Mobile SIM Ownership and Name Change in West Bengal
A mobile number is often older than the documents around it. It may still be in a father's name after his death, in a maiden name after marriage, or in a spelling that no longer matches Aadhaar. That matters more now, because banks, UPI, Aadhaar, DigiLocker and government portals all send OTPs to that number, and the Department of Telecommunications has tightened the rules on how many connections one person may hold. This page explains when you need to change the name on a SIM, how ownership is transferred, and what the telecom store asks for.
Get Call and Name Change Format
How to Change the Name or Owner of a Mobile SIM in West Bengal (Quick Answer)
A SIM's name comes from the KYC done when it was issued. To move a number to another person, the operator does an ownership transfer at its store, with the new owner's fresh KYC and, if the holder is alive, their consent; after a death, the death certificate and relationship proof. A spelling fix for the same person is done by fresh Aadhaar e-KYC. Check all numbers in your name on Sanchar Saathi. A gazette is not needed.
| Your case | What to do |
|---|---|
| Number in a deceased parent's name | Ownership transfer to the heir: death certificate, relationship proof, heir's KYC |
| Number in a family member's name, both alive | Ownership transfer with the holder's consent and the new owner's KYC |
| Your own number, spelling differs from Aadhaar | Fresh Aadhaar e-KYC at the store for the same connection |
| Your own number, maiden name after marriage | Optional; re-KYC if the operator or a bank asks |
| Numbers in your name you do not recognise | Report on Sanchar Saathi, Know Your Mobile Connections |
Why the Name on a Mobile SIM Matters in West Bengal
For years nobody cared whose name a SIM was in, as long as it worked. Today the number is the key to your money and records. Your bank, UPI app, Aadhaar, PAN, DigiLocker, EPFO, and West Bengal portals such as the Kolkata Gazette Part II portal all send OTPs to it.
If the number is in someone else's name, you are using a connection you do not legally hold. If that person has died, the operator can close it, and with it go the OTPs for every account linked to it.
Fixing the SIM is usually quick and free or nearly free at the operator's store. It is worth doing before you need it.
The Nine-Connection Limit and Sanchar Saathi
By DoT Circular No. 3/User Identification/2026 dated 17 August 2026, an individual can hold at most nine mobile connections across all operators, and six in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North East licensed service areas. West Bengal falls under the nine-connection limit. Operators had to enforce it with photo-based checks from 24 August 2026.
If you hold more, you are expected to give up the extra numbers yourself. Otherwise the ones taken most recently are disconnected to bring you within the limit.
Use the Know Your Mobile Connections service on Sanchar Saathi (sancharsaathi.gov.in) to see every number issued against your identity. Mark any you do not recognise as not yours.
This matters for families. A father may have bought SIMs for the whole household in his own name. Moving those numbers to the people who use them keeps everyone within the limit and puts each number in the right name.
Transferring the Mobile Number of a Person Who Has Died
If the number is in the name of a parent or spouse who has died, ask the operator for an ownership transfer to the family member who uses it. Do this before the connection lapses or is closed.
Vodafone Idea's help page, for example, asks the nominee to visit a store with the death certificate, relationship proof if a blood relative or a legal heir certificate, the transfer of ownership request form, and the new owner's identity and address proof. Jio, Airtel and BSNL follow similar store-based processes; ask your operator for its list.
If the name on the death certificate is spelt differently from the name on the connection, carry an affidavit linking the two; see one and the same person affidavit.
Transferring a SIM to a Family Member While Both Are Alive
A living holder can transfer a number to a family member. Both usually visit the store, or the holder gives a signed no objection letter, and the new owner completes fresh KYC.
Vi's page limits transfers to blood relatives and legal heirs and says the addresses of the old and new owner should be the same. Other operators set their own conditions. Ask before you go, so you carry the right papers.
Once transferred, the number counts against the new owner's nine-connection limit, not the old owner's.
Spelling Mistake on Your Own SIM: Fresh Aadhaar e-KYC
If the number is yours and only the spelling differs, it is the same person, so this is not a transfer. Ask the operator to update the connection by fresh Aadhaar e-KYC, which copies the name from Aadhaar.
So Aadhaar must be right first. If Aadhaar itself is wrong, correct it before you go; see Aadhaar name change in West Bengal.
