- Physical SIM KYC coming to an end in India
- This will happen starting January 2024
- The announcement was made by DoT (Department of Telecommunications)
The Government of India has announced a major update for SIM cards, eliminating the in-person verification process soon. The news comes from a recent notification from the DoT (Department of Telecommunications), which intends to make the process digital and much more convenient.
The official word of DoT reveals that the paper-based process of verifying for a new SIM card will cease to exist. This will come into place, starting January 1, 2024. To recall, the physical verification process for SIM cards was first introduced on August 9, 2012.
India Will Now Adopt eKYC for SIM Cards
The new change has been directed at the Unified Access Services (UAS) and Unified License (UL) holders and will become official in several parts of the country. While being a more convenient process, this will also ensure that fewer SIM frauds occur.
The official release read, “Considering various amendments/changes made in the existing KYC framework from time to time, it has been decided by the competent authority that the use of Paper-based KYC process, as envisaged in instructions dated 09.08.2012, shall be discontinued with effect from 01.01.2024.“
eKYC for new SIM cards will decrease customer acquisition costs and will help save resources. Plus, it will save you the hassle of filling up forms (with a passport-sized photograph) and providing physical identity proof and proof of residence too. So, no more trouble here!
This comes after the Indian Government introduced some new changes for SIM cards in August this year but came into effect a few days ago. This included a ban on the sale of bulk SIM cards, the requirement to update the KYC (Know Your Customer) while buying a new SIM card, and the mandatory verification of franchises, PoS agents, and distributors by the telecom operators.
Ever since the onset of the “Digital India” initiative, a majority of sectors have taken the digital route, so, digital SIM verification won’t be a bad choice after all. It still remains to be when exactly this will be implemented fully in India! What are your thoughts on this? Don’t forget to share in the comments below.
