New SIM Card Registration Requires Facial Verification Starting July 1, 2026

JAKARTA, Headline24.id – New SIM card registration requires facial verification starting July 1, 2026. This new policy implemented by the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) applies to all mobile operators in Indonesia as a step to strengthen digital identity security and suppress various forms of cybercrime.

Through this regulation, the registration process for new numbers will no longer rely solely on the National Identification Number (NIK) and Family Card (KK). Users will also be required to undergo a biometric verification process in the form of facial scanning, which will be matched with the population data held by the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil).

The government believes that the new system can narrow the loopholes for identity misuse, which has often been exploited to illegally register phone numbers.

New SIM Card Registration Requires Facial Verification

Komdigi explained that the implementation of biometric verification is to ensure that the identity of the user registering is truly in accordance with the official data stored in Dukcapil.

So far, SIM card registration has only relied on NIK and KK data. However, in practice, several cases of identity misuse have been found to activate phone numbers without the data owner's knowledge.

With facial recognition technology, the government hopes that the registration process will become more accurate and secure.

How Facial Verification Works During SIM Registration

In the latest system, prospective customers will be asked to perform a facial scan after entering the required identity data.

This process is carried out through a system directly connected to the national population database.

The registration stages include:

• Entering NIK and other identity data.
• Performing a facial scan through the device's camera.
• The system matches the user's face with Dukcapil data.
• Registration is approved if the data is declared to match.
• Additional verification may be performed if data discrepancies are found.

The government assures that this process is designed to be fast so as not to hinder the activation of new numbers.

Applies to All Mobile Operators

The new SIM card registration policy requiring facial verification is national and will be implemented by all telecommunication operators operating in Indonesia.

The public can register through various official channels provided by the operators, including:

• Official operator applications.
• Official operator websites.
• Operator service outlets.
• Official customer service centers.

With these various options, users do not always have to come directly to an outlet to activate a new number.

Komdigi Claims the System is More Secure

According to Komdigi, the biometric verification system used has been built with high security standards and adopts the latest technology.

One of the features used is liveness detection, which is technology capable of distinguishing a real face from photos, videos, or other digital manipulations.

This technology is considered important to prevent identity misuse using someone else's images or video recordings.

In addition, the security system implemented is also said to comply with international standards in data protection and information security.

Do Existing Users Need to Re-register?

For customers who already have active numbers before July 1, 2026, the government does not require re-registration.

Nevertheless, Komdigi encourages existing users to voluntarily undergo biometric verification to enhance their digital identity protection.

This step also allows customers to find out if there are other numbers registered using their NIK without permission.

If indications of identity misuse are found, users can immediately report it to the relevant operator for further handling.

Facial Data is Not Stored by Operators

Addressing public concerns about data privacy, the government emphasizes that mobile operators are not allowed to store customers' biometric data.

Operators only function as intermediaries in the verification process connected to the Dukcapil system.

Facial data is used solely for the identity matching process and does not become part of the database owned by telecommunication operators.

The government hopes that the implementation of new SIM card registration requiring facial verification can strengthen the security of the national digital ecosystem while reducing the risks of online fraud, identity misuse, and various forms of cybercrime that exploit anonymous phone numbers.