All Aadhaar (Aadhar) FAQs: 142 Common Questions Answered

UIDAI's official English spelling is "Aadhaar". "Aadhar" and "Adhar" are common in searches. They all mean the same card and number.

Full guide: Aadhaar: complete guide

Only for some things. News reports of the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling say it can be required for PAN, income tax returns, and government subsidies and benefits. It is not mandatory for bank accounts, SIM cards or school admission.

Full guide: Is Aadhaar mandatory?

No. Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act says so, and UIDAI's pages call Aadhaar proof of identity only, not of citizenship or domicile.

Full guide: Is Aadhaar mandatory?

News reports say no. The Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that it is not proof of date of birth, and EPFO removed it as DOB proof in January 2024. Use a birth certificate or another DOB document.

Full guide: Is Aadhaar mandatory?

A new Aadhaar is free. Updating name, gender, date of birth, address, mobile or email costs ₹75; a photo, fingerprint or iris update costs ₹125 (children's updates are free at ages 5–7 and 15–17, and at 7–15 until 30 September 2027). These update fees apply from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2028 and are the same at every centre. A PVC card is ₹75.

Full guide: Aadhaar fees & charges

No. That is an old figure. A photo update is a biometric update and costs ₹125 at every centre.

Full guide: Aadhaar fees & charges

Yes, if one of them is a biometric update. You pay ₹125, and name, address and other demographic changes in the same visit are included free.

Full guide: Aadhaar fees & charges

Mostly no: an address or mobile update is ₹75 either way. The exceptions are the document update (free on myAadhaar until 14 June 2027) and the email update (free in the Aadhaar App until 31 December 2026).

Full guide: Aadhaar fees & charges

A Head of Family request fee is not refunded if the HoF rejects it or doesn't respond within 30 days, as UIDAI said in 2023. In our experience PVC card fees are not refunded either (this can vary). For other rejected updates, neither UIDAI's fee chart nor our team confirms a refund. Ask on 1947.

Full guide: Aadhaar fees & charges

Yes. New enrolment is free at every centre, for adults and children. If anyone asks you to pay, complain on 1947.

Full guide: Apply for a new Aadhaar

No. You can book an appointment online, but enrolment happens only in person. Your photo, fingerprints and iris scans must be taken at a centre.

Full guide: Apply for a new Aadhaar

No. Since 1 December 2022, adults can enrol only at designated centres, such as Aadhaar Seva Kendras and CSC state or district centres. Children can enrol at any enrolment centre.

Full guide: Aadhaar centres: what to expect

One proof of identity and one proof of address, all originals; they are scanned and returned. A date-of-birth proof is optional, but without it only your year of birth is printed. An Indian passport covers all three.

Full guide: Documents required for Aadhaar

A valid Indian passport covers identity, address and date of birth, and so do a government or PSU service photo ID and a pensioner photo ID. A ration photo card or voter ID covers identity and address.

Full guide: Documents required for Aadhaar

No. PAN and e-PAN are not on any of UIDAI's 2026 document lists, for a new Aadhaar or for updates. Use a passport, voter ID, driving licence or another listed document.

Full guide: Documents required for Aadhaar

For updates, yes: a passbook with your name and photo, cross-stamped by a scheduled commercial or state co-operative bank. The 2026 list does not include it for a new Aadhaar.

Full guide: Documents required for Aadhaar

Yes. UIDAI's list accepts a registered or unregistered rent agreement. In our experience a simple notarised agreement is enough, and you don't need the landlord's ID (this can vary).

Full guide: Update your address

Only together with a state domicile certificate. On its own it is not accepted.

Full guide: Documents required for Aadhaar

In our experience, not as a copy shown on your phone; centres want physical originals. A printout of an e-document is accepted if it shows a valid digital signature.

Full guide: Documents required for Aadhaar

No. An adult needs at least an identity proof and an address proof from UIDAI's list. A certificate in UIDAI's format can cover the address, and a shelter-home certificate covers both for adults with disabilities living in a shelter home.

Full guide: Aadhaar without documents

Only as address proof. A certificate in UIDAI's format from an MP, MLA, gazetted officer, Tehsildar or village head proves address, not identity. It is valid for 3 months from issue, and in our experience centres reject older ones.

Full guide: Aadhaar without documents

Yes. Booking at bookappointment.uidai.gov.in is free, and the OTP goes to the number you enter, so it need not be your Aadhaar mobile. You pay only the official fee for your service at the centre.

