How to buy a sim card?

tangobravo87

I have been to two vendors to buy an airtel simcard and both have said I need proof of residence in India and passport photo and a copy of my passport. Is this a con I don't want to give up these things please could someone reply and say whether I have to do this or not.
Thanks Todd

rohan5577

Yes, all of that is required..nothing unusual about it in this country.

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You can take a man out of India, but you can never take India out of a man!

evilnyberg

hey,

on a more positive note, i managed to get a sim card (it was idea rather than airtel, but not that i think that makes a difference) in india about 3 months ago.

as with most things in india, it is possible, if you're willing to go a bit of trekking around... the third or fourth shop i went into were not that bothered about following regulations to the t and it went fairly smoothly from there. all i did was give them a local address (no proof), a passport copy, a passport-sized photo, and fill in some forms...

good luck!

/a

raaz

Yes, u will have to provide with above doc(Mainly passport-sized photo n proof of your identity which usually will hv ur add aswell i.e passport copy)...it is mandatory even for local citizens to provide proof.

just_an_old_boy

In Melbourne, I remember providing proof of my address and a copy of my passport for a Vodafone connection.
I guess all govt.s are getting security conscious.

goagirlwannabee

I got a hutch sim card a few days ago - i needed my passport with my visa in it and that was it. i had to fill out some form about where i am staying but didnt need proof. oh and 1 photo. that was it

kidsan

in dharamsala i was asked for personal id plus a copy of my landlords driving license!! yeah, sure...

I then found another shop which seemed less strict

saajan_20

off late they seem to have become much more strict about these regulation s due to easy availabilty of sim s they were landing in wrong hand s !!!
infact even old prepaid user s had to go to respective sim vendor s galleries personally with photo and address proof to cotinue using their sim s !!!!

mtnjim

I purchased asim card here in Mamallapuram on Feb 4, filled out the form, gave them a copy of my passport and visa and a photo. Everything was okay for about a week, then I started getting calls and messages from Airtel saying that they had not received the forms. I was told by one of the airtel folks that I would have to bring my information to an Airtel office and resubmit it, but he wouldn't give me the address of the nearest Airtel office. After several fruitless phone calls to Airtel, where I was handed over to the "superior" which turned out to be a phone that rang unanswered each time, I went back to the shop from which I'd purchased the card. After several unsuccessful tries the store clerk got through to someone who was willing o listen and assured me that the problem had been taken care of. After that I only received calls frmm Airtel telling me to come to hte ofice for two more days. The store owner said that several other customers , all foreigners, had gotten similar calls from Airtel, some threatening to cut off the service. Similar problems out there?

saajan_20

very normal sometimes even the dealer s do not forward your details and are of no help he get s his commission on your purchase of the sim and you have to take care of the rest next time you buy a card do insist the dealer to submit all required document s and yet if you do recv a call from the card company make a trip to their office !!!!

which are generally located at easy to reach place s in mumbai hutch bpl and airtel have their galleries at linking road correction hutch shifted to sv road but parallel to linking road !!!

crvlvr

No its not a con. but it is a ridiculous requirement. Make copies of the documents before you go and hand the copies to them. Keep the originals safe. If not, they typically will hand your passport to the tea boy to run down the street to make a copy of it, and it may be the last you see of it.

noflylist

When will real free economy be allowed in India, think how prosperous India could be if free economy and ideas are allowed!

palerider

It's true. I had to get the Ashram to write a letter stating I was working there, and I would be there for a while.
The easiest way is to get an Indian friend to get the sim for you. Chain Singh just had to go in and pay 100 rupees, and give his home address. A lot easier. it was prepaid , which is no hassle, and don't forget to get the roaming facility. Some phones don't have it, like Reliance, a pain in the back bits

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that Life was for Living.

ahenry

I got an Airtel sim from the office at the exit to the International terminal arrivals hall at Mumbai airport last week.

I had to get some cash from an ATM first. There is an ATM on the outside of the terminal. I asked the security nicely and they let me back inside, so that I could use the transfer bus to the domestic terminal.

I had my passport with me, and I gave the address of the hotel that I was going to stay at in Bangalore later that evening. The woman took a picture of me with a digital camera.

Other than that it took about 5 minutes before I made my first call.

It cost something like 500 Rp, including 250 Rp of call credit. I used another 500 Rp over the week.

With hindsight, I might have gone for this offer http://www.airtel.in/lifeprepaid.htm as I'd then have a number that would still work if I don't go back for 6 months.

julesa

in hindsight, buying a SIM card in india was all part of the fun!

you go into the shop and 4 or 5 guys crowd around and earnestly question you and give you forms to fill out. you need an indian address. after being knocked back once, another guy accepted my hotel address.

the bureaucracy is incredible to witness but it's also an experience..

i accidentally took my forged letter on hotel letter head with me after accepting the SIM card and kept getting phone calls from the outlet asking me to bring it back. at least that's what i think he was trying to say, i was gone by then anyway