How to Download e-Aadhaar (Aadhar Card PDF)?

Which mobile number is linked to your Aadhaar?

Check this before anything else. At our counter, the most common reason a download fails is that the OTP goes to an old number the person no longer has.

Another quick check: when you request any Aadhaar OTP, the screen shows the last digits of the linked number.

What are the ways to download e-Aadhaar?

There are four free online ways: myAadhaar, the new Aadhaar App, DigiLocker and UMANG. All of them need an OTP on your registered mobile. In our experience, the e-Aadhaar from each of them is accepted at banks and offices. Without that mobile, an Aadhaar centre is the fallback.

How do you download e-Aadhaar in the Aadhaar App?

UIDAI's new Aadhaar App replaced the old mAadhaar app, which has been removed from the Play Store. Our customers mostly use the new app to view and download e-Aadhaar and to update their mobile or address.

• Phone needed: Android 9 or newer, or iOS 16 or newer.
• Common problems we see: the OTP arrives late or not at all, and the face scan fails. Good light and a steady phone help.
• Family: one phone can hold up to 5 profiles. In our experience, to add a family member, that member's OTP and face scan are needed, not the phone owner's.
• Data from mAadhaar does not carry over. Register again in the new app.
• No smartphone? Our customers use a family member's phone, a cyber café, or an Aadhaar centre.

How do you get e-Aadhaar from DigiLocker or UMANG?

Both are free government apps. In our experience, an e-Aadhaar from DigiLocker or UMANG is accepted at banks and offices.

UMANG: open the UMANG app, search for Aadhaar, choose the e-Aadhaar download service and confirm with the OTP on your registered mobile.

How do you get your Virtual ID (VID) by SMS?

You can download e-Aadhaar with a 16-digit VID instead of your Aadhaar number. Send an SMS to 1947 from your registered mobile: GVID plus the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar creates a VID; RVID plus the last 4 digits sends you your current one.

The VID arrives by SMS. Only one VID is valid at a time. A new one can be made after at least one day. UIDAI's own example: Aadhaar 9876-5432-1987 → GVID 1987. For every 1947 SMS format, use our SMS command generator.

What is the e-Aadhaar PDF password?

The password is the first 4 letters of your English name in CAPITAL letters followed by your year of birth (YYYY), exactly as printed on Aadhaar. Spaces are skipped. A dot counts as a character.

For tricky names and more examples, see our e-Aadhaar PDF password helper.

Should you download masked or regular Aadhaar?

A masked Aadhaar is available only as e-Aadhaar. It hides the first 8 digits. Full comparison of every form: e-Aadhaar vs PVC vs masked Aadhaar.

Which form should you carry? Our customers care most about where it is accepted and what it costs:

Is a downloaded e-Aadhaar valid?

Yes. UIDAI states that e-Aadhaar is as valid as the physical Aadhaar letter (UIDAI circular of 28 April 2017). It is digitally signed by UIDAI. In Adobe Reader you can verify the signature (green tick); the certificate is issued by "(n)Code Solutions CA 2014".

Anyone can check the details by scanning the QR code with UIDAI's Aadhaar App. The QR holds only the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar, plus your name, address, gender, date of birth, photo and masked mobile and email.

How do you verify the digital signature (green tick) and print e-Aadhaar?

Many banks, the passport office and other government offices accept a printed e-Aadhaar only when its digital signature is verified, so the print shows a green tick instead of a question mark. A fresh download always shows "Validity Unknown" first. That does not mean the file is fake: your PDF reader simply hasn't been told to trust UIDAI's certificate yet.

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader on a computer

   Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader (Windows or Mac) and enter the PDF password. Don't use the browser's built-in viewer.

   No tick option? Chrome, Edge and most phone apps can't verify the signature. Use a computer, or ask a cyber café or Aadhaar centre to do it.

2. Find the signature with the question mark

   On the e-Aadhaar page, look for the signature box with a yellow ? and the words "Validity Unknown".

3. Right-click it and open Signature Properties

   Right-click the question mark and choose Validate Signature. In the box that opens, click Signature Properties.

4. Trust UIDAI's certificate

   Click Show Signer's Certificate, open the Trust tab and click Add to Trusted Certificates. Confirm with OK; if a box asks, tick Use this certificate as a trusted root and click OK again.

5. Validate the signature again

   Back in Signature Properties, click Validate Signature, then Close.

   You'll know it worked when the question mark turns into a green tick and Adobe says "Signature valid".

6. Print from Adobe Reader

   Press Ctrl + P (Cmd + P on Mac). Choose Actual size and keep Comments & Forms on Document and Markups so the tick is printed. A colour print is clearest.

   You'll know it worked when the green tick is visible on the paper.

Trusting the certificate is usually needed only once per computer; later e-Aadhaar files then show the tick straight away. It does not change the file.

What if your mobile number is not registered with Aadhaar?

You cannot download e-Aadhaar online without the registered mobile, because the OTP goes only there. Here is what works, in the order we suggest at our counter (full guide: download Aadhaar without a registered mobile):

What can go wrong, and how do you fix it?

At our counter, these four problems are the most common, in this order: the OTP doesn't arrive, the UIDAI site is down, the captcha or PDF password fails, and the registered mobile isn't with the person.

When should you visit an Aadhaar centre instead?

• If no mobile is linked, or the linked number is lost: update it (₹75), or get a biometric-verified print (₹30–₹40).
• If your details are wrong on the downloaded copy: update them first (name, date of birth and gender need a centre), then download again.
• If your Aadhaar is not generated long after enrolment: ask at the centre or call 1947 with your EID.

Aadhaar Seva Kendras usually open on Sundays too and close on only about 10 holidays a year, such as 26 January, 15 August and 2 October. The centre we visit works 9:30 am–1 pm and 2–5:30 pm, so avoid arriving at 1 pm. Check your centre before you go.

Bottom line

If your mobile is registered, downloading e-Aadhaar takes a few minutes and costs nothing. If it isn't, one visit to an Aadhaar centre fixes it, because almost every online Aadhaar service depends on that OTP. For help, UIDAI's free helpline is 1947.