Full guide: Book an Aadhaar appointment

In our experience home service can be arranged for eligible senior citizens, disabled people and some special cases. Prior permission from the UIDAI Regional Office may be needed. It is not free: the full fee is charged. Ask your nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra or call 1947.

Full guide: Elderly, disabled & bedridden

Yes. Children under 5, newborns included, enrol through a parent or legal guardian. You need the baby's birth certificate and the parents' Aadhaar. Only a photo of the baby is taken.

Full guide: Baal Aadhaar for children

Both parents' Aadhaar numbers are needed, or one for a single parent. Only one parent has to give a fingerprint or iris scan, so at least one must come.

Full guide: Baal Aadhaar for children

No, not for a child's enrolment. Only the mother, father or a legal guardian with a valid Aadhaar can be the HoF.

Full guide: Baal Aadhaar for children

For children born on or after 1 October 2023 it is compulsory. Register the birth first; late registration may need an order from the DM or SDM.

Full guide: Baal Aadhaar for children

Yes. The child's address is taken from the Head of Family's Aadhaar, so update your own address first if it has changed.

Full guide: Baal Aadhaar for children

Twice: at age 5 (MBU-1) and at age 15 (MBU-2). Under 5, a Baal Aadhaar holds only a photo, so fingerprints and iris are added at 5.

Full guide: Child biometric update (5 & 15)

Yes. It is free at ages 5–7 and 15–17. For ages 7–15 it is also free until 30 September 2027, according to UIDAI's Seva Kendra page. Other biometric updates cost ₹125.

Full guide: Child biometric update (5 & 15)

If the update due at 5 is not done after age 7, the Aadhaar may be deactivated, and UIDAI is reported to send SMS reminders. Families also report that a missed update blocked NEET, JEE or CUET registration and scholarships.

Full guide: Child biometric update (5 & 15)

Under the fee chart, the update at ages 15–17 is free. Go to a centre now and ask for the mandatory biometric update.

Full guide: Child biometric update (5 & 15)

IPPB's own page doesn't list it. In our experience the doorstep service has done it, so ask at your post office. If not, any centre does it free at 5–7 and 15–17, and at 7–15 until 30 September 2027.

Full guide: Aadhaar services at home (IPPB)

Yes. Downloading on myAadhaar or the Aadhaar App costs nothing. A biometric-verified print at an Aadhaar centre costs ₹30–₹40 (UIDAI's own Seva Kendras list ₹40). In our experience ₹30–50 is a fair shop charge for a print (this can vary).

Full guide: Download e-Aadhaar

The first 4 letters of your English name in CAPITALS plus your year of birth. For example, SURESH KUMAR born in 1990 uses SURE1990. If the PDF won't open, the password was usually typed wrong.

Full guide: Download e-Aadhaar

Yes. UIDAI states e-Aadhaar is as valid as the physical letter. In our experience a printout is accepted almost everywhere (this can vary), but banks and the passport office want the digital signature validated (green tick) first.

Full guide: Download e-Aadhaar

Yes. It is the same signed e-Aadhaar with the first 8 digits hidden, so only the last 4 show. In our experience it is accepted almost everywhere except the passport office (this can vary).

Full guide: e-Aadhaar vs PVC vs masked

In our experience, a full (not masked) e-Aadhaar print with a validated signature. We have seen masked copies and PVC cards without a hologram refused there; this can vary.

Full guide: e-Aadhaar vs PVC vs masked

Yes, once your Aadhaar has been generated. Enter the full 28-digit EID, including the date and time from your enrolment slip. The OTP still goes to your registered mobile.

Full guide: Download e-Aadhaar

Yes. In our experience the e-Aadhaar from DigiLocker or UMANG is accepted at banks and offices.

Full guide: Download e-Aadhaar

₹75, including GST and Speed Post. It went up from ₹50 on 1 January 2026. If you see "Rs 50" anywhere, including on one part of UIDAI's own page, it is out of date.

Full guide: Order an Aadhaar PVC card

UIDAI's PVC order page says up to 30 days (another UIDAI page still says 10 working days). At our counter, cards usually take 15–30 days. Track it with the SRN or the Speed Post number.

Full guide: Order an Aadhaar PVC card

Yes, you can get the OTP on another mobile. But no preview is shown, and in our experience cards with wrong details sometimes come this way (this can vary). Order this way only if you're sure your details are current.

