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मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी की ओर से जारी हिंदी दिवस संदेश, 2023/Message from CEO on Hindi Diwas 2023 DOC Type: PDF Size:0.4MB

lang attribute: English

UIDAI Sandbox for Developer Community and Fintechs

What is Aadhaar SMS Service?

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced a service called “Aadhaar Services on SMS” which enables Aadhaar Number holders, who do not have access to internet/resident portal/m-Aadhaar etc. to use various Aadhaar services like Virtual ID generation/retrieval, Aadhaar lock/unlock etc. through SMS.

Resident can avail Aadhaar Service by sending SMS from Registered Mobile to 1947.
Resident can perform VID Generation/Retrieval, Lock/Unlock Aadhaar Number etc. by sending an SMS in the given format to 1947 from their registered mobile number.
For More details on Virtual ID (VID) please visit: https://uidai.gov.in/contact-support/have-any-question/284-faqs/aadhaar-online-services/virtual-id-vid.html

Media Coverage of Aadhaar

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Aadhaar Brochure September 2023

1 Sep 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 1.5 MB

Aadhaar authentication transactions climbed to 2.31 billion in March

28 Apr 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 0.3 MB

आधार धारकों ने मार्च में 2.31 बिलियन का किया लेन-देन

28 Apr 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 0.2 MB

Aadhaar authentication rose to 2.31 bn in Mar 2023

28 Apr 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 0.3 MB

Going digital has played a special role as a catalyst in our economy

5 Apr 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 2.1 MB

Aadhaar Telecast

View All

Abhinav Pahal 2.0 : Aadhaar based Face Authentication and how it is touching lives and improving ease of living for residents.

Learn how to Upload PoI/PoA documents in Aadhaar

Celebrating the ‘#SwachchtaHiSeva with a commitment to make ‘Garbage Free India’!

CEO Interview-1

CEO Interview-2

Press Release

View All

UIDAI sensitizes enrolment agencies to assist divyangjan persons in enrolling for Aadhaar

14 Dec 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 0.2 MB

Aadhaar, the most trusted digital ID in the world —Moody’s Investors Service opinions baseless

29 Sep 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 0.4 MB

UIDAI comes back to Global Fintech Fest with the theme “Reimagine Aadhaar”

12 Sep 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 0.4 MB

Aadhaar reunites missing divyang woman with her family in Assam

31 Jul 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 0.4 MB

Aadhaar based face authentication transactions cross all time high of 10.6 million in May 2023

7 Jul 2023

Download | Type: pdf | Size: 0.6 MB

Aadhaar in Numbers

Aadhaar Generated

Authentication Done

Aadhaar Saturation Report Type: pdf Size: 0.5MB
View On Dashboard

Frequently Asked Questions

Use Aadhaar Freely

Can a fraudster withdraw money from my Aadhaar linked bank account if he knows my Aadhaar number or has my Aadhaar card? Open or Close

Just by knowing your Aadhaar number or Aadhaar linked bank account, no one can withdraw money from Aadhaar linked bank account.

There are many agencies that simply accept physical copy of Aadhaar and do not carry out any biometric or OTP authentication or verification. Is this a good practice? Open or Close

No, in this connection MeitY has issued detailed instructions to all Government Ministries/Departments vide office memorandum no 10(22)/2017-EG-II(VOL-1) dated 19.06.2023.

Does linking my bank account, PAN, and other services with Aadhaar make me vulnerable? Open or Close

No. UIDAI does not have visibility of linking of your Aadhaar with any other services. Concern departments such as bank, income tax etc. do not share any information of Aadhaar number holder neither UIDAI stores any such informations.

Recently, UIDAI has issued an advisory asking people not to share their Aadhaar number openly in the public domain especially on Social Media or other public platforms. Does this mean that I should not use Aadhaar freely? Open or Close

You should use your Aadhaar without any hesitation for proving your identity and doing transactions, just like you use your bank account number, PAN card, debit card, credit card, etc., wherever required. What UIDAI has advised is that Aadhaar card should be freely used for proving identity and doing transactions, but should not be put on public platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc. People give their debit card or credit card details or cheque (which has bank account number) when they purchase goods, or pay school fee, water, electricity, telephone and other utility bills, etc. Similarly, you can freely use your Aadhaar to establish your identity as and when required without any fear. While using Aadhaar, you should do the same level of due diligence as you do in case of other ID cards – not more, not less.

