SIM Registration: What You Need To Know?

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Is your SIM card still unregistered? Act now and register immediately!

From December 27, 2022, until April 26, 2023, all mobile subscribers must register their SIM cards; otherwise, unregistered SIM cards will be deactivated.

Update: According to the latest development, the SIM registration is extended for 90 days, pushing the deadline to July 25, 2023.

 

President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. signed the SIM Registration Act 11394 on Monday, October 10, 2022. The act aims to promote accountability in the use of Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) and assist Philippine law enforcers in tracking perpetrators of crimes committed through phones.

Here’s what you need to know.

Required Information

Any SIM card holder must furnish and submit the following information via a registration form or website provided by a Public Telecommunication Entity (PTE):

  • Full name
  • Complete address
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Cellphone number of the SIM card and serial number

Documentary Requirements

In addition, you are also required to present both an original and a true copy of any government-issued ID with a photo, such as:

  • Philippine National ID
  • Driver’s License
  • SSS/GSIS ID
  • UMID Card
  • Passport
  • Senior Citizen’s Card
  • NBI Clearance
  • Police Clearance
  • Firearms License
  • Voter’s ID
  • TIN ID
  • PRC ID
  • OWWA ID
  • PWD Card
  • School ID (for minors)

Foreign Nationals / ExPat Required Information

Foreign nationals need to provide the following:

  • Full name
  • Nationality
  • Passport number
  • Address in the Philippines

and will be asked to present these documents:

  • Return or departure ticket (for tourists)
  • Passport
  • Proof of address in the Philippines
  • Alien Employment Permit
  • Alien Certificate of Registration ID
  • School registration ID (for students)
  • Other pertinent documents

Registered SIM cards are only valid for 30 days upon arrival of the tourist.

Where to register?

Here are are the online portals provided by the country’s major PTEs for SIM registration:

These PTEs offer the option to assist and register their subscribers either by visiting their physical stores or through their apps.

For postpaid subscribers: For Smart/Sun, you need to text YES to 5858. For Globe, text SIMREG to 8080.

How about if I need someone to buy me a SIM card?

All you need is a notarized Special Power of Attorney, stating that you have authorized someone on your behalf to buy you a SIM card. Both of you are also required to present an original and true photocopy of your ID.

If you are buying a SIM card for a minor (aged 18 and below), you need to submit a registration form along with written consent from the parent or guardian. Additionally, you should provide a valid ID of the minor and a valid ID of the parent or guardian.

What if I don’t want my SIM card to be registered?

You only have 180 days or 6 months from the effectivity of this law (15 days following the completion of its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation) to register your SIM card. Otherwise, your SIM card will be deactivated on April 26, 2023.

According to Republic Act 11934, the deadline can be extended by the Department of Information and Communications Technology for another 120 days.

Update: According to the latest development, the SIM registration is extended for 90 days, pushing the deadline to July 25, 2023.

IMPORTANT: When your SIM card is deactivated, you will no longer receive calls or text messages. You will experience difficulties using cellular data, accessing your bank accounts, claiming remittances, and authenticating accounts that require a One-Time Password or PIN, along with other services that heavily rely on a cellular network.

How to ensure that my data is secured?

Since your SIM card has been linked to your personally identifiable information, the act protects you from any breach of privacy. According to this law, the data will be treated as absolutely confidential. As a subscriber, you also have control (via written consent) over when to access your information.

However, disclosure only occurs when there’s an issued subpoena or court order based on probable cause, or upon a written request from a law enforcement agency in relation to an ongoing investigation where a particular number was used in the commission of a crime or as a means to commit an unlawful act.

What are the penalties? Just curious 🤔

According to the law’s Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR), the penalties are pretty hefty.

  • If providing false or fictitious information, or using fake identities or documents to register: six months to two years imprisonment, and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000.
  • For selling or transferring a registered SIM card without proper notification and required registration: six months to six years imprisonment, and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000 fine.
  • For spoofing or misrepresenting a registered SIM card: imprisonment of no less than six years and a P200,000 fine.
  • For the failure or refusal of a PTE to register a SIM card: First offense: P100,000 to P300,000; Second offense: P300,000 to P500,000; Third and subsequent offenses: P500,000 to P1,000,000.
  • For the sale of stolen SIM card Imprisonment: six months to two years and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000.
  • Breach of confidentiality: a fine ranging from P100,000 to P4,000,000.

Will these stop spammers and cybercriminals?

When effectively enforced, this law serves as a deterrent against the misuse and abuse of cellular technologies for criminal activities such as theft, privacy invasion, and intentional deception. Moreover, it discourages the deliberate use of SIM cards for dummy or burner phones. Although it may not entirely eliminate cybercrime, SIM registration acts as a vital safeguard against cybercriminals.

For more info, visit the following FAQs page.

 

Written by JR Grate/Center for Integrated Communications
The article first appeared on WalasTech.com, where he was a contributor at the time of publication.

References:

NTC Memorandum Circular 001-12-2022 (lawphil.net),
Republic Act No. 11934 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines
SIM card registration extended for 90 days | Philippine News Agency (pna.gov.ph)