Full guide: Order an Aadhaar PVC card

No. UIDAI has issued PVC cards without a hologram since 17 October 2025, and the card has the same validity as e-Aadhaar. In our experience some offices still doubt it (this can vary), so ask them to scan the QR code.

Full guide: e-Aadhaar vs PVC vs masked

No. It always goes to the address on your Aadhaar. Update the address first, wait until it shows on e-Aadhaar, then order.

Full guide: Order an Aadhaar PVC card

No. News reports say mAadhaar was retired in mid-2026, and in our experience it no longer shows in the Play Store; UIDAI's new Aadhaar App has taken its place. Old profiles don't carry over, so register again in the new app.

Full guide: The new Aadhaar App

In our experience, not yet (this can vary). Carry the e-Aadhaar printout, the card or a PVC card. Some hotels scan the Aadhaar QR, but many still take a photocopy.

Full guide: The new Aadhaar App

Use Retrieve EID/UID on myAadhaar: enter your name and the mobile or email linked to your Aadhaar, then the captcha and the OTP. It's free.

Full guide: Find a lost Aadhaar number or EID

No, that's a myth. To download you need your Aadhaar number, EID or VID plus an OTP on the registered mobile. To recover a lost number you need your name and registered mobile or email, or a visit to an Aadhaar centre.

Full guide: Find a lost Aadhaar number or EID

In our experience, no (this can vary). The helpline does not give the Aadhaar number or EID over the phone and sends callers to an Aadhaar centre. Use Retrieve EID/UID online instead.

Full guide: Find a lost Aadhaar number or EID

Go to an Aadhaar centre. You can get a biometric-verified e-Aadhaar print there for ₹30–₹40, or add your mobile number for ₹75 and then retrieve the number online.

Full guide: Find a lost Aadhaar number or EID

Choose Enrolment ID (EID) on the Retrieve EID/UID page and enter your name with your registered mobile or email. The EID is sent to you. If you gave neither at enrolment, visit an Aadhaar centre.

Full guide: Find a lost Aadhaar number or EID

No. Your Aadhaar number never changes, and you can enrol only once; a second enrolment is rejected. Retrieve the number, download e-Aadhaar or order a PVC card instead.

Full guide: Lost Aadhaar: 5-step plan

e-Aadhaar and masked Aadhaar downloads are free. A PVC card costs ₹75 including GST and Speed Post. A print at an Aadhaar centre costs ₹30–₹40.

Full guide: Lost Aadhaar: 5-step plan

The number on it can be misused, for example in AePS fraud with a copied fingerprint, where no OTP is involved. Lock your biometrics and check your authentication history for the last 6 months.

Full guide: Lost Aadhaar: 5-step plan

Not by SMS or the app until you have your registered number again, because both need an OTP. Update the mobile at an Aadhaar centre (₹75); in our experience OTPs start within 1–2 days.

Full guide: Lost Aadhaar: 5-step plan

Not online, because the OTP goes only to the registered mobile. Update your mobile at an Aadhaar centre (₹75) and download after 1–2 days, or get a biometric-verified print there (₹30–₹40).

Full guide: Download without registered mobile

No, not as of October 2026. Name, date of birth and gender changes need an Aadhaar centre. UIDAI says they "may be added in phases" to the app.

Full guide: Aadhaar update: fees & limits

Name twice in a lifetime; date of birth and gender once each. After that, only the exception route through UIDAI's Regional Office is left.

Full guide: Aadhaar update: fees & limits

No. UIDAI says operator typos, transliteration errors and regional-language changes don't count against the limit. Check the screen before you give your fingerprint, so it doesn't happen.

Full guide: Common Aadhaar mistakes

Apply at a centre anyway and keep the update slip. Then email or post it with your proofs to the UIDAI Regional Office, or call 1947. UIDAI gives no fixed timeline, so keep copies and follow up.

Full guide: Change date of birth

UIDAI's update list accepts a marriage certificate. Under the reported SOP of 18 September 2026, a surname change needs Annexure D plus a proof of identity.

Full guide: Change your name

For adults whose current date of birth is declared or approximate, yes: a marksheet or board certificate is on UIDAI's DOB list. If your DOB is already verified, UIDAI's December 2025 DOB SOP allows only a corrected version of the document used before (in some cases, a birth certificate with an affidavit). In our experience centres check the paper itself. A marksheet never counts as address proof.

