Step-by-step guide on how to register a SIM with a Ghana Card

In 2022, the Ministry of Communication and Digitization (MoCD) made linking SIM cards with a Ghana Card compulsory for all SIM holders. The SIM registration process is meant to reduce the rising incidents of fraud. It will also help track individuals using their phones for criminal activities. Learn how to register a SIM with a Ghana Card.

Applicants must first ensure they meet the requirements before worrying about how to register a SIM with a Ghana Card. This initiative aims at helping the National Identification Authority build a single national identity database containing every citizen's information. The exercise will give detailed statistics on the number of Ghana Card subscribers in the country and provide a tool for identifying fraudsters and other law offenders.

Why is it necessary to register a SIM with a Ghana Card?

SIM registration is intended to reduce the rising number of incidences of fraud and track and identify individuals who use their mobiles for illicit purposes.

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The SIM enrollment also assists the government in knowing the exact number of legitimate and precise SIMs on the network, allowing the National Communications Authority to obtain access to reliable information to govern telecommunications sector activities and allowing Ghana Card to establish better demographics of the Ghana Card clientele.

The SIM registration will offer detailed statistics on the population of Ghana Card customers in Ghana and a resource for tracking down scammers and offenders.

Ghana Card SIM registration requirements

How do I register my SIM card on my phone? Applicants must meet all the requirements before registering their SIMs. Here are the SIM card registration requirements:

• The minimum age for registration is 15 years to enable JHS students to register for a SIM to participate in E-learning.
• Every old and new Ghanaian subscriber must go through the Ghana Card registration process, and foreigners must possess a non-citizen Ghana Card to register their SIMs. But can you use someone's Ghana Card to register your SIM? The answer is no. You can only use your card to register your SIM.
• Business operators will be needed to check the authenticity of the business registration paperwork with the Registrar General's Department and the legitimacy of the shareholder and governor for Limited Liability Companies and Public Institutions, correspondingly, for businesses like MTN SIM vendors to register SIMs in bulk.

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How can I register my SIM Card with a Ghana Card on my phone?

Existing users must register their Ghana Card SIMs by dialling the USSD code *404#. Ghana Card Sim holders can also utilise the sim card registration app on Apple or Google Play Stores. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to register SIM with Ghana card.

1. The first step to registering your SIM with a Ghana Card is to dial *404# on your phone dialer.
2. You will be given two options when you dial *404#. Press the first option to continue with the registration process.
3. The next step of the process is to enter your Ghana Card PIN. Ensure not to add the hyphens (-) in the PIN.
4. Once you have typed the PIN, confirm your PIN by re-entering it.
5. In the next step, enter your first name (s). If you have a middle name too, enter your first name, commonly known as your English name first, followed by your middle name (s).
6. The next step is entering your date of birth in the format: DDMMYYYY. For instance, if you were born on 18 May 2003, it will look like this; 18052003.
7. The other step is choosing your gender. There are two options.
8. Next, you must confirm that you have entered all your details correctly, and if you have made some mistakes, you can repeat the process.
9. Lastly, after ensuring all your information is correct, press sends or submit to link your SIM successfully to your Ghana Card. Afterwards, a unique code will be generated for you.

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The final stage of registering your SIM Card, Stage 2 of the registration process, is at the service provider's office. This second stage involves capturing your passport photo and your fingerprints for your biodata.

Procedures for Ghana Card SIM verification

The NCA has created systems that allow Ghana Card holders to continuously inspect and validate all SIM cards enrolled in their names. To check the status of your Ghana Card SIM registration, follow the procedures below.

1. Dial the Ghana Card SIM registration short code *404#
2. Input your mobile number in addition to your Ghana Card pin
3. Validate your Ghana Card pin
4. The status of your Ghana Card SIM registration will be revealed to you.

Ghana Card SIM registration limits

Ghana Card holders can register up to ten SIM cards across all networks, but foreigners are limited to three SIM cards across all networks.

Businesses' registered Ghana SIM Cards will be connected to the company's directors or shareholders. If an organisation's SIM is proven to have been used fraudulently, the shareholder or director would be held accountable.

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How do foreigners register their SIM card in Ghana?

Foreign can obtain a Ghana SIM Card with their passports; however, they are allowed to utilise it for 30 days until it is deactivated. They can also use an ECOWAS card to register.

Foreigners who intend to utilise a Ghana Card SIM card for longer than 30 days must acquire the Non-Citizen Ghana Card.

SIM card registration deadline and schedule

The Ghana SIM Card registration period began on 1 October 2021 and concluded on 31 March 2022. Later, the Ministry of Communication and Digitalization formally prolonged the registration cutoff from 31 March 2022 to 31 July 2022.

Eventually, the NCA announced the deadline of the exercise to be 31 May 2023. Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications, announced the revised SIM registration deadline. The Ghana SIM Card re-registration process was supposed to take six months, but it was delayed for up to ten months.

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What happens if the SIM card isn't registered?

If existing customers do not register the SIM card before the time limit runs out, it will be permanently cancelled. This means they won't be able to text, call, browse, or access other mobile communications services on that SIM, and all subscription and active promotion enrollments will be null and void.

FAQs

1. What app is used to register SIM card in Ghana? Ghana SIM Registration App. Ghanaians can use the app to re-register and keep track of their SIM cards quickly and easily.
2. Can I use someone else's Ghana Card to register my SIM Card? You cannot use someone else's card to register your SIM.
3. Can a foreigner register their SIM Card in Ghana? Foreigners and non-citizens can use their non-citizen cards to register for their SIMs.
4. What is the shortcode for SIM registration with Ghana card? The Ghanaian short code for SIM registration is *404#.
5. When is SIM card registration ending in Ghana? The SIM card registration was scheduled to end on 31 March 2022. However, it was extended up to 31 May 2023.
6. How can I know whether my SIM Card is registered with my Ghana Card? Dial *400# on your phone to confirm whether your SIM card is correctly linked to your Ghana Card.
7. What do I need to register for a Ghana Card? You should fill out the registration form and provide a valid birth certificate, passport or certificate of acquired citizenship.

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The National Communications Authority (NCA) initiated mandatory SIM card registration to curb the rising cases of fraudulent and criminal activities and other illegal activities perpetrated by fraudsters using fake SIM cards and facilitating E-education, among others. The step-by-step guide on registering SIM with a Ghana Card is simple, and it only takes applicants less than five minutes to complete the registration process.

Yen.com.gh recently published an article on steps to complete your Ghana Card online registration and all requirements. The Ghanaian authorities made it compulsory to link SIMs and other government-issued means of identification with the Ghana Card, making it an essential requirement.

This registration process aims to create a single national identity database for every citizen. Different financial and security institutions in the country will benefit from this process.

Source: YEN.com.gh