Instructions for verifying SIM card ownership.

On June 2nd, the Saigon Giai Phong newspaper published an article titled "Millions of subscribers will have their SIM cards temporarily blocked." According to the article, there are currently over 25 million unverified mobile subscribers nationwide. The Saigon Giai Phong newspaper provides guidance to mobile phone users on how to self-verify their terrestrial mobile subscriber information (verify SIM card ownership) via VNeID, as stipulated in Circular No. 08/2026/TT-BKHCN of the Ministry of Science and Technology, effective from April 15th, 2026.

4 methods to verify SIM card ownership.

Article 4 of Circular No. 08/2026/TT-BKHCN guides the verification of information for terrestrial mobile subscribers - also known as mobile phone numbers (including verification of 4 information fields: personal identification number; surname, middle name and given name; date of birth; biometric facial image information) according to 4 methods.

A Viettel store employee in Thong Tay Hoi ward, Ho Chi Minh City, assists residents in verifying their subscriptions. PHOTO: BUI TUAN

Specifically: online verification through the national identification application (VNeID); online verification through the application owned by the terrestrial mobile telecommunications service provider itself, as stipulated in Clause 3, Article 16 of Decree No. 163/2024/ND-CP; direct verification at a location directly owned and established by the terrestrial mobile telecommunications service provider itself, as stipulated in Clause 1, Article 16 of Decree No. 163/2024/ND-CP; direct verification at a location with a specific address established by another enterprise, authorized by the terrestrial mobile telecommunications service provider under a contract to register subscriber information, as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 16 of Decree No. 163/2024/ND-CP.

Re-authenticate using biometrics when changing to a new device.

Another noteworthy point is the regulation regarding changing mobile devices. Accordingly, from June 15th, when mobile phone users switch to a new device, they must re-authenticate using biometrics. If this is not completed, the subscriber's outgoing calls and text messages will be temporarily suspended.

This regulation aims to address the situation where users lose or misplace their SIM cards but don't have time to block them, creating loopholes for malicious actors to exploit. It's also a technical solution to combat the buying and selling of pre-activated SIM cards. Adding biometric authentication is a necessary solution, similar to how banks are currently implementing measures to enhance security.

In fact, many SIM cards registered in the past may have been lent or transferred without updating the owner's information. These numbers pose a risk as they could be exploited for illegal activities without the knowledge of the registered owner.

The new policy allows people to look up all the phone numbers registered under their name; thereby confirming which numbers are in use and removing numbers that are not registered or are no longer in use by reporting them through VNeID. After receiving the information, the telecommunications company will contact the reported subscriber, request verification and re-registration within 5 days. If they fail to do so, the subscriber's service will be blocked. If they continue to fail to rectify the issue, the service will be blocked both ways and the contract will be terminated.

However, not all mobile phone users need to re-verify. Accordingly, subscribers who have used their phone number to register for a level 2 VNeID account, or used it to register for a national identity card or chip-embedded citizen identity card, will be exempt, unless they change devices after June 15, 2026.

CTBD Department

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/huong-dan-xac-thuc-sim-chinh-chu-post855675.html