Why am I asked to verify Bank account, Demat account, PAN and various other services with Aadhaar? Open or Close

Aadhaar verification/authentication is governed by the sections of Aadhaar Act, 2016, under which the use case has been notified by the concerned Ministry/Department for providing services.

I gave my Aadhaar card to a service provider for proving my identity. Can anyone harm me by knowing and misusing my Aadhaar number? Open or Close

No. Just, by knowing your Aadhaar number, no one can harm you. To prove your identity, Aadhaar number is verfied/authenticated by agencies through various modes as prescribed under Aadhaar Act, 2016.

If Aadhaar has to be freely used for proving identity and it is safe to do so, then why has UIDAI advised people not to put up their Aadhaar number in Social Media or public domain? Open or Close

You use PAN card, debit card, credit card, bank cheques wherever required. But do you put these details openly on internet and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.? Obviously no! You do not put such personal details unnecessarily in public domain so that there is no unwarranted invasion attempt on your privacy. The same logic needs to be applied in case of uses of Aadhaar.

E-Aadhaar

What supporting software needed to view e-Aadhaar? Open or Close

Resident needs 'Adobe Reader' to view digitally verified e-Aadhaar. To install Adobe Reader in the System visit https://get.adobe.com/reader/

How to validate digital signatures in e-Aadhaar? Open or Close

Please visit Aadhaar YouTube Channel and watch tutorial link on https://youtu.be/aVNfUNIccZs?si=ByW1O6BIPMwc0seL

What Is the Password of e-Aadhaar? Open or Close

Password of eAadhaar is a combination of the first 4 letters of name in CAPITAL and the year of birth (YYYY).

For Example:

Example 1
Name: SURESH KUMAR
Year of Birth: 1990
Password: SURE1990

Example 2
Name: SAI KUMAR
Year of Birth: 1990
Password: SAIK1990

Example 3
Name: P. KUMAR
Year of Birth: 1990
Password: P.KU1990

Example 4
Name: RIA
Year of Birth: 1990
Password: RIA1990

What is e-Aadhaar? Open or Close

e-Aadhaar is a password protected electronic copy of Aadhaar, digitally signed by UIDAI.

Is e-Aadhaar equally valid like physical copy of Aadhaar? Open or Close

As per Aadhaar Act, e-Aadhaar is equally valid like Physical Copy of Aadhaar for all purposes. For validity of eAadhaar, please visit UIDAI circular- https://uidai.gov.in/images/uidai_om_on_e_aadhaar_validity.pdf

What is Masked Aadhaar? Open or Close

Masked Aadhaar implies replacing of first 8 digits of Aadhaar number with “xxxx-xxxx” while only last 4 digits of the Aadhaar Number are visible.

From where an Aadhaar number holder can download e-Aadhaar? Open or Close

Aadhaar Number holder can download e-Aadhaar by visiting UIDAI's MyAadhaar portal - https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in or by using mAadhaar app for mobile phones.

How can an Aadhaar Number holder download e-Aadhaar? Open or Close

An Aadhaar Number holder can download e-Aadhaar by following three ways.

By Using Enrollment Number

By Using Aadhaar No

By using VID

OTP for downloading eAadhaar will be received on registered mobile number.

mAadhaar FAQs

Is it compulsory to have registered mobile number to use mAadhaar? Open or Close

No. Anyone in India with a smartphone can install and use mAadhaar App. Although for creating the Aadhaaar profile in mAadhaar, registered mobile number is required.

Without an Aadhaar registered mobile number resident will be able to avail only a few of the services such as Order Aadhaar PVC card, Locate Enrolment Center, Verify Aadhaar, Scanning QR code etc.

