Aadhaar Card Services

The Government of India has enrolled more than 95% of the total Indian residents for Aadhaar. The UIDAI has come up with a number of Aadhaar card services that people can use to check, verify or manage various facilities that will increase the acceptance and meaningful usage of the 12-digit biometric identity proof.

Most of the services provided by UIDAI are free of cost and available for everyone irrespective of region, religion, caste, or creed. These services can be availed online 24×7 and 365 days of the year. Let us know about some of the most important services provided to residents of India through Aadhar.

Key Aadhaar card services provided by UIDAI to all Indian residents include:

Aadhaar Number Verification

• Aadhaar number can be verified to know whether it is an authentic document or a forged one
• It is not necessary to have mobile number linked with Aadhaar to avail this facility
• This feature allows common man to verify anyone’s Aadhaar details
• This facility can be used by landlords while renting houses, hotel owners for verifying guest details, various educational institutions, etc.
• There is no limit on the number of Aadhaar details that a user can verify

To verify your Aadhaar, follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Visit the Aadhaar Verification option in the Aadhaar Services section
2. Enter the Aadhaar number and the security code
3. Click on the verify button to check the authenticity of Aadhaar
4. Verification results show whether Aadhaar number exists or not. If the Aadhaar number is valid, other details are also displayed such as age band, gender, state and the last 3 digits of the registered mobile number

Retrieve Aadhaar Number/Enrolment ID

You can also retrieve your lost/forgotten Aadhaar number/enrolment id via the UIDAI website using your registered mobile or email address.

Given below is the step-by-step process to retrieve your lost/forgotten UID/EID:

1. Visit the UIDAI website and click on “Lost/Forgotten EID/UID” listed under Aadhaar Services.
2. Choose if your want to retrieve your Aadhaar number (UID) or enrolment id (EID).
3. Enter your name, mobile number or email address, the captcha code and click on “Send OTP”.
4. Enter the OTP and click on “Submit” to view your Aadhaar number or enrolment id. The same Aadhaar number/ EID is also sent to your registered mobile number.

Aadhaar Paperless Offline e-KYC

You can also get your Aadhaar verification done offline by sharing a UIDAI-generated digitally signed document with the service provider/ Offline Verification Seeking Entity (OVSE). It includes details such as your name, address, gender, photograph, registered mobile number, email id and reference id in a digitally signed XML document.

 The Aadhaar paperless offline e-KYC process involves the following steps:

1. On the UIDAI website, under the“My Aadhaar” section, select “Aadhaar Paperless Offline e-kyc (Beta)” listed under “Aadhaar Services”
2. Click on “Login”.
3. Enter your Aadhaar number, security code and click on “Send OTP”.
4. Enter the OTP that you receive on your mobile number and click on “Login”.
5. Click on “Offline eKYC”.
6. Create a 4-digit Share Code and click on “Download”. A ZIP file (protected with Share Code as the password) containing the Paperless Offline eKYC will be downloaded into your desktop/device.  You need to share the ZIP file, the Share Code and registered mobile number with the service provider who can then simply verify the information with the central database.

Email/Mobile Number Verification

• This facility allows you to check whether your mobile number or email address is mentioned in Aadhaar or not
• Your mobile number should be registered with UIDAI to avail this facility
• Nobody else can run this verification on your behalf
• You can either verify your mobile or email id at a time

To verify your mobile number/email id, follow the steps given below:

1. Select the “Verify Email/Mobile Number” option from the Aadhaar Services menu
2. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number in the box provided
3. Enter either your mobile number or your email ID
4. Enter the security code and click on “Send OTP”
5. An OTP will be sent to your mobile number registered with Aadhaar. Enter this OTP in the space provided and click on verify
6. The result will be displayed whether your mobile number is linked with Aadhaar or not. Also, if the number is registered, the last 3 digits of the number will be displayed

Biometric Locking/Unlocking

• UIDAI’s Aadhaar biometric locking/unlocking is one of the most effective security feature. It lets you lock your biometrics and prevents them from being misused
• Your fingerprints, face iris scan are disabled from being used for authentications once you lock your biometrics. However, OTP-based authentication continues to be available as needed.
• When you wish to use your biometrics, you can unlock it temporarily. When unlocked, the biometric authentication remains active for 10 minutes for you to carry out your task. After 10 minutes, the biometric data is locked automatically
• In case you do not want to shield your biometrics, you can simply click on the Unlock Biometrics Permanently button to remove the lock from your Aadhaar biometrics permanently. However, you can lock your biometrics again whenever you want.

Here is how you can lock/unlock your biometrics via the UIDAI website:

1. On the UIDAI website, click on “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” option in the Aadhaar Servicessection
2. Login to the UIDAI portal using your Aadhaar number, security code and the OTP that you receive on your registered mobile number
3. Click on “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” to temporarily lock/unlock your biometric information
4. In case you wish to lock your biometrics (face, fingerprints and iris) for authentication, agree to the terms of locking the biometric data and click on “Next”and your biometrics will be thereafter locked successfully.
5. In case you want to unlock your biometrics, you will have to login again and either to Unlock Biometrics Temporarily (for a short duration) or Unlock Biometrics Permanently (until next time you lock)

• Biometric locking/unlocking is also available through the mAadhaar app which is the official app of the UIDAI
• When you lock your biometrics for the first time, it may take up to 6 hours for the lock to be implemented fully

Aadhaar-Bank Account Linking Status

• This facility allows you to check if your Aadhaar is linked to your bank account. In case you have not linked any bank account with Aadhaar, a message will be displayed stating the fact
• You need to link your mobile number with Aadhaar before availing this facility
• The Aadhaar linking information is fetched from the NPCI server. However, no information accessed from servers of NPCI is stored by UIDAI.

