How To Apply For Aadhaar Card: A Step-By-Step Guide

Aadhaar card is one of the important documents that you should have ready. It is a 12-digit identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). How will apply for one if you don’t have an Aadhaar card? Here’s our step-by-step guide.

Before applying for an Aadhaar card, an applicant should keep in mind to have all the required valid documents ready while visiting the enrolment centre. Application process for Aadhaar card is same for all.

Indian citizens, non-resident Indians (NRIs), OCI cardholders, LTV holders, Nepal/Bhutan for Nepal/Bhutan nationals, and other resident foreigners who have stayed in India for at least 182 days in the past one year, including minors and senior citizens, can apply for Aadhaar card.

How To Do It

Book an appointment through UIDAI website before visiting an Aadhaar Enrolment Centre. You may visit a centre without an appointment. A candidate should fill an enrolment form which is available at https://uidai.gov.in/en/

Along with supporting documents, you have to submit the form. After all the documents are accepted, the candidate has to submit his/her biometric data, fingerprints, and iris scan. The photograph of the candidate is also taken for Aadhaar.

After the submission of documents, the candidate should collect his acknowledgement slip which contains a 14-digit enrolment number. That number can be used to check status of Aadhaar card.

Aadhaar Enrolment Centres by Registrar General of India

  • Assam
  • Meghalaya
  • Arunachal Pradesh
  • West Bengal
  • Odisha
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
  • Bangalore rural
  • Jammu & Kashmir
  • Mizoram
  • Lakshadweep

Once all the documents and biometric data for Aadhaar card are submitted, it can take up to 90 days for the Aadhaar card to be sent to your residential address. The card will be sent via India Post and due to high number of people applying for the Aadhaar card, it may take more than 90 days to reach to the respective cardholder.

Downloading E-Aadhaar

If a person wants his Aadhaar card quickly, he can download a copy of the card, which is also known as E-Aadhaar. To get e-Aadhaar online, you need to visit Aadhaar Card official website and either use your enrolment number, Aadhaar number or virtual ID to download a PDF version of the same, which can be opened using a combination of the first four letters of your name in capital and your year of birth as password.