How to download your e-Aadhaar
e-Aadhaar is a password-protected PDF copy of your Aadhaar, digitally signed by UIDAI. UIDAI says it is equally valid like the physical copy. Downloading it is free on UIDAI's own site, myAadhaar. You need your Aadhaar number (or a VID, enrolment ID or SID) and the mobile phone registered with your Aadhaar, because an OTP is sent there.
Steps
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Open myAadhaar. Type
myaadhaar.uidai.gov.ininto your browser yourself, rather than clicking a link in a message. Check that the address ends in uidai.gov.in. UIDAI is moving to a new design, so the site may take you tomyaadhaarbeta.uidai.gov.in; that is still UIDAI. - Choose Download Aadhaar. On the home page, open Get Aadhaar and choose Download Aadhaar (it is also listed under Popular Aadhaar Services). You don't need to log in first.
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Pick the number you have. The page offers four:
- Aadhaar Number: your 12-digit Aadhaar number;
- Virtual ID (VID) Number: a 16-digit temporary ID linked to your Aadhaar;
- Enrolment ID (EID) Number: from your enrolment slip, for a newly made Aadhaar;
- SID Number: "S" followed by 27 digits, from the slip you got at an enrolment or update centre.
- Enter the number and the captcha. Then choose Regular or Masked. A masked copy hides the first 8 digits of your Aadhaar number and shows only the last 4, which is safer to share.
- Get the OTP. Select Get OTP. The one-time password goes to the mobile number registered with your Aadhaar. Type it in yourself and continue to download the PDF.
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Open the PDF. The password is the first 4 letters of your name in capitals
followed by your year of birth (YYYY). UIDAI's own examples:
- SURESH KUMAR, born 1990:
SURE1990 - SAI KUMAR, born 1990:
SAIK1990 - P. KUMAR, born 1990:
P.KU1990 - RIA, born 1990:
RIA1990
- SURESH KUMAR, born 1990:
If something goes wrong
- No OTP, or the mobile number is old. The OTP only goes to the number registered with your Aadhaar. UIDAI says the mobile number must be registered with Aadhaar for its online services, and that you update it at an Aadhaar enrolment centre.
- The PDF won't open or the signature shows as not checked. UIDAI recommends opening e-Aadhaar in the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it and validate its digital signature.
- Still stuck? UIDAI's helpline is 1947 (toll-free), as listed on uidai.gov.in.
Stay safe
- Never share the OTP with anyone, even someone who says they are from UIDAI or a bank.
- Use only the official site, ending in uidai.gov.in. Lookalike sites copy its look, so check the address.
- Downloading e-Aadhaar is free. A site that asks you to pay for it is not UIDAI.
Pocko is not part of UIDAI and this guide is not official. Screens change; if a step looks different, follow what the official site shows, or check the official site's help.
Sources
- UIDAI FAQs: Aadhaar Online Services (e-Aadhaar, password, validity)
- UIDAI: My Aadhaar services (Download Aadhaar is free, mobile OTP required)
- myAadhaar portal (the Download Aadhaar page and its options)
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