Tech Telecom

As per a recent government directive, it is mandatory to link your mobile number with Aadhaar, i.e., you need to re-verify your KYC (know-your-customer) details with your Aadhaar. Till January 1, the process required a mobile subscriber to visit the concerned telecom service provider’s (TSP) store with his/her Aadhaar card and get his/her biometrics verified physically to update KYC for their mobile number.

However, now you can do this verification sitting at home without visiting the store if your mobile number is registered with the Aadhaar database. If your Aadhaar belongs to a different state than your mobile number, then you need to visit your TSP’s store.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had in a communication dated November 30, 2017 directed access service providers to allocate short code 14546 for the IVRS-based OTP authentication process for Aadhaar re-verification of mobile subscribers. March 31, 2018 is the deadline set by the Supreme Court for linking of Aadhaar with the mobile phone number.

Here’s your step-wise guide to verifying your mobile number with Aadhaar via IVR:

• Call 14546(tollfree)
• Then IVR plays a message asking for your consent for verification through UIDAI under the Aadhaar Act, 2016.
• After you give your consent, the TSP sends your mobile number to UIDAI and UIDAI will check if your mobile number is registered. Registered users will get an OTP to proceed.
• The TSP again asks for your consent to fetch your personal details like date of birth, address and so on from UIDAI to verify the mobile number, and treat the OTP authentication as your signature.
• After you enter the correct OTP, the service provider fetches your details from UIDAI and gives you an option of sequentially keying other alternate mobile numbers, if any, count-wise and number-wise.
• A message confirming the successful verification is played.
• After completing the given process, before updating / overwriting your details in their database, the TSP seeks your confirmation and sends you a message after 24 hours. If you do not respond to this message within 3 days, the verification will be treated as positive.

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