India has introduced strict biometric verification requirements for issuing and updating mobile SIM cards, aiming to enhance security and curb impersonation, with telecom providers given three months to comply under the new Telecommunications (User Identification) Rules, 2026.
India has moved to tighten identity checks for mobile SIM cards, with the Department of Telecommunications making biometric verification mandatory for new connections, updates to user details, disconnections and re-verification under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. According to a gazette notification dated August 21, 2026, the framework may be called the Telecommunications (User Identification) Rules, 2026. It follows an earlier consultation paper issued in September 2025, when the department sought objections and suggestions from affected parties.
The rules require all telecom service providers to use biometric Identity Verification System procedures through authorised channels for SIM issuance. The notification says authorised entities must clearly explain the process to users and must not accept false, incorrect or forged information, suppress material facts or permit impersonation. Users are also barred from reselling, transferring or leasing their telecom connection or subscriber identity module to another person, and breaches may attract penalties under the Telecom Act.
The new framework also introduces an alert-and-confirmation step. When an authorised entity carries out biometric-based identification, it must send the user a notice through existing telecom connections asking for confirmation that the request really came from that person. If the response is negative, the connection is to be suspended while the facts are examined and appropriate closure action is taken. The notification says service should remain suspended until the biometric details are matched and verified.
Telecom operators will have three months from the rules taking effect to put in place the technical and organisational systems needed to comply, though the government can extend that deadline by up to another three months if it considers operators unprepared and believes more time is needed in the public interest. The move fits within the wider Telecommunications Act, 2023, which consolidated India’s telecom law framework and was designed to update regulation, improve security and modernise sector oversight.
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