If you want to purchase a SIM card in, for example, India, whether prepaid or postpaid, you need to fill out a Customer Acquisition Form (CAF). This form is a kind of legal agreement between you and the service provider. This form was amended in 2021. According to the new amendment, people whose ages are under 18 years cannot buy a SIM card in their name—it’s not legal.
The revision is done by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) which is a government division for telecommunications services. In India, 18 is the legal age, and anybody below the age of 18 is considered a minor. After the new edit, selling a SIM card to a minor will be a legal offense by a telecom operator. Moreover, if a person is not mentally sound, especially during purchase, the SIM card cannot be sold to them.
How many SIM cards can a person buy in their name legally in India?
In India, if you ask an expert on SIM cards about how many a person can own legally on their name, they will probably say 9. This is correct to some point. In reality, an individual in India can own 9 SIM cards maximum on their name for mobile calls, and another 9 for M2M (Machine to Machine) communication.
In total 18 SIM cards can be owned in your name after providing proof of identity to take a SIM card. It is important to remember that filling out the CAF form is not enough. You also need to present your original documents and submit their photocopies to verify your age and address. Hence, you cannot lie about your age to obtain a SIM card in your name.
Why is there an age restriction on buying SIM cards?
We think it’s crucial to restrict the legal age required to get a SIM card. You might be thinking, what is the need? Why can’t a minor buy a SIM card if it’s legal for them to buy a cellphone at their ages, usually with permission? The simple answer is security. It’s a very sensitive tool. Criminals can use SIM to make fraudulent calls and SMS. They may also hack the SIM card and steal your valuable information.
A SIM card can be misused in plenty of ways. Hence, there is an age restriction to getting one. A minor is more vulnerable to either committing or being a victim of such crimes. That’s why more than 150 countries have adopted a legal system to obtain a SIM card. It involves filling out a form, submitting a copy of the legal documents, and in some cases even demanding biometric scans.
Legal age to buy or own a SIM card in different countries
As already mentioned, around 150 countries have some sort of legal restrictions to buy SIM cards, which are usually around the age of 16 to 18. Some have strict procedures while others are lenient. Some countries have no set of procedures or restrictions on buying a SIM card. For example, the entire North American continent (the United States, Canada, and Mexico), the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, Ukraine, Sweden, and Liechtenstein don’t impose mandatory SIM registration at all. In contrast, several countries have a strict and meticulous process, such as Kenya, China, and North Korea.
It is already clear to you why an age regulation is there to buy SIM cards. It is also essential to know not to give a SIM card to a minor in your name for regular usage. The minor could be your sibling, your child, your grandchild, and so on. We must behave responsibly by not giving them a SIM card permanently just because they are a teenager and understand how to operate a phone.
To motivate you to uphold this, we’ll give you a solid reason. If something wrong happens to an underage individual, or they do something wrong with the SIM card you provided, legal action will be taken on whoever is the legal owner of the SIM card in question. You already heard why governments across the world deny minors access to SIM cards, and now know why you should too.