Here is how you can check if your Aadhaar is linked to your bank account or not through the UIDAI website:

1. Visit the UIDAI website and click on the “Check Aadhaar/Bank Linking Status” under the My Aadhaar section
2. Enter your Aadhaar number/virtual id and the security code
3. Click on Send OTP to receive an OTP to your registered mobile number. Alternatively, you can also choose to use your TOTP
4. Enter the OTP/TOTP and click on the submit button
5. The bank account linked with Aadhaar will be displayed on the screen

Aadhaar Authentication History

• You can check the Aadhaar authentication history through this feature. The results displayed contain the transactions for which Aadhaar has been invoked for authentication
• It lets you check authentication transactions of the past 6 months on your Aadhaar
• You can check details of all authentication records performed by you or any Authentication User Agency (AUA).  However, a maximum of 50 records can be viewed at any point of time.

Given below are the steps to check your Aadhaar Authentication History via the UIDAI website:

1. Click on the “Aadhaar Authentication History” under the My Aadhaar section on the website
2. Enter your Aadhaar number/Virtual id, the security code and click on the “Send OTP” button to receive an OTP on your registered mobile number or enter your TOTP
3. Select the “Authentication Type”, date range, number of records (maximum 50) and enter the OTP sent on your phone/TOTP
4. Click on the “Verify OTP/TOTP” All results will be displayed on the screen clearly mentioning the transaction ID, date, authentication type and other details

Virtual ID Generation

• Virtual ID or VID is a 16-digit temporary, revocable number generated against an Aadhaar number
• VID can be used in place of Aadhaar number whenever authentication or e-KYC services are performed. You will not have to share your Aadhaar number if you provide VID.
• It is not possible to derive Aadhaar number from VID

To generate VID from the UIDAI website follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Click on the “Virtual ID (VID) Generator” option in the Aadhaar Servicessection
2. Choose if you want to generate a new VID or retrieve your VID
3. Enter your Aadhaar number, security code and click on the “Send OTP”option
4. Enter the OTP that you receive on your mobile number and click on “Verify and Proceed” to view your Virtual ID. The virtual ID generated is also sent to your mobile number registered with UIDAI.

Aadhaar Lock and Unlock Service

UIDAI’s Aadhaar Lock/Unlock service lets residents lock their Aadhaar number and instead generate and use a Virtual ID (VID) for authentication.

Here is how you can lock/unlock your Aadhaar number via the UIDAI website:

1. Select the “Aadhaar Lock and Unlock Service” listed under Aadhaar Services.
2. Before proceeding to lock/unlock your Aadhaar, generate a VID, as only Virtual id has the ability to lock/unlock Aadhaar.

To know about how to generate Virtual ID (VID), click here.

3. Choose if you want to lock or unlock your Aadhaar.
4. To lockyour Aadhaar number, enter your VID, full name, PIN Code, captcha and click on “Send OTP”.
5. Enter the OTP that you receive on your registered mobile number, agree that you will be able to perform authentication only using your VID once you lock your Aadhaar number and click on “Submit”.
6. In case you wish to unlockyour Aadhaar number, go to “Aadhaar Lock and Unlock Service”  page and click on “Unlock Aadhaar”.
7. Enter your Virtual ID, captcha code and click on “Send OTP”.
8. Enter the OTP, agree to the terms and click on the “Submit”
   

Aadhaar Services on SMS

Aadhaar SMS Service is provided by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for those who do not have access to the internet, online Aadhaar portal, m-Aadhaar, etc.

Through Aadhaar SMS service you can avail of various services such as the generation of Virtual ID, locking/unlocking of Aadhaar Number and more. All you need to do is to send an SMS to 1947 from your registered mobile number.

Read more: How to access Aadhaar Services on SMS & Different Services Available

FAQs on Aadhaar Card Services

Q. Do I need to generate OTP for all Aadhaar SMS services?

Ans. No, you don’t need to generate OTP for all the Aadhaar SMS services such as for the VID Generation and retrieval function OTP is not required.

Q. Out of the Aadhaar Card Services mentioned above. What all services can I avail through my mAadhaar aap?

Ans. All the Aadhaar card services mentioned above can be availed via the mAadhaar app on your phone.

 Q. Are there any charges to avail any of the Aadhaar card services?

Ans. No, all the services mentioned above can be availed 24x7x365 without paying any charges.

Q. Do I need to be enrolled for Aadhaar before availing the services mentioned above?

Ans. Yes, you need to be a resident before availing any of the services mentioned above. However, the enrolment id retrieval service can be availed as soon as you apply for your UIDAI Aadhaar.