Full guide: Change date of birth

₹75, online or at a centre. It's included free when you also do a biometric update (₹125).

Full guide: Update your address

Use the Head of Family route if a close family member (mother, father, legal guardian, spouse, child or sibling, aged 18+) already has the new address on their Aadhaar. Otherwise you need a proof, such as a rent agreement or a certificate in UIDAI's format.

Full guide: Update your address

In our experience, yes: a bill in your father's or family's name is accepted if it is at most 3 months old. Centres enforce the 3 months strictly. A landlord's bill is not accepted.

Full guide: Update your address

Yes, if they are 18 or older. UIDAI's 2026 forms allow the mother, father, legal guardian, spouse, child/ward or sibling as HoF for an address update. For a new enrolment, only the mother, father or legal guardian can be HoF.

Full guide: Update your address

In our experience the main reasons are a blurred or cropped document, an address typed differently from the document, and a wrong or invalid document. Fix the cause and apply again.

Full guide: Common Aadhaar mistakes

Not online: the app needs an OTP on the old linked number. Visit any Aadhaar centre. In our experience no document is needed, it's done the same day, and OTPs start on the new number within 1–2 days.

Full guide: Update mobile number

₹75, at a centre or in the Aadhaar App. It costs nothing extra if done together with a biometric update (₹125).

Full guide: Update mobile number

Yes. In our experience a family member's number can be linked without any problem. Your Aadhaar OTPs will then go to their phone, so choose someone you see often.

Full guide: Update mobile number

No. Bank OTPs and UPI keep using the number registered with the bank, so change it there separately. In our experience your ration card and voter ID don't change either; update each one on its own. PAN is corrected separately through Protean or UTIITSL.

Full guide: Update mobile number

No. Photo, fingerprint and iris updates need an Aadhaar centre (₹125). myAadhaar and the Aadhaar App can't do them, and any website offering it is fake.

Full guide: Photo & biometric update

UIDAI says holders "may" update their identity and address proofs at least once every 10 years. Skipping it doesn't deactivate your Aadhaar, but in our experience some services and KYC can get stuck until you do it. Messages threatening a block are scams.

Full guide: 10-year document update

Yes, on myAadhaar until 14 June 2027. At an Aadhaar centre it costs ₹75. Check the fee shown on myAadhaar before you pay anyone.

Full guide: 10-year document update

Open Check Enrolment / Update Status on myAadhaar and choose the Enrolment Number (EID) option. Enter the 14-digit enrolment number or the 28-digit EID from your slip. The page tells you, in its own wording, how far your Aadhaar has got.

Full guide: Enrolment status & not received

The EID (enrolment ID) is printed on the slip the centre gives you. It has 28 digits: a 14-digit enrolment number and a 14-digit date-and-time stamp. It is not your Aadhaar number, which has 12 digits.

Full guide: Enrolment status & not received

UIDAI's Citizen's Charter sets 30 days for under-18s and 180 days for adults (for 90% of cases). The letter is handed to India Post within 10 days after the Aadhaar is generated. News reports say some states, such as Uttar Pradesh and Assam, add their own checks for adults.

Full guide: Enrolment status & not received

Download e-Aadhaar with your EID and an OTP on your registered mobile. It is as valid as the posted letter. You can also order a PVC card for ₹75.

Full guide: Enrolment status & not received

Only after a rejection. UIDAI says to re-enrol after fixing the cause, but not if an earlier enrolment may already have produced an Aadhaar; check with Retrieve EID/UID first. If it is just slow, don't re-enrol: a second enrolment is rejected, so escalate with your EID.

Full guide: Enrolment status & not received

Open Check Enrolment / Update Status on myAadhaar. Enter the SRN from an online request, the 8-digit URN from an app (mAadhaar) request, or the enrolment number or EID printed on a centre's slip.

Full guide: Update status & rejection fixes

Both track a request. An SRN is 'S' plus 13 digits and comes with online requests. A URN is 8 digits and comes with update requests made in the mAadhaar app. A 14-digit number on a centre's slip is most likely the enrolment number, which the status page accepts under its Enrolment Number option.

Full guide: Update status & rejection fixes

UIDAI gives up to 30 days for app updates. In our experience OTPs on a new mobile number updated at a centre start within 1–2 days, and an address change shows on e-Aadhaar in about a week, sometimes up to 30 days (this can vary).

