SIM card port in India: how MNP works, step by step

How does a SIM card port work in India?

A SIM card port moves your existing mobile number to a new operator. India calls it mobile number portability, or MNP, and the rules come from TRAI, the telecom regulator. On 10 November 2026 TRAI's MNP FAQ set out the same four steps whichever operator you are leaving:

1. Text PORT, a space and your 10-digit number to 1900 from the number you want to move. TRAI says the 8-character Unique Porting Code (UPC) comes back by SMS from 1901.
2. Take the UPC to the operator you are joining, online or in a store, and fill in its customer acquisition and porting forms.
3. Complete KYC and pay any porting charge.
4. Collect the new SIM, wait for the port date, then swap SIMs.

TRAI's customer guide adds that the first two characters of the UPC are letters and the remaining six are digits other than zero. In Jammu and Kashmir, where prepaid SMS is not permitted, you dial 1900 instead and the code is given after the caller's number is checked.

This is desk research from TRAI's pages and the operators' own pages. We have not ported a number ourselves.

How long is the UPC valid, and how long does porting take?

The UPC expires quickly, so generate it when you are ready to sign up, not days before. These are the figures on TRAI's MNP FAQ when we read it.

TRAI does not count the day the UPC is generated. The switch itself happens at night, and TRAI says you may be without service for up to 4 hours. You can withdraw the request within 24 hours by texting CANCEL, a space and your 10-digit number to 1900, but the porting charge is not refunded.

The operators repeat these numbers with small differences. Jio's FAQ says up to 3 working days in the same circle and up to 5 for another circle. Vi's MNP page gives 3 to 5 working days. An Airtel blog says around 48 hours within the same state and 4 days interstate; it is older than TRAI's page, so go by TRAI.

Who can port a number? The waiting periods

TRAI rejects a UPC request, and tells you why by SMS, unless all of these are true:

• The number has been active on its current network for more than 90 days. The same 90 days apply after a previous port.
• At least seven days have passed since a SIM swap or SIM replacement on the number.
• For postpaid, bills already issued are paid.
• No change of ownership is in progress, the number is not sub judice, and no court has barred the port.
• There are no pending contract obligations under an exit clause.

Jio's consumer charter adds two more grounds for refusal: a number under TAFCOP reverification, and a number with a porting request or valid UPC already in progress.

The seven-day rule catches people out. If you have just replaced a lost SIM, you have to wait a week before you can port.

Is porting free?

TRAI caps the charge at Rs 6.46 a request, payable only if the recipient operator asks for it. Jio's port page says there are no home delivery charges, no activation charges and no security deposit. Vi says porting to Vi is free. Airtel's pages describe free SIM delivery but did not state a porting fee. Prepaid balance does not travel with you: TRAI and Jio both say remaining talk time and validity lapse when the number ports.

What KYC do you need to port?

You go through KYC with the new operator as if you were taking a new connection. Jio's port page lists your UPC plus a proof of identity and proof of address such as Aadhaar, voter ID, passport or driving licence, or eKYC instead. Airtel asks for one ID and one address proof; its blog lists passport, driving licence, voter ID, ration card and photo credit card among them. Vi asks for a valid proof of identity or address with the UPC. Postpaid customers should also clear their bills first.

How to port a Jio SIM, or port a SIM to Jio

To move your number to Jio, Jio's page says to text PORT to 1900, then, within the UPC's validity, book free SIM home delivery on jio.com or visit a Jio Store or retailer. You give the UPC and complete KYC when the SIM arrives, choose prepaid or postpaid, and insert the SIM once the port-in SMS comes. You can track the request in the MyJio app. More on the network on our Reliance Jio page.

To port away from Jio, you send the same PORT message from your Jio number and take the code to the new operator. Jio has no say in the UPC; the MNP system issues it.

How to port a SIM to Airtel

Airtel's route is the same in outline. Get the UPC, start at airtel.in/mnp or in the Airtel Thanks app, pick a plan, and an Airtel representative brings the SIM to your address. Airtel's blog says the UPC arrives from 1901 and is valid for four days. You can also walk into an Airtel store with the UPC and your documents. Airtel says you can track the port in its app using your number and UPC. Our Airtel India page covers the network.

Vi SIM port and BSNL

Vi's FAQ says to clear dues, send PORT to 1900, then order online with doorstep delivery or visit a Vi Store, and confirm with an OTP. Vi's MNP page says porting is free, standard SIM delivery is free, and activation on Vi takes 2 to 4 hours once the port completes. It does not state how long the UPC lasts; TRAI's 4 days applies. For BSNL, the official site would not load for us on 10 November 2026, so we could not confirm BSNL's own port-in steps. TRAI's process applies to every operator. Our Vi page covers that network.

Can you port to an eSIM?

The pages we read did not say whether a port-in can be delivered straight to an eSIM. The practical route is to port onto a physical SIM, then convert. Jio describes the switch in our Jio eSIM guide, and Airtel's is in our Airtel eSIM guide. Remember that an eSIM conversion counts as a SIM swap for the seven-day rule.

Does porting matter if you are travelling?

Only if you are an Indian number holder. Porting is about keeping your Indian number on a better network at home. It does nothing for roaming costs, and a foreign visitor has no number to port. A visitor who wants data on arrival is better off with a travel eSIM or a local prepaid SIM; the India hub compares both. If you are leaving India and want to keep your number, keep it active on your current operator and add a travel eSIM for data abroad.