Lost or Stolen Aadhaar (Aadhar) Card: What Should You Do?

What did you lose, and where should you start?

Answer one or two questions to see which steps matter most for you.

What are the 5 steps after losing your Aadhaar card?

Do them in this order. Each step links to the details below.

How do you do each step?

1. Lock your biometrics now

   A lost card shows your full Aadhaar number. Fraudsters use numbers taken from cards and photocopies for AePS fraud: they copy a fingerprint, for example from property papers or with a silicone clone, and withdraw cash at a micro-ATM. No OTP is involved, so you get no warning. A biometric lock stops this: any fingerprint, iris or face check on your Aadhaar fails with error 330. OTP checks keep working.

   • Aadhaar App: UIDAI's new app has a one-tap biometric lock. Registering needs your Aadhaar number, an OTP, a face check in good light and a 6-digit PIN.
   • SMS to 1947: two messages from your registered mobile. First GETOTP with the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar. Then ENABLEBIOLOCK with the same digits and the 6-digit OTP. Example: GETOTP 1987, then ENABLEBIOLOCK 1987 012345.
   • Don't know the last 4 digits? Do step 3 first to get your number back, then come back here.
   SMS helper: lock your biometrics or get a VID

   Send each to 1947 from your registered mobile. Lock biometrics: GETOTP 1987, then ENABLEBIOLOCK 1987 012345. Unlock biometrics: GETOTP 1987, then DISABLEBIOLOCK 1987 012345. New VID: GVID 1987. Current VID: RVID 1987. Use your own last 4 digits of Aadhaar (or last 6 of VID) and your own OTP.

   This works only on your phone. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. Never type your full Aadhaar number into any website except uidai.gov.in.

   Need a fingerprint check later, for example at the bank, ration shop or gas agency? Unlock first, finish the check, then lock again. Full details are in how to lock and unlock Aadhaar biometrics. Every 1947 SMS format: our SMS command generator.

   To check that it worked, look at your lock status in the Aadhaar App. No OTP after SMS 1? Check that you sent it from the registered SIM, then contact your mobile operator.

2. Check your authentication history

   Every time your Aadhaar is used to prove who you are, UIDAI records it. The Aadhaar App shows this authentication history for the last 6 months, up to 50 records at a time. Each record shows the type of check (fingerprint, iris, face, OTP or demographic), the time, the agency that asked for it, a transaction ID and the result.

   • Look for checks you didn't do, especially fingerprint checks at a bank or micro-ATM around the time you lost the card.
   • Check your email too. UIDAI sends an email notice for each authentication, so an email linked to your Aadhaar is an early warning.
   • Found something you don't recognise? Go to step 5.

   You'll know it worked when you see the list of checks and can match each one to something you did yourself, such as bank KYC, a ration shop or an LPG check.

3. Get your number back and download a replacement

   Don't remember your Aadhaar number? Use UIDAI's Retrieve EID/UID service. Enter your name and the mobile number or email linked to your Aadhaar, type the captcha and enter the OTP to get your number. In our experience the email route usually works too, if an email is linked. In our experience the 1947 helpline does not give out the number on the phone, and callers are usually sent to a centre. Full steps: find a lost Aadhaar number.

   Then pick a replacement:

   • e-Aadhaar (free): download it on myAadhaar or in the Aadhaar App with your Aadhaar number, EID or VID and an OTP on your registered mobile. It is as legally valid as the physical card. The PDF password is the first 4 letters of your name in CAPITALS plus your year of birth, for example SURE1990. See how to download e-Aadhaar.
   • Masked Aadhaar (free): tick the masked option when you download. It shows only the last 4 digits of your number, which is safer for sharing.
   • PVC card (₹75): a plastic card sent by Speed Post to the address on your Aadhaar. The fee includes GST and postage. See how to order a PVC card.
   • Print at an Aadhaar centre (₹30–₹40): a biometric-verified e-Aadhaar print, useful when your mobile isn't registered. UIDAI's own Seva Kendras list ₹40; at our counter we see ₹30. See download without a registered mobile.

   Retrieve number

   Retrieve EID/UIDmyaadhaarbeta.uidai.gov.in

   e-Aadhaar

   Download e-Aadhaarmyaadhaar.uidai.gov.in

   PVC card

   Order PVC cardmyaadhaar.uidai.gov.in

   You'll know it worked when you get your Aadhaar number back, and the e-Aadhaar PDF opens with your password.