Full guide: Update status & rejection fixes

Call 1947 with the number on your slip or your SRN and file a complaint on myAadhaar. If nothing changes in 30 days, write to your Regional Office, then use CPGRAMS or RTI.

Full guide: Update status & rejection fixes

Yes, but fix the cause first. A refund of the first fee isn't confirmed, so be ready to pay again. If the rejection is for a used-up lifetime limit, reapplying alone won't help; use the Regional Office route.

Full guide: Update status & rejection fixes

Use UIDAI's Check Aadhaar Status (validity) page on myaadhaarbeta.uidai.gov.in: enter the 12-digit number and the captcha. It shows whether the number is valid and active. If it shows a problem and you don't know why, call 1947 or file a complaint on myAadhaar.

Full guide: Aadhaar deactivated? Reactivate

Apply in the Annexure format to the UIDAI Regional or State office (Circular 02/2025). Biometrics are captured within 2 weeks, and a decision is due within 30 days.

Full guide: Aadhaar deactivated? Reactivate

As reported under the 2025 amendment, the earliest Aadhaar with biometrics is kept. Use that one and don't enrol again.

Full guide: Aadhaar deactivated? Reactivate

Log in to myAadhaar with your own Aadhaar and open Report death of a family member. Enter the deceased person's Aadhaar number and death registration number. It works only in states linked to the Civil Registration System, and the number is never given to anyone else.

Full guide: Aadhaar of a deceased person

A UID lock blocks every Aadhaar check: fingerprint, iris, face, OTP and demographic. A biometric lock blocks only fingerprint, iris and face checks, so OTP checks keep working. For everyday protection, the biometric lock is usually the better choice.

Full guide: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID

AePS fraud uses your Aadhaar number together with a copied fingerprint, and no OTP is needed. A biometric lock protects you, because a locked fingerprint check fails with error 330. Share only masked copies, and if money is taken, call 1930 or report on cybercrime.gov.in at once.

Full guide: Aadhaar fraud & scams

It blocks only fingerprint, iris and face checks. Before a fingerprint check at a bank, ration shop or gas agency, unlock it, then lock it again afterwards.

Full guide: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID

Usually not. A UID lock blocks all authentication, including OTP and bank e-KYC, and needs your latest VID to unlock, so generate and save a VID first. In our experience unlocking can be hard when UIDAI's servers are down.

Full guide: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID

No. Unlocking the UID works only with your latest 16-digit VID, on UIDAI's unlock page, in the Aadhaar App or by SMS to 1947.

Full guide: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID

Send RVID, a space and the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar to 1947 from your registered mobile. Your current VID comes back by SMS. The SMS helper on our lock guide builds the message for you.

Full guide: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID

A VID is a 16-digit number you generate to use in place of your 12-digit Aadhaar number. It has no expiry, but only one VID is valid at a time. You can make a new one after at least one day, and that replaces the old one.

Full guide: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID

Yes. Send two SMS to 1947 from your registered mobile: first GETOTP with the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar, then ENABLEBIOLOCK with the same digits and the OTP. The SMS helper on our lock guide builds both messages.

Full guide: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID

Check the authentication history in UIDAI's Aadhaar App. It shows the last 6 months, up to 50 records at a time. UIDAI also sends an email notice for each authentication if your email is linked.

Full guide: Aadhaar fraud & scams

Hang up. This is one of the most common scams we see. Never share an OTP or your Aadhaar number on a call.

Full guide: Aadhaar fraud & scams

No. You switch a lock on yourself and can switch it off: a UID lock with your latest VID, a biometric lock in the app or by SMS. Deactivation is done by UIDAI.

Full guide: Aadhaar deactivated? Reactivate

Enter it with the captcha on UIDAI's Check Aadhaar Status page and click Validate Aadhaar Number. It tells you whether the number is valid and active, and may show the age band, gender, state and last 4 digits of the registered mobile.

Full guide: Verify an Aadhaar

UIDAI says only the Aadhaar App, the Aadhaar QR Scanner app or UIDAI's Windows QR reader can read the secure QR. It works offline, so no internet is needed.

Full guide: Verify an Aadhaar

Scan its QR code with UIDAI's Aadhaar App and compare the photo and details. For an e-Aadhaar PDF, also open it in Adobe Reader and validate UIDAI's digital signature (signer: (n)Code Solutions CA 2014).

