Now, download Aadhaar card yourself

Everyday thousands of people enroll for Aadhaar from Bangalore. Many don’t get the card in time. Here is how you can get an electronic version of your Aadhaar card from the UIDAI site.

With increased demand for Aadhaar cards and the urgency among people to get the card, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has taken initiative to provide the cards electronically. Now you can get e-Aadhaar card, without having to wait for the UIDAI to send the card to you.

Though this service was introduced a year ago, not many know about it. Sources in the E-governance Department which has been entrusted with the task of providing this service say that they do not have numbers available on how many e-Aadhaar cards have been issued.

Why e-Aadhaar card?

E-Aadhaar is a softcopy of your card, that you can see on the UIDAI website; you  can take a printout of this pdf file on an A4 sheet and keep it with you, just like you would download any other form or document.

Officials point that it is not a substitute to the hard copy of the Aadhaar card which is issued by the UIDAI, but is equivalent to it.

Aadhaar acknowledgement is issued to a citizen after he/she enrolls with UIDAI. The Aadhaar card gets generated within 3-4 weeks after all the details are collected by the e-governance officials.

However, there is an inadvertent delay in physical Aadhaar card reaching people, sometimes it even takes many months. This is because of postal delays, printing delays or many other factors. For faster service to people, e-Aadhaar was introduced, say sources in UIDAI.

The UIDAI has issued directions to all offices including state and central government departments and banks that the e-Aadhaar card copy is equivalent to the Aadhaar card. It should be treated as a valid document, as it has been signed by the authorised UIDAI official. The card holder need not self-attest the e-Aadhaar card print out, while submitting it anywhere.

In addition to having an Aadhaar card, one can still get the e-Aadhaar copy. Conversely, if you have taken a printout of the e-Aadhaar card, it does not mean that you will not get the Aadhaar card by post.

E-Aadhaar card is an additional service for citizens to meet their immediate requirements like in case of banks. The Aadhaar card will also reach the applicant by Speed Post in due course of time.

How does it work?

  • As soon as you are enrolled with UIDAI, you will receive an acknowledgment receipt from UIDAI, by post, which has the enrollment number, date of enrollment and time of enrollment, the name and address of the applicant and the UID number.

  • If you want to download your e-Aadhaar card,click here. Enter your enrollment number, date and time along with the name, pin code. Along with these, you will also be asked to enter the ‘captcha’ code, in order to confirm that you are a human (and not a computer program).

  • As the next step, you will have to enter your mobile number which was submitted while enrolling. If no mobile number was submitted, there is another column which asks you to enter new mobile number. After the mobile number is submitted, UIDAI immediately sends a one-time password (OTP) on the mobile number along with the last four digits of the mobile number you had written.

  • The mobile number entered gets stored in the UIDAI database along with your other details.

  • Once the password is entered, your e-Aadhaar card is generated, which can be saved and the pdf version can be printed.

  • Safety is assured as the password which is generated gets automatically deleted, once it is used. The password is sent only to the typed mobile number and should match with the other details of the applicant. Thus there is no chance of misuse or it being hacked, provided you keep your cell phone safe.

  • Without a valid, constant mobile number, electronic access isn’t allowed.

 

CEO of e-governance department, Dr D S Ravindran says, printouts of the e-Aadhaar card can be taken either by the applicant himself or he can visit any of the citizen services, Bangalore One or Karnataka One centres, where this service will be chargeable at Rs. 9.

If you go to any cybercafé, they charge even higher. There is no fee to be paid if you are taking the printout yourself at home.

Everyday 1.2 million people enroll for Aadhaar cards, of which 22,000 are from Bangalore. How to get an Aadhaar card, click here.

Comments:

  1. Government Daily Jobs says:

    I enrolled in July 2012 and since then my Aadhar card status is being shown as under process. What can I do now?

  2. Bikranjit Chatterjee says:

    Just as a note here my wife went to the passport office and they refuse to accept the letter as proof (they want the actual card), so its no point of the UID saying the letter is valid when it is not being accepted for the most basic of proofs. That too this is despite the UID being listed on the passport website as part of the proofs accepted.

  3. Shree D N says:

    Every Aadhaar enrollment done is tallied in the Aadhaar biometric data base. Reasons for not getting Aadhaar could be many, including duplication of data. Better to check with their call center.
    Also, Aadhaar card is a proof of your identity, not your address proof. It can be given to any resident of India – who might also be a migrant – so it need not prove your nationality. That’s why passport offices don’t accept this – as passports are given only to residents of the nation. We may expect some change in these rules that govern Aadhaar, after the Winter session of the parliament.

  4. Kumar rajan says:

    mera aadhaar slip or mobile number kho gaya he plz help me for download aadhaar card

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