4. Update your mobile number if your phone was lost too

   OTPs go only to the mobile number registered with your Aadhaar. Without that SIM you can't download e-Aadhaar, lock biometrics by SMS or use the app. The Aadhaar App can't change the number if you no longer have the old one; that needs a centre.

   • At any Aadhaar centre: the mobile update costs ₹75. In our experience no document is needed, and it is done the same day.
   • When OTPs start: in our experience OTPs usually start coming on the new number within 1–2 days.
   • A family member's number is fine. In our experience a father's or son's SIM can be linked without any problem.
   • Your bank is separate. In our experience bank OTPs and UPI keep going to the number registered with your bank. Change it at the bank if needed.

   Then come back to step 1 and lock your biometrics. Full details: how to update your mobile number.

   You'll know it worked when an OTP for your Aadhaar arrives on the new number, for example when you try the e-Aadhaar download.

5. Report misuse, and lock your Aadhaar number only if needed

   If your authentication history shows checks you didn't do, or money has left your account, act quickly:

   • Money taken? Call 1930 or report on cybercrime.gov.in within the "golden hour", as cyber police advise. Then lock your biometrics if you haven't yet.
   • Tell UIDAI: call 1947 (free), email [email protected], or file a complaint on myAadhaar. Keep the transaction details from your history. UIDAI's charter aims to resolve grievances within 30 days. See how to complain about Aadhaar.
   • Think about a UID lock. UIDAI suggests locking your Aadhaar number if your details are exposed or your SIM is lost. A UID lock blocks every Aadhaar check: fingerprint, iris, face, OTP and demographic.
   Read this before a UID lock

   • Generate and save a VID first. A 16-digit VID is a must before locking, and unlocking works only with the latest VID. Use the SMS helper (GVID) or UIDAI's VID page.
   • Lock on UIDAI's website or in the Aadhaar App. You need your registered mobile for the OTP. The lock is free.
   • While locked, no bank KYC, OTP or biometric check works. The lock has no expiry and there is no one-time unlock: once you unlock, it stays unlocked until you lock again.
   • In our experience unlocking can be very hard, because UIDAI's servers are often down. For most people the biometric lock is enough.
   • We don't show an SMS command for the UID lock: our team found it can fail, and we haven't confirmed the right format yet.

   VID

   Generate or retrieve VIDmyaadhaarbeta.uidai.gov.in

   UID lock

   Aadhaar lockresident.uidai.gov.in

   Step-by-step lock and unlock screens are in our lock guide. Other frauds and what to do are in Aadhaar fraud and scams.

   You'll know it worked when your report is registered and you've noted any reference number you're given, and your latest VID is saved before any UID lock.

Which replacement should you get?

All of these carry the same Aadhaar number as your lost card. Pick by where you need to show it and whether your registered mobile works.

News reports say UIDAI has stopped paper reprints of the old Aadhaar letter, so these are the options. Not sure which to choose? See the PVC card guide.

Do you need a new Aadhaar after losing the card?

No. The card is only a copy of your Aadhaar. Your 12-digit number stays the same for life, and Aadhaar numbers are never reused. Every replacement above shows the same number.

• Never enrol again because you lost the card or forgot the number. UIDAI says you can enrol only once, and a second enrolment is rejected.
• If you enrolled but never got your number, use Retrieve EID/UID instead of applying again.
• Nobody can give you a new Aadhaar number, so ignore anyone who offers one.

What goes wrong after losing an Aadhaar card, and how do you fix it?

When should you visit an Aadhaar centre?

• Your phone or SIM was lost too, or no mobile was ever registered. A mobile update costs ₹75.
• No mobile or email is linked, so Retrieve EID/UID can't send an OTP. Your fingerprint or iris proves who you are.
• You need a copy today without a working mobile: ask for a biometric-verified e-Aadhaar print (₹30–₹40).
• You need to unlock biometrics without a phone route. UIDAI says this can also be done at an enrolment centre or an Aadhaar Seva Kendra.

Aadhaar Seva Kendras usually open on Sundays too and close on about 10 holidays a year. Most work from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm with a lunch break from 1 to 2 pm. Check your centre before you go.

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

Bottom line

A lost Aadhaar card is a security problem, not a paperwork one. Lock your biometrics, check your history, then get a free e-Aadhaar or a ₹75 PVC card with the same number. Lost your phone too? Fix the mobile at a centre first. For help, UIDAI's free helpline is 1947.