Which Services Need Aadhaar (Aadhar) Linking? Full List and Status

Is Aadhaar linking mandatory for you?

Answer one or two questions to see where you stand. The full list of services is in the master table below.

What did the Supreme Court say about compulsory linking?

In the Puttaswamy judgment of 26 September 2018, the Supreme Court decided where Aadhaar can be made compulsory. News reports summarise it like this:

• Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship (section 9 of the Aadhaar Act).
• Aadhaar is not proof of date of birth, according to news reports of a 2024 Supreme Court ruling. EPFO is also reported to have removed it as DOB proof in January 2024.
• Private companies can use Aadhaar authentication only with MeitY's approval, under rules of 31 January 2025.

How do you check your Aadhaar linking status?

There is no single page that lists every link. Check the important ones one by one.

1. Check your PAN link

   On incometax.gov.in, open Quick Links → Link Aadhaar Status, and enter your PAN and Aadhaar number. No internet? Use the SMS helper below. What each result means: PAN–Aadhaar link status.

2. Check your bank seeding

   According to secondary sources, myAadhaar has a Bank Seeding Status check. NPCI's BASE portal (via npci.org.in) shows your seeding status and mapping history. It also lets you seed, de-seed or move Aadhaar to another bank.

3. Check where your Aadhaar was used

   The authentication history in UIDAI's Aadhaar App shows your Aadhaar authentications from the last 6 months, with the agency that asked. Anything you don't recognise? See Aadhaar fraud and scams.

4. Ask your gas agency and ration shop

   Ask whether your LPG biometric check and ration e-KYC are done. Both use a biometric Aadhaar check.

   You'll know you're done when PAN shows "linked", your bank seeding shows the right bank, and your gas agency and ration shop confirm the e-KYC.

The Income Tax Department also lists an SMS way to link: UIDPAN, a space, your 12-digit Aadhaar number, a space, your 10-character PAN, to 567678 or 56161. It links only if your name and date of birth are the same in both. Pay the ₹1,000 late fee first; the SMS page doesn't mention the fee, so check Link Aadhaar Status afterwards. If it isn't linked after a few days, use Link Aadhaar on the e-filing portal.

What is the difference between a "linked" and a "seeded" bank account?

People often say "my Aadhaar is linked to my bank" and still don't get DBT money. That's because linked is not the same as seeded.

What are the rules for each service?

LPG gas: biometric Aadhaar check

• From 1 October 2026, biometric Aadhaar authentication is mandatory to book subsidised LPG refills. Officially, 27.43 crore consumers had already done it.
• You can do it when the cylinder is delivered, at the gas showroom, or in the oil company's app.
• Ujjwala (PMUY) customers do it once each financial year.
• The official rule names subsidised refills. In our experience, gas agencies ask all customers, not only subsidised ones.

Ration card: e-KYC

• There is no national deadline for ration e-KYC. Each state sets its own.
• e-KYC is free on the ration shop's ePoS machine. The Mera Ration 2.0 app is another option.
• The Department of Food & Public Distribution has said no genuine household may be deleted because of biometric failure.
• In our experience, names are not deleted if e-KYC isn't done. The member or card is put on hold or made inactive instead. More: Link Aadhaar with ration card.

EPF and UAN

• From 1 August 2025, new UANs are allotted or activated only through the UMANG app with face authentication.
• From 3 July 2026, UAN activation was removed from the EPFO member portal.
• If your Aadhaar is verified in your EPF profile, you can correct the profile yourself without documents (PIB, January 2025).
• In our experience there is no offline route. A worker without a smartphone can activate the UAN on someone else's smartphone, because it uses face authentication. More: Link Aadhaar with EPF/UAN.

IRCTC train tickets

• Tatkal: needs an Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC account from 1 July 2025, and an OTP from 15 July 2025. This also applies at counters and through agents.
• Agents can't book Tatkal in the first 30 minutes.
• General reserved tickets: from 1 October 2025, only Aadhaar-verified accounts can book in the first 15 minutes.
• The Kerala High Court reportedly upheld the rule in July 2026 and suggested a PAN OTP as an alternative. In our experience IRCTC hasn't added a PAN option yet (this can change), so check on IRCTC before you rely on it.

Voter ID, driving licence, ABHA, SIM and property

• Voter ID: giving Aadhaar on Form 6B is voluntary. Reports say nobody may be deleted from the electoral roll for not giving it.
• Driving licence and RC: reports say 58 RTO services use Aadhaar authentication on a voluntary basis (since 2022), and that on Parivahan you can update your mobile number with an Aadhaar OTP.
• ABHA (health ID): reported to be optional. It can also be created with a driving licence.
• SIM card: Aadhaar is not mandatory.
• Property registration: Aadhaar is reported to be optional in the Draft Registration Bill 2025. It is a draft, not a final law.

PAN and your investments

• An inoperative PAN means no tax refund, no interest on refunds, and higher TDS and TCS.
• Reported effects: banks refuse Form 15G/15H, and demat or mutual fund KYC drops from "KYC Validated" to "KYC Registered".
• The link fails if your name, date of birth or gender differs on PAN and Aadhaar. Date of birth and gender must match exactly; a small name difference can be cleared with an OTP. Compare the two names with our PAN vs Aadhaar name checker, then correct PAN (through Protean or UTIITSL; see PAN correction) or Aadhaar (through UIDAI), or use biometric verification at a PAN service centre: fix a name or DOB mismatch. Fee paid but still not linked? See PAN–Aadhaar link problems.

Why does the mobile number on your Aadhaar matter for linking?

• PAN linking and most online Aadhaar services send an OTP to the mobile on your Aadhaar. No working number, no OTP.
• You can update it at any Aadhaar centre for ₹75. In our experience OTPs start coming to the new number within 1–2 days. See Update your Aadhaar mobile number.
• Your bank is separate. Changing the Aadhaar mobile doesn't change your bank OTP or UPI number. Update it at your bank too.

What goes wrong with Aadhaar linking, and how do you fix it?

Bottom line

Make sure your PAN is linked and your Aadhaar is seeded to the bank account where you want government money. Finish the LPG and ration biometric checks when asked. EPF (new UAN) and IRCTC Tatkal have their own Aadhaar rules; most other links are optional. For Aadhaar problems, UIDAI's free helpline is 1947.