How to Get Aadhar Card Anywhere in India/ Information on Aadhar Enrollment/Application Form, Procedure, Checking Status

With the mission of providing each and every resident of India a unique identification the ambitious project of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) was set in February 2009 with its chairman being former IT czar Nandan Nilekani.

The association of Mr. Nandan is very important in this project as the government wanted to send the right message upfront that they are very serious about the project, and also it required a visionary leader such as him who is well-versed with the overall Information Technology scenario, which is an essential part of collecting and safely storing information of more than a billion citizens.

To be frank, India is far too late in the scene of providing unique ID's to all of its citizen. Countries like Belgium, Bulgaria, and Turkey have made it compulsory for their citizens to get the National Identification numbers at birth. Parents must get their National IDs for their children immediately after their birth.

Whereas in United States to some extent the Social Security Number can be associated with the national identities. SSN is not compulsory but over the years for all banking and taxation purposes SSN's are mandatory. So, in a way it can be dubbed as unique identity in United States.

There are some what 63 other nations in the world where some kind of UID's are already in place and more and more countries through out the world are starting to issue some kind of national identities to their citizens and for India it is a clear case of better late than never.

The closest our government came to provide a unique ID to every citizen is the PAN card number which every citizen can apply for unlike the Voter ID card which can only be applied when one reaches the age of 18. But we all know how much bad is the status of PAN cards; we constantly hear about various scams or where people can easily get more than one PAN number for them.

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First of its Kind in the World

It is true that several other countries have some or the other national identity number but no other country in the world has ever started such an operation which with the ambition of enrolling more than a billion individuals. Each and every individual will get a 12-digit unique ID number which will be helpful for any citizen to easily migrate to other places without worrying to get fresh or to renew existing identities.

It will also be a first of its kind in a way because that it will store biometric and demographic data of the applicant, which will involve iris and fingerprint scan and photograph. No other country in the world has sought to collect both the iris and fingerprint of its citizens.

Collection of all this data will be done with top-quality modern tech devices and the data will be stored in an economical way in a centralized location so that agencies from the government as well as private agencies can get the information accessed. But only a "Yes" or "No"; it won't provide each and every information of you to be exploited.

Also, never before any government in the world has ever spent such amount of money or is planning to spent such huge amounts of money. At the time of writing a total of 2000 Crore rupees has been allotted to the agency for its operation. According to various reports the project could cost anywhere between 7 billion to 33 billion rupees.

Aadhar Information From the Official Site

Sr. No.

What Aadhar is?

What Aadhar is not?

1

A 12 Digit Number

Just Another Card

2

It is for Every Individual, Including Infants

One Per Family

3

Enables identification, and is for every resident

Establishes citizenship and is only for Indians

4

Will collect demographic and biometric information to establish uniqueness of individual

Will collect profiling information such as caste, religion, language

5

Voluntary

Mandatory

6

For every resident, irrespective of existing documentation

Only for individuals who posseses identification documents

7

Eah individual will be given a single unique ID number

Indiviual can obtain multiple Aadhar

8

UIDAI will enable a universal identity infrastructure that any ID based application like ration card, passport etc. can use

Aadhar's will replace all other IDs

9

UIDAI will give a "Yes" or "No" response for any identification authentication requires

UIDAI information will be accessible to public and private agencies

Explanation of the Above Table

It is not just another card for a specific purpose. In the larger context it can be used in the future for many purposes.
Aadhar can be applied for every one; even for a new born baby or for a 90 year old person. For children below the age of 5 there won't be collection of any biometric information such as iris or fingerprint scan. Their UID will be linked with their parents UID and once they turn 5 they will have to update their ID's with biometric information. Biometrics will have to be updated once again when they turn 15. As for differently abled people who cannot provide their biometric information their will be other markers that will be used instead of biometric information.
It is not like other cards where the holder of the card is a citizen of India, it is for every resident whether he may be an Indian or foreigner (though for foreigners they have still not started to issue cards).
It won't collect your information related to your caste etc. But it will collect your biometric and demographic data.
UID's are not mandatory and it is not necessary for every individual to have it. But as experts suggest that invariably it will be required by many government and private agencies in the time to come. So, it is better that you get enrolled.
Yes, it is for every individual irrespective of their existing documentation. That is, if a person does not have any previous documentation then he/she can also get their Aadhar. (For more information on this see the 2nd point of "How to Get Aadhar Card Anywhere in India" section on this page).
Each and every individual is allowed to get only one Aadhar card or so as to say that he/she will not be able to get more than one UID. This is particularly true because it records the biometric information of the applicants. So, getting a fake Aadhar card is next to impossible until we come across a big scam.
It is a general misconception that in the times to come UID will replace all other ID's that we use now. It will just make easier for people to get their unique identification anywhere in India. Aadhar cards won't replace your driver's license nor it will render your Voter ID useless.
The information that you will share will not be available to use by government agencies or private agencies to profile you instead it will just provide a cursory yes or no identification. That is your information will not be available for use of others.

