Issuing an Aadhaar in India

An Aadhaar number is a unique 12-digit number that is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India, to residents in India. The Aadhaar is issued based on the demographic and biometric information that is provided by the individual. Every individual is required to enrol only once for the Aadhaar as the Aadhaar number is unique to the individual and will not be replaced or duplicated for another individual.

The Aadhaar document has become an important document that serves as both an identity proof and an address proof for residents in India. Most documentation requirements such as opening a new bank account, issuing a new mobile phone number, to subscribing government welfare schemes are processed based on the Aadhaar number.

Documents Required & Process for Issue of Aadhaar:

The following information has to be provided for issuing an Aadhaar:

• Demographic information such as the name of the individual, date of birth, age, gender, address, mobile number, email ID, etc. In the case of a minor, the details of any one parent may also be provided along with proof of relationship.
• Biometric information such as the scans of the ten fingerprints, iris scans, and facial photographs.

 To support the demographic information, the following documents must also be provided:

• Proof of Identity: A proof of identity to verify the name and photo has to be provided. Some accepted ID proofs are as follows:
  
  
  1. Passport
  2. PAN Card
  3. Ration/ PDS Photo Card
  4. Voter ID
  5. Driving License
  6. Government Photo ID Cards/ Service photo identity card issued by PSU
  7. NREGS Job Card
  8. Photo ID issued by Recognized Educational Institution

• Proof of date of birth: To verify the date of birth of the individual, any one of the following documents may be provided:
  
  
  1. Birth Certificate
  2. SSLC Book/ Certificate
  3. Passport
  4. Certificate of Date of Birth issued by Group A Gazetted Officer on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment.
  5. A certificate (on UIDAI standard certificate format for enrolment/ update) or ID Card having photo and Date of Birth (DOB) duly signed and issued by a government authority.
  6. Photo ID card having Date of Birth, issued by Recognized Educational Institution
  7. PAN Card
  8. Marksheet issued by any Government Board or University
  9. Government Photo ID Card/ Photo Identity Card issued by PSU containing DOB

• Proof of Address: A proof of address of the individual with the address provided in the Aadhaar application must also be provided.  The following are some proof of addresses that are accepted:
  
  
  1. Passport
  2. Bank Statement/ Passbook
  3. Post Office Account Statement/ Passbook
  4. Ration Card
  5. Voter ID
  6. Driving License
  7. Government Photo ID cards/ service photo identity cards issued by PSU.
  8. Electricity Bill (not older than 3 months)
  9. Water Bill (not older than 3 months)
  10. Telephone Landline Bill (not older than 3 months)
  11. Property Tax Receipt (not older than 1 year)

Process of Enrolment:

The enrolment process for Aadhaar is completed at designated Aadhaar enrolment centres. The location of such centres may vary according to the specified district that the individual is applying from.

The applicant has to fill out the enrolment form available at the centre (or downloaded online) and provide supporting documents for proof of identity, address, and date of birth. Once the forms are duly filled, the biometric data will also be collected at the centre. The applicant has to bring the original copies of the required supporting documents.

The applicant will then be given an online tracking number to track their application, and once the e-Aadhaar is generated it can be downloaded from the website.

Since the biometric data of the applicant has to be collected, the process for enrolment is only conducted physically through the enrolment centre. This has not been changed even with the onset of the Covid pandemic regulations.

Aadhaar Process for Non-Resident Indians:

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can enrol for the Aadhaar number at any Aadhaar Kendra/Enrolment Centre. The process is the same for NRIs as it is for resident Indians, and they have to be physically present at the Centre along with their supporting documents.

NRIs can use their passport as valid proof of identity and proof of address when enrolling for the Aadhaar number. Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders can also enrol for Aadhaar if they have been resident in India for more than 182 days in a year using the same process.

At present, Aadhaar can only be issued in India as it is primarily a government document required by residents in India. Indian consulates or embassies outside India do not issue Aadhaar, and any queries in this regard are to be directed to the relevant ministries in India. Further, because the biometric data has to be collected, the enrolment process is only completed at the designated enrolment centres in India.

Aadhaar Process for Non-Indian Nationals:

Every resident in India (i.e., individuals that have lived in India for more than 182 days in a year) is entitled to enrol for Aadhaar by submitting their demographic and biometric information as discussed above. However, non-Indian nationals and non-resident Indians are exempt from mandatorily linking their Aadhaar number with their income tax filing since the FY 2017-18. Hence, foreign nationals that are resident in India may enrol for Aadhar in the same process as resident Indians; but there are no mandatory Aadhaar requirements for filing tax returns.