How to Find a Lost Aadhaar (Aadhar) Number or EID?

Which way can you find your Aadhaar number?

What is the difference between the Aadhaar number and the EID?

The EID is not your Aadhaar number. If you type an EID, include the date and time printed on the slip, because they are part of the 28 digits. In NRC Assam cases, an "SID" (S plus 27 digits) is used instead.

How do you retrieve your Aadhaar number or EID online?

1. Open the Retrieve EID/UID page

   Use UIDAI's official link below. The service is free. Don't use sites that ask you to pay for it.

2. Choose what you want back

   Pick Aadhaar number (UID) if your Aadhaar has been generated. Pick Enrolment ID (EID) if you lost your enrolment slip.

3. Enter your name and registered mobile or email

   Type your full name with the same spelling as on your Aadhaar or enrolment slip. Then type the mobile number or email that is linked to your Aadhaar.

   A different mobile won't work. The OTP goes only to the number or email linked to your Aadhaar.

4. Type the captcha and send the OTP

   Type the security code exactly as shown and ask for the OTP. Enter the 6-digit OTP when it arrives.

5. Read your number in the SMS or email

   Your Aadhaar number or EID is sent to the same mobile or email. Write it down somewhere safe.

   You'll know it worked when an SMS or email with your Aadhaar number or EID arrives. Then you can download your e-Aadhaar.

UIDAI is moving services to myaadhaarbeta.uidai.gov.in, so the address may change. Both myaadhaar and myaadhaarbeta are UIDAI sites.

Can you use your email instead of your mobile number?

Yes, if an email is linked to your Aadhaar. In our experience Retrieve EID/UID works with your name and email: the OTP comes on email and the number is retrieved. This helps if you lost the old SIM but still use the same email.

Not sure whether your email or mobile is linked? You'll need your Aadhaar number to check it, so try the retrieval with each number or email you might have given at enrolment.

Can you get a Virtual ID (VID) by SMS if you forgot the Aadhaar number?

Yes, if two things are true. The registered SIM must be in your phone, and you must know the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar. A masked copy, for example, shows only the last 4. Send RVID plus those 4 digits to 1947. Your current 16-digit VID comes back by SMS. No VID yet? GVID creates one.

A VID can be used instead of the Aadhaar number to download e-Aadhaar. The downloaded e-Aadhaar then shows your Aadhaar number (unless you choose the masked version).

• Family on one mobile: if two Aadhaar numbers on the same mobile end in the same 4 digits, use the last 8 digits instead.
• No reply SMS? UIDAI says to contact your mobile operator if the SMS is not delivered.
• Only one VID is valid at a time. It doesn't expire, and a new one can be made after at least one day.
• Every 1947 SMS format in one place: our SMS command generator.

What if no mobile or email is linked to your Aadhaar?

Then no online route can work, because every online route needs an OTP. Go to an Aadhaar centre. Your fingerprint or iris confirms who you are. You have two choices there:

Our advice: do both if you can. The print solves today's need, and a linked mobile means you won't need a centre next time. For more, see Download without a registered mobile and Update your mobile number.

Find a centre bhuvan-app3.nrsc.gov.in

A normal cyber café can download and print e-Aadhaar only if you know the number and get the OTP. Biometric services need an authorised Aadhaar centre. See what to expect at an Aadhaar centre.

What if your Aadhaar was never generated?

If you enrolled but never got a letter, SMS or e-Aadhaar, there may be no Aadhaar number yet. Use the EID on your enrolment slip to check the status. Lost the slip? Retrieve the EID online as shown above.

• UIDAI's Citizen's Charter says an Aadhaar is generated within 30 days for ages 0–18, and within 180 days for adults (in 90% of cases).
• A status SMS is due within 30 days of enrolment.
• Full steps are in Enrolment status and Aadhaar not received.

What doesn't work when you've lost your Aadhaar number?

What should you do after you get the number?

• Download your e-Aadhaar. The PDF password is the first 4 letters of your name in CAPITALS plus your year of birth; our PDF password helper works it out for you.
• Save the PDF and note the number somewhere safe, so you won't need to retrieve it again.
• Lost the card itself? Follow the lost Aadhaar plan. You can also order a PVC card (₹75).
• Got the number at a centre? Add a mobile number while you're there, so future downloads work online.

What goes wrong, and how do you fix it?

Bottom line

If a mobile or email is linked to your Aadhaar, Retrieve EID/UID on myAadhaar gets your number back for free in a few steps. If nothing is linked, an Aadhaar centre can verify you by fingerprint or iris. For help, UIDAI's free helpline is 1947, though it won't read your number out to you.