How to Link Aadhaar With SIM Card | Do It From Home

Most of us must have already received a message from our respective mobile operators about the primer to link Aadhaar with SIM cards.If not then you soon will receive it.This rule came as a decision from the Supreme court on Saturday, 9 September 2017 after hearing the Lok Niti Foundation case of linking Aadhaar and SIM card. The order has made it mandatory to link SIM cards with Aadhaar card by February 2018. Further, it has been stated that all the Aadhaar less SIM cards after February will be rendered inactive.Thus following this decision various mobile operators have started sending cautionary messages to their customers warning about the same.

The Government’s Plan At Large

The government at present plans to link almost all essential services with the Aadhaar card including the SIM cards, household subsidies, student scholarships, bank accounts, tax returns etc.The Aadhaar is an identity card that comprises of a 12 unique number which is issued by the UIDAI.Further the Aadhaar card also comprises of the demographic as the biometric details of the individual.At present, there are almost 128 million mobile connections in India, out of which only 25 % of them are linked with Aadhaar card.

By linking Aadhaar with SIM cards, the government aims at eradicating terrorism, fake identities, con man and fraudsters who are using SIM cards in the name of ordinary citizens.

Steps To Link The Aadhaar Card With Sim Card

In case your Sim card is activated using Aadhaar card as a KYC document then you do not need to do the linking process. However, if you want to update the Aadhaar details or apply for a new a new SIM card the following steps must be taken to link Aadhaar with Sim card:

1. Visit the nearest Aadhaar center. A form will be available at the center to link Aadhaar with SIM card.
2. After completing the form it must be submitted at the center.Further, it must be specified in the form that only the mobile number needs to be updated.
3. The form must be submitted along with the following documents: A photocopy of Aadhaar card, A copy of identity proof like PAN card, passport, voters’ id etc.
4. After the submission of the documents, biometrics will be collected at the enrollment center.
5. After the biometric details are verified an acknowledgement slip will be given which can be used for future reference.
6. The normally takes two to five days to update the details.However, the UIDAI has mentioned 10 days for the update to take place.

Linking Aadhaar when buying a new SIM Card

In case a person has applied for a new Sim card, the new number must be updated in the UIDAI database.The update can be done online but for that, the Existing mobile number must be linked to the Aadhaar card.This is because the while updating the OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number and the linking process will not be completed if this OTP is not provided.Keeping these points in mind the following steps can be taken to link Aadhaar with Sim cards:

1. Visit the official website of UIDAI: www.uidai.gov.in
2. Go to the Aadhaar update category and then click on “Aadhaar update online”.
3. After this, you will be redirected to the Aadhaar self-service portal.
4. Fill in the Aadhaar number and the captcha code in the appropriate box and then click on “send OTP”
5. The OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number.
6. After filling in the OTP, a page will appear where you are required fill in the details that need to be updated.
7. To update the mobile number click on “mobile number” under “selects fields to update”.
8. Finally, fill in the mobile number that needs to be updated in the UIDAI database and click on “submit”.

Points To Remember

The following points must be kept in mind while linking Aadhaar with the PAN card:

• The link can be done by visiting your nearest retailer.
• No cost will be charged for linking the Aadhaar with SIM card.
• You are required to provide the Aadhaar card or the Aadhaar number and the mobile number. Along with these documents, the biometric details will be taken.
• After verifying all the details an OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number to complete the linking process.
• Finally, it is recommended to link to Aadhaar card with the Sim card as soon as possible as the last date to complete this process is 6 February 2018.