With the Sim Card Registration deadline (April 26) approaching in a few days, there are still millions of individuals who have yet to register their Sim Cards. The registration, as mandated by Republic Act No. 11934 (also known as the SIM Registration Act), which was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on October 10, was carried into law to control and prevent the spread of spam messages and scams.
Failure or refusal to register carries penalties of P100,000 to P300,000 for the first offense, P300,000 to P500,000 for the second offense, and P500,000 to P1,000,000 for the third and subsequent offenses.
Here is a basic step-by-step guide on how to register your sim.
1. Go to the Sim Registration Website or application for your service provider (Globe and Smart, or DITO Telecommunity).
Globe: https://new.globe.com.ph/simreg
Smart: https://simreg.smart.com.ph/
DITO: https://dito.ph/sim-registration
2. Enter your 10-digit mobile number and click either the "Register" or "SendOTP" button.
NOTE: For Smart subscribers, you need to first click the "I have read and understand the Terms and Conditions" button.
3. If you are eligible, you will receive an OTP text message on your mobile phone.
4. Enter the 6-digit OTP on the registration website within five minutes.
NOTE: For Smart subscribers, you need to click the "Verify OTP" button first.
5. Once your OTP is validated, you can proceed with the registration process.
6. Fill in all the required fields, including your name, birthday, gender, address, and nationality.
7. Take or prepare a photo of yourself and your government ID. (NOTE: Users below 18 years old must register their sim cards under the name of their parents or legal guardian. Meanwhile, for those who have yet to get their valid government IDs, an NBI or Police clearance is also accepted).
8. Select the type of government ID you want to upload and click the "Upload/Take a Photo" button to upload a copy of your valid government ID and photo.
9. Agree to the Privacy Notice, Attestation of Completeness and Accuracy, Marketing and Promotional Permissioning, and Data Sharing by ticking the checkbox. Note that you only need to tick the required boxes.
10. Click "Submit" or "Next" to finish the registration process.
11. A reference number will appear on your screen to indicate that your registration is complete. Keep the reference number as proof of registration.
For those who have no access to the internet, the NTC have also set-up SIM card registration assistance services made available at retail and service centers of the telecommunications companies.
Meanwhile, Smart Communications on Wednesday (April 12) said it would request an extension of the mandatory SIM registration deadline to allot subscribers more time to conform with the law.
So far, Smart and TNT have an average of 46 percent of SIMs out of its total subscribers registered. The telco firm cited concerns on the issuance of government IDs required for the registration as the primary reason why DICT and NTC must extend their deadlines.
Globe Telecom, with around 32 percent of its subscribers registered, has also urged the government to consider an extension.
The NTC and DICT has the option to grant an additional 120-day period for those who failed to register their sim cards within the prescribed deadline. However, after this period, unregistered sim cards will be deactivated and lose access to certain phone number-associated features, such as GCash and other apps that require two-step verification through the mobile number.
The NTC and DICT are yet to decide but have openly discussed the possibility of an extension as provided by the law.