As a part of Digital India initiative, the linking of your 12- digit Aadhaar card number with mobile number/SIM card has become mandatory. With the government making it clear, this process needs to be completed by 31st March 2018. According to telecom minister Manoj Sinha, linking your mobile numbers with Aadhaar through OTP will simplify the entire procedure by helping the government of India to establish a genuine owner of a SIM card and preventing any anti-social activities. To avoid discontinuation of your phone network services,  this article will highlight you some ways to link Aadhaar with a mobile number:

Methods of Aadhaar-Mobile Linking

Case 1: Linking Through Interactive Voice Response System

One the easiest ways to link Aadhaar with a mobile number is the IVRS method. The method is introduced by the Indian government in October 2017. The entire verification is subscriber-friendly where one doesn’t have put endeavour in completing the linking procedure. Below are the mentioned steps that subscribers should follow to seed Aadhaar with their mobile number:

Step 1: The subscriber has to dial in the toll-free number 14546 from his/her mobile number

Step 2: The Interactive voice response system will then verify the nationality of the caller. Respond by typing 1 in case of an Indian citizen and 2 for being an NRI

Step 3: Share 12 digit Aadhaar number asked by IVR system

Step 4: Press 1 to confirm the 12 digit number

Step 5: Next, an OTP will be sent to the registered number

Step 6: IVR system will then ask the caller to allow the telecom operator to use the name, photo, and date of birth mentioned on the UIDAI database

Step 7: After confirming the above, an OTP received needs to be entered by the caller

Step 8: On entering the OTP, the caller has to press on 1 to complete the Aadhaar and mobile number re-verification.

Case 2: Linking Aadhaar using OTP

The telecommunication company has come up with OTP based linking method for the users which can be done in two ways and it is considered to be the next best ways to link Aadhaar with a mobile number by most of the operators.

1. Firstly, linking it through telecom subscriber’s online portal:

In this method, the entire process is done by visiting the website of the respective service provider. Here are the steps to be followed:

Step 1: First step is to link Aadhaar with SIM by visiting the  network operator’s website

Step 2: Secondly, enter the registered number

Step 3: An OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number by the telecom provider

Step 4: After entering the OTP,  click on “Submit” to proceed further

Step 5: This step is important as the subscriber has to enter the 12 digit Aadhaar number carefully

Step 6: The network operators will then request UIDAI to generate OTP to link the number with SIM

Step 7: After this, the subscriber will receive a message from UIDAI about the e-KYC details. Where he/she has to check the documents carefully

Step 8: Lastly, accept the terms and conditions followed by entering the OTP.

2. Secondly, visiting the nearest telecom store:

The other way to link Aadhaar with a mobile number is to visit the telecom provider’s store in which SMS based linking of Aadhaar with SIM is done using OTP. Here are the steps that will help to complete the process:

Step 1: The first includes visiting the nearest telecom operator and request the executive regarding the linking process

Step 2: Submit the mobile number and Aadhaar card details to the agent

Step 3: Using the re-verification application, the store executive will then provide a 4-digit verification code to the subscriber

Step 4: Next, step is biometric verification

Step 5: After 24 hours, the subscriber  will receive an SMS where he/she has to reply  typing “Y” to complete the e-KYC process

Case 3: Linking Aadhaar with Sim via Agent-Assisted Authentication

As government has initiated a series of measure to make the process of linking Aadhar number with mobile number simpler,  the agent-assisted authentication has become the most convenient and considered to be the safest way to complete the entire process.

Case 4: Offline Mode of Aadhaar and Phone Number Linking:

Out of the four ways to link Aadhaar with a mobile number, this method can be a bit hectic. Below are the following steps:

Step 1: Visit the UIDAI’s website- uidai.gov.in. followed by clicking on  “Address Update request by post”

Step 2: Download the application form directed to the next page

Step 3: Enter all the details and attach the KYC documents like address proof, photo Id proof

Step 4: The biometric verification will be done after the KYC documents are submitted

Step 5: Lastly, UIDAI will verify the information provided by the user which will take at least 10 days to receive the confirmation