Roam use for up to 60 days per trip, a limitation that historically did not appear to be consistently enforced.

Once the new 30-day allowance expires, Starlink says customers must do one of the following:

• Return the Starlink to its registered home country, which resets the 30-day international travel allowance.
• Upgrade to Local Priority, which can extend international use to up to 60 total days, including any international days already used on Roam Unlimited.
• Upgrade to Global Priority for continuous international coverage without a time limit.
• Transfer service to the country where the Starlink is being used, but this is also limited (more on that below).

Regions Considered A Single Country

One important exception is that Starlink has created two regions that count as domestic use for customers in those regions, one for the US & Canada and one for Europe. 

So far, those are the only two regions that count as a single "country" for these new terms, and so all other countries are treated individually. 

US-Canada Region

The first includes the United States, Canada, and US territories (Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands).

This means US customers should be able to use Roam plans (including the 100 GB and 300 GB plans) while traveling in Canada without the new 30-day restriction, which will only apply to travel outside the region. Canadian customers should have the same flexibility while traveling in the United States.

This is particularly important for RVers and boaters traveling to Alaska, who generally must pass through Canada, as well as US and Canadian snowbirds who regularly travel between the two countries.

But it's unfortunate that Mexico is not included in this region. Also, the Bahamas and the rest of the Caribbean are not included.

This will especially affect nomads with Mexico-based Starlink accounts who travel seasonally between the US and Mexico, as well as boaters who travel to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

European Region

The other grouped region is Europe, but Starlink’s definition of Europe does not include every country commonly considered part of the continent.

Starlink specifically excludes Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Several Balkan countries also appear to be missing from Starlink’s European region list, and Poland is also notably absent despite being an EU country.

Roam 100GB And Roam 300GB Lose International Usage

The new restrictions are even more significant for customers using Starlink’s lower-cost metered Roam plans. These plans do not get a 30-day allowance and can only be used within your registered home country or grouped region (US/Canada or Europe).

This will force many international travelers to buy a much more expensive plan and is especially punishing for those who only need service for shorter trips.

Those customers will need to consider switching to Local Priority or the Roam Unlimited plan. For short-term, lower-data travel, Local Priority may be the better, cheaper option.

Global Roam Plan Discontinued

Starlink has also officially discontinued the Global Roam plan. Effective July 15, 2026, Global Roam is no longer available to new customers. Existing customers will see service stop on August 17, 2026, and will have to switch to a different plan.

This was a plan that customers could switch to once they had Starlink service on another plan, but it was never advertised on the Starlink website. For $400/month, it provided unlimited land-based service across supported countries. While an expensive option, it was a way to get unlimited Roam data anywhere on land where Starlink could legally provide service, which was great for many frequent international travelers.

With Global Roam no longer available, customers who need continuous international service will now have to turn to the substantially more expensive Global Priority plan (starting at $250/month for 50 GB of data).

Local Priority Extends International Use To 60 Total Days

Customers needing more than 30 days abroad can upgrade from Roam Unlimited to Local Priority. Previously, Local Priority was primarily positioned as a country-based Priority plan rather than a consumer international roaming solution.

However, Starlink says Local Priority provides up to 60 total days of international use, including any days already used while subscribed to Roam Unlimited.

In other words, upgrading does not reset the 60-day international allowance.

A customer who spends 30 days internationally using Roam Unlimited would apparently receive only another 30 days after upgrading to Local Priority.

Local Priority plans include blocks of Priority data (50 GB: $55/mo, 500 GB: $155/mo, 1 TB: $280/mo) rather than the unlimited consumer data included with Roam Unlimited. Depending on usage requirements, switching to Priority service could become substantially more expensive. But the priority data does provide better performance in congested areas.

Global Priority Becomes The Only Long-Term International Plan

Global Priority does not appear to receive any new restrictions or changes. And with the retirement of Global Roam, Global Priority becomes the only Starlink plan option for continuous long-term international service without returning home, transferring the account, or staying within one of the regions mentioned above.

Global Priority is substantially more expensive than the consumer Roam plans, particularly for customers with significant data needs. Global Priority starts at $250/mo with 50GB of data on up to $2,150/mo for 2TB. 

Standby Mode Unchanged

Standby Mode is Starlink's version of pausing service - for $10/month, it provides low-speed data (~500 kbps) most anywhere Starlink provides service.

The terms still specifically state:

"Standby Mode includes an unlimited amount of low-speed data and works anywhere on land where Starlink is available."

Now, that's not quite true. There are some countries listed in the FAQ where service is fully paused at no cost.

But everywhere else, switching to Standby Mode may be a workaround to keep using Starlink internationally as a backup or for tasks that don't require much data. We have a video going over just how useful (and not) life at 500 kbps can be.

However, Travel Registration is still required for international use (see more on that below), and Starlink has not specified whether time spent abroad on Standby counts toward the new 30-day Roam Unlimited allowance.

Changing Service To Another Country

Starlink also allows customers to move their account to the country where their Starlink is used once the 30-day Roam Unlimited period expires.

This may be the most economical option for customers relocating permanently or remaining in another country for an extended period, but it's probably not viable for frequent moves.

Moving a Starlink between countries requires transferring the hardware to a new account, ending the existing service plan, and signing up for the plans and pricing available in the destination country. Which may differ from those of the home country.

Starlink also has transfer eligibility restrictions. Its documentation says transfers are not allowed until 120 days after purchase or 90 days after activation, whichever occurs first.

So, moving your account to another country means you can't transfer it again for 90 days, unless Starlink updates this policy.

Travel Registration Is Back

Starlink has also restored its previously unavailable Travel Registration support page, confirming that customers must complete identity verification before using Starlink outside their registered country or travel region.

Registration typically requires personal information, a passport or other government-issued photo ID, and a live portrait.

The support page also confirms that the United States, Canada, and their associated territories are grouped together for travel purposes, as are European countries. So US travelers should not have to complete this for travel and use in Canada. Similarly, customers in Europe should not need to register for travel within the European region.

Note that completing Travel Registration does not override plan limits or guarantee service availability in another country.

Concluding Thoughts

These changes are less restrictive than the 14-day international limitation Starlink briefly published earlier this summer, but they still represent a substantial reduction from the previous 60-day international Roam policy, which also wasn't enforced.

Many users have become accustomed to easy and relatively inexpensive international travel with Starlink, but that is now changing in a significant and unfortunate way.

For many US and Canadian RVers, fortunately travel between the two countries is not impacted. 

Most shorter international trips will also remain practical under the new 30-day Roam Unlimited allowance, but losing international usage on the tiered plans means even short-duration travel will require upgrading to the $175/month Roam Unlimited plan or switching to Local Priority.

These changes will have a much larger impact on extended international travelers, including nomads spending months in Mexico or the Bahamas. This will impact long-term overlanders, international cruisers, and digital nomads who regularly move between countries.

And with Global Roam also discontinued, Starlink is leaving the expensive Global Priority plans as the main viable option - a strategy Starlink has implemented in other markets like private aviation.

It's forcing a segment of customers to pay a lot more.

At the same time as these changes, Starlink introduced a new V5 Starlink dish, which demonstrates, yet again, how quickly it is willing to change things, including service plans and important terms, without warning or grandfathering.

We will continue monitoring these changes as existing customers transition to the new policy on August 17th and as Starlink adjusts and makes future changes.

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