Is Your Aadhaar (Aadhar) Deactivated? Reasons and How to Reactivate It

How do you check if your Aadhaar is deactivated?

UIDAI has an online service called Check Aadhaar Validity (the page itself is headed "Check Aadhaar Status"). You enter the 12-digit Aadhaar number and a captcha, and it shows whether the number is valid and active, that is, not deactivated or omitted. Start there before you visit any office. Then work out the reason, because each reason has a different fix.

1. Open the Check Aadhaar Validity page

   Use UIDAI's own link below. It runs on myaadhaarbeta.uidai.gov.in, a UIDAI site. Don't use look-alike sites from SMS or WhatsApp links.

2. Check your Aadhaar number

   Enter the 12-digit number and the captcha, then press Validate Aadhaar Number. For a valid number the result may also show the age band, gender, state and the last 4 digits of the registered mobile. We have not recorded the exact wording for a deactivated number, so read the result carefully.

   You'll know it's fine when the page confirms the number as valid. Then the trouble is somewhere else: see locked, PAN or KYC.

3. Find the reason

   Think about what changed. Was a pension or ration stopped? Did you get an SMS about your child's biometric update? Was a date-of-birth update rejected? Match it in the reason → fix table. If you can't tell, call 1947 and ask.

For other ways to check an Aadhaar, see Verify an Aadhaar.

Is your Aadhaar deactivated, locked, or is it your PAN?

Many people say "my Aadhaar is deactivated" when something else is wrong. The fixes are very different, so first find out which one you have.

Why does UIDAI deactivate an Aadhaar, and what fixes each reason?

UIDAI's regulations (numbers 27 and 28) set out when an Aadhaar can be deactivated or omitted. Below are those reasons, plus deactivation after a death record, and what to do for each.

Processing times: only the "wrongly marked dead" route has published timelines (2 weeks and 30 days). For the other routes our sources give no timeline. UIDAI's charter aims to resolve grievances within 30 days.

What if you are alive but your Aadhaar was deactivated as "dead"?

UIDAI deactivates the Aadhaar of people who have died. It had deactivated over 2 crore numbers by Nov 2025 and about 2.5 crore by Feb 2026, as reported. The death data comes from the Registrar General of India, states, the public distribution system (PDS) and the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). News reports say the match needs a 90% name match and a 100% gender match.

Mistakes happen. Living people have reportedly been marked dead in Karnataka, Odisha and Rajasthan, and their pension and ration stopped. UIDAI's Circular 02/2025 (7 Jul 2025) sets out how to fix it.

1. Get the Annexure application format

   The circular asks for an application in its Annexure format. Ask the Regional or State office, or 1947, for the format.

2. Submit it to the Regional or State office

   Keep a copy and any receipt or reference number. Note the date you applied.

3. Give your biometrics

   Your biometrics are to be captured within 2 weeks.

4. Wait for the decision

   A decision is due within 30 days. The Registrar of Births & Deaths is then informed.

   You'll know it worked when the validity check no longer shows a problem. Then ask your pension office and ration shop to restart payments.

   No decision after 30 days? Escalate with your application date and reference.

Reporting the death of a family member is a separate process. UIDAI launched it on myAadhaar in June 2025; it worked in 25 states and union territories connected to the Civil Registration System as of Nov 2025. See Aadhaar of a deceased person.

What if your child's mandatory biometric update (MBU) was missed?

Children give fresh fingerprints, iris scans and a photo at age 5 (MBU-1) and age 15 (MBU-2). If the first update is not done after age 7, the Aadhaar "may be deactivated". UIDAI sends SMS reminders, so watch the mobile linked to your child's Aadhaar. People report that a missed update can also block NEET, JEE, CUET registration and scholarships.

1. Go to an Aadhaar centre with the child

   The update needs the child in person. An MBU must be done as a stand-alone transaction.

2. Pay the right fee

   The MBU is free at ages 5–7 and 15–17. A biometric update at ages 7–15 is also free until 30 Sep 2027; after that, and at other ages, it costs ₹125. Find the due dates with the child update due-date calculator.

3. Track the update with the number on the slip

   Keep the acknowledgement slip and track the update with the number printed on it. Our sources don't say how soon a deactivated Aadhaar becomes active again after the update. Check validity after the update is processed, and call 1947 if it still shows a problem.

For ages, fees and documents, see Child biometric update (5 & 15).

What if your date of birth was flagged for age fraud?

Under UIDAI's date-of-birth SOP (24 Dec 2025), "age fraud" means someone was enrolled as 0–5 but was actually older than 5, or enrolled as a minor but was actually 18 or older. Then the DOB update is rejected and the Aadhaar may be deactivated. Reactivation goes through the UIDAI Regional Office.

• You need all three: a full biometric update, a birth certificate that can be verified online, and the Annexure-III affidavit.
• Timeline: our sources give no timeline for this route.
• DOB changes are once in a lifetime. Get the date right the first time. See Change date of birth.

What about duplicate Aadhaar and biometric-exception cases?

• Two Aadhaar numbers for one person: enrol only once. Under the 2025 amendment, as reported, the earliest Aadhaar with biometrics is kept where duplicates exist. Use that number. If you don't know which one survived, check both on the validity page.
• Biometric exception misused, or enrolled at 5+ without biometrics: these are deactivation reasons in UIDAI's regulations. Our sources list no self-service fix. Ask the Regional Office, through 1947 or a complaint, what it needs from you.
• Twins with mixed-up biometrics: in our experience only the UIDAI Regional Office can fix this, not a centre.

Locked your Aadhaar yourself? How do you unlock it?

A lock is something you switch on to protect your Aadhaar. It is not deactivation. There are two kinds:

• UID lock blocks all authentication. Unlocking needs your latest 16-digit VID (Virtual ID), not your Aadhaar number.
• Biometric lock blocks fingerprint, iris and face checks. A blocked check shows error 330. Unlock it in the Aadhaar App or by SMS.

You can also unlock on UIDAI's website (Aadhaar unlock) with your latest VID, a captcha and an OTP. For a temporary biometric unlock, UIDAI's SMS command is UNLOCKBIO (build it with our SMS generator); biometrics can also be unlocked online or in the Aadhaar App. No reply to your SMS? Contact your mobile operator. Full details: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID.

Should you go to an Aadhaar centre or a Regional Office?

UIDAI Regional Offices: Bengaluru, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ranchi, plus the Tech Centre in Bengaluru. Ask 1947 which office covers your state.

To reach UIDAI or escalate:

• Call 1947. The automated line runs 24x7; agents work Mon–Sat 7am–11pm and Sun 8am–5pm. See UIDAI helpline 1947.
• Email [email protected], or file a complaint on myAadhaar.
• Still stuck? Escalate on CPGRAMS (pgportal.gov.in), or file an RTI to UIDAI (fee ₹10, BPL applicants exempt; reply within 30 days). See Aadhaar complaint & escalation.

What problems come up, and how do you fix them?

Bottom line

Check validity first, then match the reason. A child's missed update is fixed at a centre; a wrong death record or an age-fraud flag goes to a UIDAI Regional (or State) office. If it's only a lock or an inoperative PAN, your Aadhaar is not deactivated. For help, UIDAI's free helpline is 1947.