Full guide: Verify an Aadhaar

UIDAI was reported in December 2025 as saying that storing photocopies violates the Aadhaar Act; hotels are expected to verify through the app. In our experience some still take copies, so give a masked Aadhaar or ask them to scan the QR code.

Full guide: Verify an Aadhaar

No. Never share an OTP with a caller. The status check and the QR scan need no OTP from you.

Full guide: Verify an Aadhaar

Your biometrics are locked. Unlock them in the Aadhaar App, online, at a centre or by SMS to 1947, finish the check, then lock them again.

Full guide: OTP, face & biometric authentication

Yes. The biometric lock covers fingerprint, iris and face only. A lock on the whole Aadhaar number (UID) blocks OTP too.

Full guide: OTP, face & biometric authentication

Start with simple fixes: retry, use other fingers, and clean the finger and the scanner. Failures are often reported among elderly people and manual workers. If you see error 330, your biometrics are locked. If it keeps failing, a ₹125 biometric update records new fingerprints.

Full guide: Fingerprints not matching

UIDAI says agencies must offer an alternative, such as OTP, iris or face, so a benefit is not denied. For ration cards, the food department has said no genuine household may be deleted because of biometric failure.

Full guide: Fingerprints not matching

Your face is matched one to one with the photo in your Aadhaar, using the Face RD app. Good light helps, and an old photo can make it fail. A biometric update records a new photo.

Full guide: OTP, face & biometric authentication

Use Link Aadhaar Status on incometax.gov.in. The UIDPAN SMS to 567678 or 56161 is a way to link, not a status check; our PAN–Aadhaar guide has a helper that builds it. PAN side: PAN–Aadhaar link status.

Full guide: Link Aadhaar with PAN

The original deadline has passed. You can still link after paying a ₹1,000 late fee through e-Pay Tax on the income-tax e-filing portal. It is an Income Tax Department fee, not a UIDAI one. Until you link, your PAN stays inoperative. Paying the fee step by step: link PAN with Aadhaar.

Full guide: Link Aadhaar with PAN

Name, date of birth and gender must match; date of birth and gender exactly. UIDAI's FAQ says a minor difference in the name can be cleared with an Aadhaar OTP. Otherwise, correct PAN through Protean or UTIITSL, or correct Aadhaar, then try again. A PAN service centre can also verify you biometrically. PAN-side fixes: PAN–Aadhaar link problems.

Full guide: Link Aadhaar with PAN

People aged 80 or above, non-residents under the Income-tax Act, non-citizens, and residents of Assam, J&K and Meghalaya. If a non-resident links voluntarily, the ₹1,000 fee applies.

Full guide: Link Aadhaar with PAN

No. An inoperative PAN means it isn't linked with Aadhaar. Your Aadhaar still works. Link the two after paying the ₹1,000 fee. What an inoperative PAN blocks: inoperative PAN.

Full guide: Aadhaar deactivated? Reactivate

No. Linked usually means the bank has your Aadhaar for KYC. Seeded means NPCI's mapper points to that account, and only that one account receives your DBT money. Ask your bank which one it has done.

Full guide: Bank seeding & DBT not received

Check your status and mapping history on NPCI's BASE portal (npci.org.in). To change it, ask the bank where you want the money to seed your Aadhaar, or move it on BASE. The old account then stops getting DBT.

Full guide: Bank seeding & DBT not received

Reported: no. The Supreme Court's 2018 ruling says Aadhaar is not mandatory for bank accounts or SIM cards. But to receive government money (DBT), your Aadhaar must be seeded to one bank account.

Full guide: Is Aadhaar mandatory?

There is no national deadline. Each state sets its own last date. Ask your ration dealer or state food department for yours.

Full guide: Link Aadhaar with ration card

In our experience, no. The member or card is put on hold or made inactive until e-KYC is done. The e-KYC on the ration shop's ePoS machine is free, so don't pay anyone for it.

Full guide: Link Aadhaar with ration card

UAN activation was removed from the EPFO member portal on 3 July 2026; it now uses the UMANG app with face authentication. In our experience there is no offline route, but you can use a trusted family member's smartphone, because the face check is of your own face.

Full guide: Link Aadhaar with EPF/UAN

Yes. Since July 2025, Tatkal needs an Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC account and an OTP, also at counters and through agents. In our experience there is no PAN alternative yet (this can vary).

