Starting July 1, 2026, New SIM Card Registration Must Use Face Recognition
JAKARTA - The Ministry of Communication and Digital announced that the biometric registration system based on face recognition for the new SIM card will be fully implemented, starting July 1, 2026.
Director General of Digital Ecosystems Komdigi, Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, said that biometric registration was applied because the old registration method using NIK and family card number (NOKK) was considered no longer completely reliable.
"But in its development, it turns out that this is considered, not considered, it is no longer 100% reliable. Because we have found many cases where SIM card activation is carried out using an ID card or family card number obtained illegally," said Edwin in a press conference on Friday, May 29 in Jakarta.
During the trial period of the biometric SIM registration implemented starting January 2026 with three mobile operators, namely Telkomsel, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, and XLSmart, Edwin assessed that the system is ready to be implemented nationally.
In addition to ensuring that the user's identity matches the data used at the time, this biometric registration system is also considered more effective and faster than the old way.
"Alhamdulillah the registration process is much faster than having to use NIK and NOKK. And on average it takes less than a minute," added Edwin.
How to Register Biometric Mandiri
Download the official application or website from each mobile operator. After that, users can select the menu to register a new SIM card or activate a prepaid number. Enter the newly purchased phone number Enter the OTP code sent to the number Enter NIK Perform biometric verification by scanning the face using the mobile phone camera Wait for the verification process. The operator will send NIK and biometric face data to the Dukcapil. If it is valid, the number will be immediately active.How to Register Biometrics at Operator Booths
In addition to registering yourself, you can also register at the operator's outlet or retail store that sells the SIM card, and will be assisted by an officer. Here's how:
The officer will then enter the NIK data. Next, the officer takes a photo of the customer's face using the camera. NIK data and faceprint (face biometric pattern) are then sent to the Dukcapil database for verification.If the results of data matching are declared valid, the SIM number will be immediately active. But if it is not valid, customers must first update their demographic data at the Dukcapil.
In addition to biometric registration for new numbers, Komdigi also plans to open a voluntary biometric registration scheme for users of old numbers or existing numbers.