Is it compulsory to have registered mobile number to use mAadhaar services? Open or Close

No. Anyone with a smartphone can install and use mAadhaar App.
Without a registered mobile number, Aadhaar number holder will be able to avail only few services such as Order Aadhaar PVC card, Locate Enrolment Center, Verify Aadhaar, Scanning QR code etc.
However registered mobile number is mandatory to create the profile in mAadhaar and use the same as digital identity and avail all other Aadhaar services. The OTP will be sent only to registered mobile for creating the profile in mAadhaar.

Where can mAadhaar be used? Open or Close

mAadhaar app can be used anywhere anytime within India. mAadhaar is more than Aadhaar card in a wallet. On one hand the mAadhaar profile is accepted as a valid ID proof and on the other, resident can use the features in the app to share their eKYC or QR code with service providers who sought Aadhaar verification of their customers before providing Aadhaar services.

How resident can create profile on m-Aadhaar App? Open or Close

Only someone with an Aadhaar linked to a registered mobile number can create Aadhaar profile in the mAadhaar App. They can register their profile in an App installed in any smartphone. However the OTP will be sent to only their registered mobile. Steps to register Aadhaar profile are given below:

Launch the app.
Tap on the Register Aadhaar tab on the top of main dashboard
Create a 4 digit Pin/Password(memorize this password, as it will be required to access profile)
Provide Valid Aadhaar & enter valid Captcha
Enter Valid OTP and submit
The profile should get registered
The registered tab would now display the registered Aadhaar Name
Tap on My Aadhaar tab on the bottom menu
Enter 4-digit Pin/Password
My Aadhaar Dashboard appears

How resident can view the profile? Open or Close

The profile can be viewed by tapping on the profile summary on the top (profile image, name and Aadhaar number on the cyan tab) in the main dashboard.

Is there any process to update the Aadhaar details through mAadhaar App , such like DOB, Mobile number , address etc. and completer process to be added? Open or Close

No, the facility to update demographic details such as Name, DoB, Mobile number aren not available in the mAadhaar app. Only address update via document facility is currently available.

However the demographics updates features may be included in future releases.

Is there any process to update the Aadhaar details such as DOB, Mobile number , address etc. through mAadhaar App? Open or Close

No, mAadhaar app can be used to update address only.

Aadhaar Paperless Offline e-kyc

Can this Offline Paperless eKYC document be shared to other entities by the Service Provider? Open or Close

Service Providers shall not share, publish or display either XML or Share Code or its contents with anyone else. Any non-compliance of these actions shall invite actions under Sections 29(2), 29 (3), 29(4) and 37 of The Aadhaar Act, 2016 (as amended) and sub regulation 1A of regulation 25, regulation 14A of The Aadhaar (Authentication and Offline Verification) Regulation, 2021 and regulation 6 and 7 of The Aadhaar (Sharing of Information) Regulation, 2016.

How this Aadhaar Offline Paperless eKYC document is different from the other identification documents produced offline by residents? Open or Close

Identity verification can simply be accomplished by providing an identity document like PAN card, Passport etc to the service provider. However, all these documents, which may be used for identification can still be forged and faked which may or may not be possible to verify offline instantaneously. The document verifier has no technological means to verify the authenticity of the document or the information it contains and has to trust the document producer. Whereas, the XML file generated by the Aadhaar number holder using Aadhaar Paperless Offline e-KYC is digitally signed document using UIDAI digital signature. Thus, the service provider can verify the demographic contents of the file and certify it to be authentic when doing the offline verification

How will service providers use Aadhaar Offline e-KYC? Open or Close

The process of Aadhaar Offline e-KYC Verification by Service Provider is:

Once service provider obtains the ZIP file, it extracts the XML file using the password (share code) provided by the resident.
The XML file will contain the demographic details such as Name, DOB, Gender and Address. Photo is in base 64 encoded format which can be rendered directly using any utility or plane HTML page. Email Address and Mobile number are hashed.
Service Provider has to collect Email Address and Mobile number from residents and perform below operations in order to validate the hash:
Mobile Number:

Hashing logic: Sha256(Sha256(Mobile+ShareCode))*number of times of last digit of Aadhaar Number

Example :
Mobile number: 9800000002
Aadhaar Number: 123412341234
Share Code: Abc@123
Sha256(Sha256(9800000002+ Abc@123))*4
In case if Aadhaar Number ends with Zero or 1 (123412341230/1) it will be hashed one time.
Sha256(Sha256(9800000002+ Abc@123))*1

Email Address:

Hashing Logic: This is a simple SHA256 hash of the email without any salt
Entire XML is digitally signed and Service Provider can validate the XML file using the signature and public key available on the UIDAI website.(https://uidai.gov.in/images/uidai_offline_publickey_26022019.cer).

