How to obtain an Aadhaar card

Who is eligible for the Aadhaar card?

Every Indian resident (whether newborn, minor or adult) is eligible for the Aadhaar card. For children below 5 years there is Baal Aadhaar. To qualify as an Indian resident, you should have spent 182 days or more of a financial year in India, or stayed in India for minimum 60 days in the year and for a period of 365 days or more in the 4 years preceding the relevant financial year.

So basically many foreigners and NRIs are also eligible for the Aadhaar card, as long as they have spent 182 days or more in India.

Costs for the Aadhaar card

The Aadhaar card is free of cost when it’s a new application. If you already have Aadhaar and you update it, you pay 50 Indian rupees. In case of biometric updation you pay 100 Indian rupees. For the Aadhaar PVC card the UIDAI charges 50 Indian rupees.

Forms of Aadhaar

The Aadhaar comes in different forms:

1. Paper Aadhaar card: in theory this card is the standard Aadhaar card you get after your Aadhaar application gets approved, but many people have never received it. The paper Aadhaar card is free of cost for new applications and it can take upto 90 days to receive it.
2. eAadhaar: this is an electronic PDF digitally signed by UIDAI. You can download this from the UIDAI website after your Aadhaar application gets approved. You will need a password to open the eAadhaar, which UIDAI will explain on the screen. The eAadhaar is free of cost.
3. mAadhaar: this is the mobile app in which you can register your Aadhaar. It’s similar to eAadhaar, but it’s a mobile app instead of a PDF. You will need a pincode to open your Aadhaar in mAadhaar, which you can generate yourself. The mAadhaar is free of cost.
4. Aadhaar PVC card: this form of the Aadhaar card has security features and is more durable than the standard paper Aadhaar card.

Many people just take a printout of the eAadhaar and have it laminated at a Xerox in order to have a non-digital Aadhaar card. This costs 30-40 Indian rupees. The laminated printout is accepted, as long as the QR code can be scanned properly. You can check this with UIDAI’s Aadhaar QR Scanner mobile app.

Required documents for Aadhaar application

Basically the following documents are required for the Aadhaar application:

• Proof of identity (PoI)
• Proof of date of birth
• Proof of residence (PoR)
• Proof of relationship (in case of no PoI and/or PoR)

On the UIDAI website you can find a large list of accepted documents for each category. The proof of relationship can be helpful when you don’t have a valid ID proof and/or address proof. In that case you’ll need a document to prove the relationship between you and the Head of Family.

Don’t have a valid address proof?

If you don’t have a valid address proof or Head of Family you can ask someone to verify your address. An address verifier can be anyone who is willing to let you use their address as proof. The address verifier must have the same address registered in his/her Aadhaar and both you and the address verifier must have your mobile numbers registered in your respective Aadhaar. Both of you will have to get authenticated via OTP and the address verifier needs to give his/her consent within stipulated time, otherwise the request will be invalid and you will have to initiate the process again.

How to apply for the Aadhaar card?

1. Check the list of valid documents on the UIDAI website.
2. Arrange all required documents. Make sure the residence proof is as recent as possible and has been issued not more than 1 month before. (For example, I provided my PAN card and a recent bank statement that was stamped & signed by a bank representative; that was enough)
3. Visit the UIDAI website, go to My Aadhaar and click on Book an Appointment. Choose whether you’d like to register for Aadhaar at UIDAI or at a registrar. If you’d like to register for Aadhaar at UIDAI, select a city/location and click on Proceed to Book Appointment. In case you’d like to apply for Aadhaar at a registrar (like HDFC Bank or Axis Bank), click on Proceed to Book Appointment under that option.
4. Fill in your mobile number & the CAPTCHA code and generate the OTP. The OTP will be sent to your mobile number. Submit the OTP.
5. Follow the instructions on the screen, fill in the required details and book your appointment. You should get an Enrolment ID (EID) now. If you don’t get an EID, no worries; you can fill in a new application form at the Aadhaar Seva Kendra. Also, sometimes the online appointment booking doesn’t work properly. In that case you can just visit the Aadhaar Seva Kendra and wait for your turn.
6. Visit the Aadhaar Seva Kendra. The representative will guide you through the process: you’ll have to fill in and submit your application form (in case you hadn’t done it online or hadn’t got an EID), then the representative will fill in your details in the system. Your live photo, iris scan and fingerprints will be taken and you’ll have to sign some paper, of which you’ll get a copy. Keep this document (also known as “enrollment slip” of acknowledge slip”) with care, as you’ll need it to track the status of your Aadhaar application. The representative will complete the Aadhaar application with his/her fingerprint.
7. Wait until UIDAI has processed your Aadhaar application. My application got approved the same day, but I didn’t get a notification. So better track the status online by visiting the UIDAI website, going to My Aadhaar and clicking on Check Aadhaar Status. Fill in the EID & date-time according to the acknowledge slip and the CAPTCHA. Click on Check Status.
8. In case your Aadhaar application gets rejected, get to know the reason (maybe call UIDAI for this: phone number 1947) and apply again.
9. In case your Aadhaar application gets approved, it’s advisable to download eAadhaar. For this, visit the UIDAI website, go to My Aadhaar and click on Download Aadhaar. Fill in your EID, date-time stamp (see enrollment slip) and the CAPTCHA.You will also see a checkbox to download a masked Aadhaar. A masked Aadhaar is an eAadhaar in which only the last four digits are shown. It is valid as ID proof, but not if you want to use it for official purposes, like government services.
10. Then generate the OTP, enter the OTP and you will be able to download the eAadhaar in PDF form. The password instructions will be shown on the screen.
11. It’s also advisable to download the mAadhaar app, so that your Aadhaar will be in your smartphone too. Follow the instructions in the mAadhaar app in order to register your Aadhaar in the app. You just need to generate a pincode, OTP, submit the OTP and your Aadhaar will appear in the app. After this, whenever you want to open your Aadhaar, you can just open the mAadhaar app, click on your masked Aadhaar, enter the PIN and then your full Aadhaar will be shown.
12. If you want an Aadhaar PVC card, you can easily apply for it via the UIDAI website by following the instructions on the screen (Aadhaar number, CAPTCHA, OTP) and paying the fee. They say it will take only 5 days to deliver the Aadhaar PVC card, but many people on social media commented that they haven’t received their Aadhaar PVC card even after 1 month. So keep this in mind when you want to order it.