Jakarta. Indonesia is forging ahead with its plan to require its citizens to submit facial biometrics data before they can register their new phone numbers starting in July.

The government has held trial runs over the past five months before fully implementing the policy meant to curb digital crimes. Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, a senior official at the Communications Ministry, said Friday that there was no turning back.

“The rule will apply for new registrations nationwide. We will not give any relaxation to the rules starting July 1,” Edwin was reported as saying by the state news agency Antara.

The government also promised cellular operators would not store the submitted data in an attempt to dismiss worries over the new SIM card rules.

“The civil registry office or Dukcapil is the only one that has the right to store such data,” Edwin said.

Users can submit their data by visiting the cellular operators’ outlets or accessing their respective mobile apps (e.g. myTelkomsel for Telkomsel numbers). The operators will encrypt the facial data before it gets sent to the Dukcapil. The agency will check whether the data matches their record. The number will become active once Dukcapil gives its green light.

The government claimed that the new regime was more effective than using ID and family card numbers for registration.

Between January and April 2026, Indonesia registered 1.4 million new phone numbers using this facial biometric system, according to the telecommunications providers association ATSI.

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