Offline Aadhaar Data Verification Service

Where can I find the Public Certificate for Digital Signature validation? Open or Close

Public certificate for Digital signature validation can be downloaded from here.

How to share this Paperless Offline eKYC document with the service provider? Open or Close

Residents can share the XML ZIP file along with the Share Code to the service provider as per their mutual convenience.

Who are the users of this Aadhaar Paperless Offline e-KYC? Open or Close

Any Aadhaar number holder who desires to establish his/her identity to any service provider (OVSE) using digitally signed XML downloaded from UIDAI website can be a user of this service. The service provider should have provisions of providing this Aadhaar Paperless Offline e-KYC at their facility and do the offline verification

How to generate Offline Aadhaar XML? Open or Close

The process of generating Aadhaar Offline e-KYC is explained below:

• Go to URL https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/offline-ekyc
• Enter ‘Aadhaar Number’ or ‘VID’ and enter mentioned ‘Security Code’ in screen, then click on ‘Send OTP’. The OTP will be sent to the registered Mobile Number for the given Aadhaar number or VID. OTP will be available on m-Aadhaar mobile Application of UIDAI. Enter the OTP received. Enter a Share Code which be the password for the ZIP file and click on ‘Download’ button
• The Zip file containing the digitally signed XML will be downloaded to device wherein the above mentioned steps have been performed.

The Offline Aadhaar XML can also be downloaded from mAadhaar app.

What is Aadhaar Paperless Offline e-KYC? Open or Close

It is a secure sharable document which can be used by any Aadhaar number holder for offline verification of Identification.

A resident desirous of using this facility shall generate his/her digitally signed Offline XML by accessing UIDAI website. The Offline XML will contain Name, Address, Photo, Gender, DOB, hash of registered Mobile Number, hash of registered Email Address and reference id which contains last 4 digits of Aadhaar Number followed by time stamp. It will provide Offline Aadhaar Verification facility to service providers/Offline Verification Seeking Entity (OVSE) without the need to collect or store Aadhaar number.

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Tweets by UIDAI

मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी की ओर से जारी हिंदी दिवस संदेश, 2023/Message from CEO on Hindi Diwas 2023 DOC Type: PDF Size:0.4MB

UIDAI Sandbox for Developer Community and Fintechs

What is Aadhaar SMS Service?

Media Coverage of Aadhaar

Aadhaar Brochure September 2023

Aadhaar authentication transactions climbed to 2.31 billion in March

आधार धारकों ने मार्च में 2.31 बिलियन का किया लेन-देन

Aadhaar authentication rose to 2.31 bn in Mar 2023

Going digital has played a special role as a catalyst in our economy

Aadhaar Telecast

Abhinav Pahal 2.0 : Aadhaar based Face Authentication and how it is touching lives and improving ease of living for residents.

Learn how to Upload PoI/PoA documents in Aadhaar

Celebrating the ‘#SwachchtaHiSeva with a commitment to make ‘Garbage Free India’!

CEO Interview-1

CEO Interview-2

Press Release

UIDAI sensitizes enrolment agencies to assist divyangjan persons in enrolling for Aadhaar

Aadhaar, the most trusted digital ID in the world —Moody’s Investors Service opinions baseless

UIDAI comes back to Global Fintech Fest with the theme “Reimagine Aadhaar”

Aadhaar reunites missing divyang woman with her family in Assam

Aadhaar based face authentication transactions cross all time high of 10.6 million in May 2023

Aadhaar in Numbers

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