Reader's Choice

Do you think Aadhar will be successful?

Yes, the government is doing the right thing to provide every citizen a unique identification.
No, there is too much suspicion over the project.
May be, but I just want my Aadhar card so that I don't have any problems later.

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How to Get Aadhar Card Anywhere in India

Every resident will have a Aadhar card with a unique number, a 12 digit number which will serve its holder a proof of identity and proof of address all over India.

The 12-digit number displayed on it is your unique ID number which in the system will be a 16-digit number with four digits as a prefix digit. The rest four digit will not be displayed on your card and it is only for the usage of the database and the servers.

1) Any resident can walk in to the nearest enrollment center and get themselves enrolled for an Aadhar card. Nearly every city or town will have an enrollment center or most probably the nearest major town or village will have an enrollment center.

Find the nearest Aadhar Center near your place

Find Aadhar enrollment center in Maharashtra

Just visit the above link to find your nearest UID center in Maharashtra. You can search by your village, town or your district. On the right side there is also a search box where you can enter your pin code to find the nearest center.

Find Aadhar enrollment center in Delhi

Takes you to a online spreadsheet from where you can easily search and find the nearest center.

Find Aadhar enrollment center in Madhya Pradesh

Online spreadsheet where you will find the nearest UID center in Madhya Pradesh.

Find Aadhar enrollment center in Chandigarh

Download the spreadsheet to find the nearest center in Chandigarh area.

Find the nearest Aadhar center anywhere in India

Download this Document

2) Walk-in with your identity proof for address (PoA) and proof of identity (PoI) documents.

Even if you don't have any other identification then also you can get the card by one or the other method mentioned below:

The UIDAI has in place a system called Indroducer System.

If the head of your family has any documentation then he/she can first enroll and then after getting their card he/she can introduce you as a family member.

The second method is where a introducer who is appointed by the registrars or directly by the authority can introduce people who don't have such identification documents. This is specifically helpful for poor people who until now didn't had any such documents. There is a large section of people in remote areas where people don't even can produce a proof of address or proof of identity. This system is primarily helpful for those.

The below documents qualify as documents of identity to get UID

Proof of Address documents

Proof of Identity documents

Passport

Passport

Bank Statement/Passbook

PAN Card

Post Office Account Statement/Passbook

Ration/PDS Photo Card

Ration Card

Voter ID

Voter ID

Driving License

Driving License

Government Photo ID

Government Photo ID

NREGS Job Card

Electricity Bill (not older than 3 months)

Photo ID issued by Recognized Educational Institution

Water Bill (not older than 3 months)

Arms License

Telephone Landline Bill (not older than 3 months)

Photo Bank ATM Card

Property Tax Receipt (not older than 3 months)

Photo Credit Card

Credit Card Statement (not older than 3 months)

Pensioner Photo Card

Insurance Policy

Freedom Fighter Photo Card

Signed Letter having Photo from Bank on letterhead

Kisan Photo Passbook

Signed Letter having Photo issued by registered Company on letterhead

CGHS / ECHS Photo Card

Signed Letter having Photo issued by Recognized Educational Institution on

Address Card having Name and Photo issued by Department of Posts

Certificate of Identity having photo issued by Group A Gazetted Officer on letterhead

Other Documents that are also applicable

Letterhead

NREGS Job Card

Arms License

Pensioner Card

Freedom Fighter Card

Kissan Passbook

CGHS / ECHS Card

Certificate of Address having photo issued by MP or MLA or Group A Gazetted Officer on letterhead