Full guide: Aadhaar linking: master table

The official rule from 1 October 2026 covers subsidised refills. In our experience gas agencies ask all customers anyway. It can be done at delivery, at the showroom or in the oil company's app.

Full guide: Aadhaar linking: master table

Yes. NRIs with a valid Indian passport can enrol as soon as they arrive in India; the 182-day stay rule doesn't apply to them. The passport is the only identity proof accepted, and email is compulsory.

Full guide: Aadhaar for NRIs & OCI

No. Enrolment happens only in person at an Aadhaar centre in India; there is no online or postal enrolment. We know of no embassy route.

Full guide: Aadhaar for NRIs & OCI

Form 1 if you have an address proof in India. Form 2 if your address proof is only abroad: the foreign address is written exactly as in your Indian passport. NRI children use Forms 3–6.

Full guide: Aadhaar for NRIs & OCI

Yes, after staying in India for 182 days or more in the last 12 months. OCI cardholders, Long Term Visa holders, Nepal and Bhutan citizens and visa holders enrol at Aadhaar Seva Kendras with Form 7 or 8; email is compulsory. For OCI cardholders the Aadhaar is valid for 10 years.

Full guide: Aadhaar for NRIs & OCI

UIDAI's 2026 forms say a non-Indian mobile number gets no SMS, so you won't get OTPs on it. Register an Indian number if you can, and keep that SIM active.

Full guide: Aadhaar for NRIs & OCI

UIDAI announced this for NRIs in 2019, but we could not confirm that it works today. Download currently needs an OTP on the registered mobile.

Full guide: Aadhaar for NRIs & OCI

No. Biometric updates need a visit to an Aadhaar centre in India; there is no embassy or online route. For adults the fee is ₹125.

Full guide: Aadhaar for NRIs & OCI

A biometric lock, yes, while your Indian SIM still works. Think twice about a UID lock: unlocking needs an OTP on your registered Indian mobile.

Full guide: Lock Aadhaar & biometrics, VID

Yes, by email to [email protected], which works from anywhere. We couldn't confirm that 1947 can be called from abroad.

Full guide: Aadhaar complaint & escalation

1947, UIDAI's free helpline. The automated line works 24x7. Agents answer Monday to Saturday 7 am–11 pm and Sunday 8 am–5 pm (not on 26 January, 15 August and 2 October), in 12 languages.

Full guide: UIDAI helpline 1947

[email protected]. Mention your URN, SRN or EID and earlier ticket numbers, and never send your OTP.

Full guide: UIDAI helpline 1947

Call 1947, email [email protected], or use the complaint page on myAadhaar (myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/file-complaint). Quote your URN, SRN or EID, and keep any number you get.

Full guide: Aadhaar complaint & escalation

UIDAI's Citizen's Charter sets 30 days for resolving a grievance. If nothing has happened by then, move to the next step.

Full guide: Aadhaar complaint & escalation

We suggest writing to your UIDAI Regional Office with all your numbers. Still stuck? File on CPGRAMS (pgportal.gov.in), which UIDAI lists as a grievance channel, then send an RTI to UIDAI. This order is our suggestion, not a UIDAI rule.

Full guide: Aadhaar complaint & escalation

Bengaluru, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ranchi, plus a Tech Centre in Bengaluru. Ask 1947 which office covers your state.

Full guide: Aadhaar complaint & escalation

Yes, on rtionline.gov.in, to ask for the status of your request and the reason for a delay or rejection. The fee is ₹10 (BPL applicants are exempt), and a reply is due within 30 days.

Full guide: Aadhaar complaint & escalation

The official fee is ₹75 for details and ₹125 for biometrics, the same at every centre. Refuse to pay extra, note the operator ID, centre, date and amount, and complain on 1947 or [email protected]. A news report says a proven case can mean the operator's suspension and a ₹50,000 fine for the registrar.

Full guide: Aadhaar complaint & escalation

Yes, a chatbot. In our experience it shows as "UIDAI Assistant", and people and documents also call it "Aadhaar Mitra". Never type your OTP into any chat.

Full guide: UIDAI helpline 1947

In our experience, a normal cyber café or CSC can only download and print e-Aadhaar and order PVC cards. Updates need an authorised Aadhaar operator, and a new Aadhaar needs an Aadhaar centre (for adults, a designated one).

Full guide: For agents & cyber cafés