Many people never need this. A spelling difference on a SIM rarely stops anything, because banks and portals check the number, not the SIM's name. Fix it if an operator, bank or employer asks.
Mobile Number in a Maiden Name After Marriage
A number taken before marriage stays in the maiden name. That is not wrong and does not stop it working.
If you change your surname in Aadhaar and want the SIM to match, a fresh Aadhaar e-KYC at the store brings the new name across. See Aadhaar name change after marriage.
If a bank or employer asks why the SIM shows a different name, a one and the same person affidavit, or the marriage certificate, links the two.
Keep the Number Linked to Aadhaar and Your Bank
Before you transfer or give up any number, check what it is linked to: Aadhaar, bank accounts, UPI, PAN, EPFO, insurance, scheme portals. A closed number means lost OTPs and a visit to each office to update it.
If a number in a deceased parent's name is linked to your own accounts, transfer it to yourself first, then keep using it. If you are giving up a number, update the linked accounts to your new number first.
For the bank side, see name correction in bank account; changing the registered mobile number is a separate branch request.
Mistakes With Mobile SIM Names and Ownership
Using a dead parent's SIM for years
Transfer it to yourself.
Ignoring the nine-connection limit
Check Sanchar Saathi and move or close extra numbers.
Giving up a number linked to Aadhaar or bank
Update the links first.
Re-KYC before fixing Aadhaar
The SIM copies Aadhaar; fix that first.
Buying a SIM in someone else's name
Every connection should be in its user's own name.
Getting a gazette for a SIM
Not needed.
How to Fix the Name or Owner of a Mobile SIM, in Order
Check Sanchar Saathi
See every number in your name and in the family's names.
List what each number is linked to
Aadhaar, bank, UPI, PAN, EPFO, portals.
Fix Aadhaar if needed
The SIM copies Aadhaar on re-KYC.
Visit the operator's store
Transfer form or re-KYC, with the papers the operator lists.
Carry an affidavit for name gaps
Death certificate or old KYC in another spelling.
Close or move extra numbers
Stay within nine connections per person.
Mobile SIM Ownership and Name Change: FAQs
How do I change the owner of a SIM in West Bengal?
Ask the operator for an ownership transfer at its store, with the new owner's KYC and the holder's consent, or the death certificate and relationship proof if the holder has died.
Can I keep my late father's mobile number?
Yes, by transferring it to yourself as his heir, with his death certificate and relationship proof.
How do I correct the spelling of my name on my SIM?
Fresh Aadhaar e-KYC at the operator's store, after making sure Aadhaar is right.
How many SIMs can one person have?
Nine across all operators, and six in J&K, Assam and the North East, under DoT's circular of 17 August 2026.
What happens if I have more than nine?
You are expected to give up the extras; otherwise the most recent ones are disconnected.
How do I see all numbers in my name?
Sanchar Saathi's Know Your Mobile Connections service.
Do I need to change my SIM name after marriage?
No, unless an operator, bank or employer asks. A fresh e-KYC updates it if you want.
Can Vi transfer my number to a friend?
Vi's page limits transfers to blood relatives and legal heirs. Check your operator's rules.
The death certificate spells the name differently.
Carry an affidavit linking the names to the store.
Will my number change after a transfer?
No. The number stays the same; only the owner on record changes.
Is a gazette needed?
No, not for a mobile connection.
What about OTPs for my bank?
Check every linked account before you transfer or close a number, and update them as needed.
Sources for SIM Ownership and DoT Rules
DoT Circular 3/User Identification/2026 (official)
dot.gov.in: nine connections, 17 August 2026.
Vi: Change SIM Owner (operator)
myvi.in: documents for transfer and death cases.
Nine-SIM Limit Explained
newskart.com: Sanchar Saathi check and what users should do.
Sanchar Saathi (official)
sancharsaathi.gov.in: Know Your Mobile Connections.
Get Call and Name Change Format
Help With a Name Gap on a Mobile Connection
SIM transfers and re-KYC are done by your operator at its store, and you do not need us for them. Where we help is the affidavit that links names when a death certificate, Aadhaar or old KYC spell them differently. Send us how each paper reads. Monday to Saturday, across West Bengal.