Certificate of Address issued by Village Panchayat head or its equivalent authority (for rural areas)

Income Tax Assessment Order

Vehicle Registration Certificate

Registered Sale / Lease /Rent Agreement

Address Card having Photo issued by Department of Posts

Caste and Domicile Certificate having Photo issued by State Govt

Supported Proof of DoB Documents

Birth Certificate

SSLC Book/Certificate

Passport

Certificate of Date of Birth issued by Group A Gazetted Officer on official letter

What information is neccessary to get Aadhar Card

1) Name

2) Date of Birth

3) Gender

4) Address

5) Parent/Guardian details (required for children, adults may provide)

6) Contact details phone and email (optional)

7) Photo

8) 10 finger prints (Not necessary for children below age 5)

9) Iris - Not necessary for children below age 5

Download Aadhar Application Form

Aadhar (UID) Application Form

When you reach the nearest enrollment center with your documents of identity and address proof, keep in mind that you don't require a hard-copy of your photograph, the enrollment officer will himself take your photo using a webcam and that photo will be used in your UID card.

The adjacent table gives a list of information that you should provide in the application form. The form only needs basic information details such as name, address, parents name, contact details and your biometric information which will be collected right at the enrollment center itself, so you need not worry about the biometric information.

Just get your documents Xerox and original along with the application form filled and process will not take much of your time, maybe 30 minutes or so.

You can download the aadhar application form from the link given on the right side of this text and print it or take a xerox of it so as other members of your family can use the form.

Aadhar Application Form Looks Like This (Click Enlarge Image)

Aadhar Application Form

Sample Enrollment Procedure

Click thumbnail to view full-size

A resident just like you provides documents of POI and POA to the enrollment officer

3) After filing the form with the necessary details just hand it over to the officer who will then take your biometric information and record it.

4) The officer will also ask for your verification of the data which you or any member of your family can do on your behalf. You have to see that every information of yours have been entered correctly.

5) You will get an acknowledgement slip and a temporary enrollment number from which you can check the status of your application.

6) That's it you are now done with it. The documents that you have given will be verified and your Aadhar card will land up at your doorstep in anywhere between 60 to 90 days to you by post.

Aadhar Status - Link to check status of your application
Interactive self service portal for UID Status

Checking the Status of Aadhar Card

You have the option to check the status of your Aadhar card online and get details as to in which stage is your application.

To check the status you'll need:

Enrollment Number
Date and Time of your Application

Just enter the above details and the captcha code to get the details of your application. The above information will be on your receipt which you get when you applied.

You can also check the status of your application offline by calling the contact center. Besides you can also register your complaints and get more information of the project.

Voice – 1800-180-1947

By calling the above toll-free number you can check the status or register your complaints, if any.

Fax – 080-2353 1947

Fax number if you want to send some documents in between the process of your application. Fax number will be used only in rare conditions.

Letters – PO Box 1947, GPO Bangalore - 560001

You can also post your letters with suggestions, complaints, grievances that you may on this address.

Email - help@uidai.gov.in

Same goes with the email ID.

Sample Aadhar Card - Your Card Will Look Like This / There Are Also Other Versions Apart From This

Click thumbnail to view full-size

Another sample of Aadhar Card

Source: From Outlook Magazine

Changing or Correcting Information From Your Aadhar Card

So, you got your Aadhar card and found that there are some changes required. Or another scenario can be that you have changed your address or are planning to relocate somewhere else. Or for some other reasons you want to change some other information, there can be 'n' number of reasons.

As the process is totally done electronically and you yourself (or some other person on your behalf) have to verify the information entered at the time of enrollment, after which the information is only verified centrally and your card may be either be issued or it may get rejected (which is rare if you have correct documents).

So the chances are that your card was issued correctly but now as circumstances have changed and you would like to get your card edited or corrected. Then this may not be a good news for you because there is still not a process in place to get information in your card edited or changed.

The UIDAI is constantly evolving the whole process and there will soon be a process by which you will be able make corrections in your card but also can view your own information in real-time. At this point in time there is no such procedure where you can change or edit your information in the card.