How to get an Aadhaar Card ?

What is Aadhaar?

• Aadhaar is a 12 digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India on behalf of the Government of India.
• This number will serve as a proof of identity and address, anywhere in India.
• Any individual, irrespective of age and gender, who is a resident in India and satisfies the verification process laid down by the UIDAI can enrol for Aadhaar.
• Each individual needs to enroll only once which is free of cost.
• Each Aadhaar number will be unique to an individual and will remain valid for life. Aadhaar number will help you provide access to services like banking, mobile phone connections and other Govt and Non-Govt services in due course.

Some other information about Aadhaar:

Aadhaar will be:

Easily verifiable in an online, cost-effective way
Unique and robust enough to eliminate the large number of duplicate and fake identities in government and private databases
A random number generated, devoid of any classification based on caste, creed, religion and geography

Why Aadhaar?

Aadhaar-based identification will have two unique features:

• Universality, which is ensured because Aadhaar will over time be recognised and accepted across the country and across all service providers.
• Every resident’s entitlement to the number.
• The number will consequently form the basic, universal identity infrastructure over which Registrars and Agencies across the country can build their identity-based applications.
• Unique Identification of India (UIDAI) will build partnerships with various Registrars across the country to enrol residents for the number. Such Registrars may include state governments, state Public Sector Units (PSUs), banks, telecom companies, etc. These Registrars may in turn partner with enrolling agencies to enrol residents into Aadhaar.
• Aadhaar will ensure increased trust between public and private agencies and residents. Once residents enrol for Aadhaar, service providers will no longer face the problem of performing repeated Know Your Customer (KYC) checks before providing services. They would no longer have to deny services to residents without identification documents. Residents would also be spared the trouble of repeatedly proving identity through documents each time they wish to access services such as obtaining a bank account, passport, or driving license etc.
• By providing a clear proof of identity, Aadhaar will empower poor and underprivileged residents in accessing services such as the formal banking system and give them the opportunity to easily avail various other services provided by the Government and the private sector. The centralised technology infrastructure of the UIDAI will enable ‘anytime, anywhere, anyhow’ authentication. Aadhaar will thus give migrants mobility of identity. Aadhaar authentication can be done both offline and online, online authentication through a cell phone or landline connection will allow residents to verify their identity remotely. Remotely, online Aadhaar-linked identity verification will give poor and rural residents the same flexibility that urban non-poor residents presently have in verifying their identity and accessing services such as banking and retail. Aadhaar will also demand proper verification prior to enrolment, while ensuring inclusion. Existing identity databases in India are fraught with problems of fraud and duplicate or ghost beneficiaries. To prevent these problems from seeping into the Aadhaar database, the UIDAI plans to enrol residents into its database with proper verification of their demographic and biometric information. This will ensure that the data collected is clean from the beginning of the program. However, much of the poor and under-privileged population lack identity documents and Aadhaar may be the first form of identification they will have access to. The UIDAI will ensure that its Know Your Resident (KYR) standards do not become a barrier for enrolling the poor and has accordingly developed an Introducer system for residents who lack documentation. Through this system, authorised individuals (‘Introducers’) who already have an Aadhaar, can introduce residents who don’t have any identification documents, enabling them to receive their Aadhaar.

How to get an Aadhaar Card ?

Aadhaar enrolment is free.

• You can go to any authorized Aadhaar enrollment center anywhere in India with your identity and address proof.
• UIDAI process accepts 18 PoI (Proof of Identity) and 33 PoA (Proof of Address) documents. Please click here for a nationally valid list of documents. Common proofs of identity and address are election photo ID card, Ration card, passport and driving license.
• Photo ID cards like PAN card and Govt ID cards are permissible for identity proof. Address proof documents also include water – electricity – telephone bills from the last three months.
• In case you do not have above common proofs, Certificate of Identify having photo issued by Gazetted Officer/Tehsildar on letterhead is also accepted as PoI. Certificate of Address having photo issued by MP or MLA /Gazetted Officer/Tehsildar on letterhead or by Village Panchayat head or its equivalent authority (for rural areas) is accepted as valid PoA.
• Even if someone in a family does not have individual valid documents, the resident can still enrol if his/her name exists in family entitlement document. In this case the Head of Family in entitlement document needs to be enrolled first with valid PoI & PoA document. The head of the household can then introduce other members in the family while they are enrolling. UIDAI accepts 8 document types as Proof of Relationship. Please click here for a nationally valid list of documents.
• Where there are no documents available, resident may also take the help of Introducers available at the enrolment centre. The Introducers are notified by the Registrar. For further details please contact office of the concerned Registrar.
• At the enrollment center, please fill your personal details within the form. Your photo, finger-prints and iris scan will also be taken as a part of the enrollment. You can review the details you have provided and make corrections during enrolment itself. You will get an acknowledgment slip with an temporary enrolment number and other details captured during enrolment
• You need to enrol only once. Enrolling again is a waste of your time as you will get only one Aadhaar number.
• Based on your information provided, your details will be verified centrally. If your application is successful, an Aadhaar number will be generated and mailed to your address.
• The waiting time for Aadhaar may vary from 60-90 days after receipt of resident data packets in CIDR. However, it could take even longer in case enrolment is done through NPR exercise.
• After enrolment, quality checks are done by the enrolment centre supervisors, followed by correction process (where required) and data packet consolidation. Subsequently, the Enrolment Agency sends the data to UIDAI data centre. The data undergoes various stages of screening and validations in CIDR. This ensures that the source of data is authenticated besides ensuring that no duplicate exists. Sample Quality checks are done on demographic and biometric data collected from residents. Apart from that the Operator/Supervisor/Introducer/Enrolment Agency and Registrar information in each packet is also validated. Only after passing the data quality checks and other validations, the packet goes for de-duplication and Aadhaar gets generated.
• In case of any errors, the packet goes on hold. For example if the particulars of the Operator who enrolled the resident are found to be inconsistent with database or there is a mismatch observed in photo and age/gender (ex. a child’s photo with age mentioned as 50 yrs), then the packet is held for further enquiry. Corrective actions are taken on such packets, wherever possible, else a rejection letter guiding resident to re-enroll is dispatched to the resident. India Post is entrusted with the responsibility of printing and delivery of Aadhaar letters. Depending on backlog for generation, location of delivery etc. India Post may ordinarily take 3-5 weeks to print and deliver Aadhaar letters to the residents.
• In the case of Aadhaar enrolments through NPR exercise, the method of verification is the RGI approved LRUR(Local Register of Usual Residents) verification process. The Aadhaar number will be issued only after completion of the LRUR process which could take much longer than the time prescribed above. Residents can verify the name of their Registrar at the enrolment centres or on the acknowledgement provided to them at the time of enrolment. In case it is Registrar General of India(RGI), please contact office of RGI for further details.
• Enrolment Centres where you can enrol for Aadhaar

Toll Free Number- 1800 300 1947

How to check your Aadhaar enrolment status?