Account Recovery Key – unable to use during iForgot process (dry-run test, all devices lost scenario)

I’ve been running a dry-run test with Apple Support to understand what would happen if I lost all my devices — including my iPhone (and therefore my phone number) — while abroad in a country with no real Apple representation.

I have both a Recovery Key and a Recovery Contact set up, so in theory I should be covered. However, as I progress through iforgot.apple.com, I’m not being given the option to enter my Recovery Key at any stage.

That seems to defeat the purpose of having it — or perhaps I’m missing something?

Has anyone else experienced this?

• Has anyone successfully restored their account using the recovery key (without access to a trusted device)?
• Does the recovery contact come into play only when prompted by the device flow, or can it be triggered directly?
• And how would this process realistically work if you’re in a region without Apple Stores or direct support channels?

I’m keen to play this out properly before I migrate all my business and personal files to iCloud.

Any insights or first-hand experiences would be hugely appreciated — especially if you’ve tested a similar “worst-case” scenario.