SIM Card rules changing: What you can do and cannot do after August 24

SIM card rules are set to change from August 24, with telecom companies being asked to stop people from getting mobile connections beyond the permitted limit. In a circular, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed telecom operators to identify customers who already have the maximum number of SIM cards allowed in their name. Such customers will be informed that they cannot get another mobile connection. The new system will initially work on a post-facto basis, but operators have been told to move to real-time checks by November 30.

New SIM card rules come into effect from August 24

Under the existing DoT rules, an individual can have a maximum of nine mobile connections in their name across telecom operators and licensed service areas in India. However, the limit is lower in some regions. Customers in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North-East can have up to six mobile connections.From August 24, telecom companies will have to take steps to identify customers trying to get another SIM after reaching this limit. The DoT has directed operators to tell such customers that they have already reached the maximum number of mobile connections allowed and that a new connection cannot be issued.

How the new SIM verification system will work

The new system will use subscriber photographs to help telecom companies identify people who have already reached the permitted SIM limit. The DoT will make representative images of subscribers who have reached the maximum limit available on the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) from August 23.Telecom operators will have to download these images every day and use them to identify customers attempting to obtain additional mobile connections.The DoT said, “From 24.8.2026 onward, TSPs shall take appropriate technical and organisational measures to identify each subscriber who seeks to obtain mobile connections beyond the prescribed limit…”

What happens if you try to get an extra SIM

Initially, the system will work on a post-facto basis. This means telecom operators can carry out the verification after a new connection has been enrolled. If a connection is activated beyond the permitted limit during a day, it will have to be immediately suspended until the issue is resolved.The government has also asked telecom companies to move towards a real-time system so that excess connections can be identified and stopped during the enrolment and activation process.

SIM card limit in India

Here is the maximum number of mobile connections an individual can hold:

Customers also have to declare the mobile connections already held in their name across different telecom operators and licensed service areas in the Customer Application Form (CAF).