What is Aadhaar Number?

Aadhaar Number

Aadhaar is a unique 12 digit number issued by the government as proof of identity and residence in India. No resident can have a duplicate number since it is linked to their individual.

WHAT AADHAAR IS

• A number(12 Digits)
• For every individual, including infants
• Enables identification, and is for every resident
• Will collect demographic and biometric information to establish uniqueness of individual
• Voluntary
• For every resident, irrespective of existing documentation
• Each individual will be given a single unique ID number
• UIDAI will enable a universal identity infrastructure that any ID based application like ration card, passport etc. can use
• UIDAI will give a “Yes” or “No” response for any identification authentication queries

WHAT AADHAAR ISN’T

• Another Card One per family
• Establishes citizenship and is only for indians
• Will collect profiling information such as caste, religion, language
• Mandatory
• Only for individuals who possess identification documents
• Individual can obtain multiple AADHAARs AADHAARs will replace all other IDs
• UIDAI information will be accessible to public and private agencies

Aadhaar Number Benefits

Aadhaar Benefits

One Aadhaar = 1 beneficiary

Aadhaar is a unique number, and no resident can have a duplicate number since it is linked to their individual biometrics; thereby identifying fake and ghost identities which result in leakages today.

Portability:

Aadhaar is a universal number, and agencies and services can contact the central Unique Identification database from anywhere in the country to confirm a beneficiary’s identity.

Inclusion of those without any existing identity documents:

A problem in reaching benefits to poor and marginalized residents is that they often lack the identification documents they need to receive State benefits; the ‘Introducer‘ system which has been approved for data verification for the UIDAI will enable such residents to establish an identity.

Electronic benefit transfers

The UID-enabled-Bank-Account network will offer a secure and low cost platform to directly remit benefits to residents without the heavy costs associated today with benefit distribution.

Aadhaar-based authentication to confirm entitlement delivered to the beneficiary:

Tthe UIDAI will offer online authentication services for agencies who wish to validate a resident’s identity; this service will enable confirmation of the entitlement actually reaching the intended beneficiary.

Self-service puts residents in control:

Using Aadhaar as an authentication mechanism, residents should be able to access up-to-date information about their entitlements, demand services and redress their grievances directly from their mobile phone, kiosks or other means. In the case of self-service on the resident’s mobile, security is assured using two-factor authentication (i.e. by proving possession of the resident’s registered Mobile Number and knowledge of the resident’s Aadhaar PIN).

Biometric Data

The information related to the physical attributes of a person like finger prints, facial features and iris are known as ‘Biometric’ information.
The UIDAI has decided to collect the following pieces of biometric information from the enrolls/Residents:

• Facial image
• Iris – both eyes
• Finger prints of all fingers.

Finger prints are captured in the following sequence:

1. Left hand four finger slap
2. Right hand four finger slap
3. Capture of both the thumbs

Demographic Data

The information related to a person, which can be obtained from official records like name, address, date of birth and so on, are referred to as ‘Demographic’ information. It also includes the information related to nationality, age, education, religion, employment status, and so on. Demographic information is typically collected while filling application forms for passport, ration card, school admission, etc.
Demographic data is data about the Resident that is related to name, address, gender, date of birth, relationship, mobile number, email, etc.

Information	Fields	Verification Required	Verification Procedure
Personal Details	Name	Yes	•  Any of the PoI documents •   Introducer for Residents who have no documents
	Date of Birth ##	No	—
	Gender	No	—
Address Details	Residential Address (For Aadhaar letter delivery and other communications)	Yes	•  Any of the PoA documents •   Introducer for Residents who have no documents •  Address will be physically verified during Aadhaar letter delivery. But resident’s physical presence not required during letter delivery
Parent/ Spouse/ Guardian Details	Father’s/ Mother’s/ Husband’s/ Wife’s/ Guardian’s Name*	Conditional	•   No verification of father/ husband/ guardian in case of adults •   No verification of mother/ wife/ guardian in case of adults
	Father’s/ Mother’s/ Husband’s/ Wife’s/ Guardian’s UID*	Conditional
Introducer Details	Introducer Name**	Yes	•   Introducer’s name, Aadhaar number on the form •   Introducer’s thumbprint endorsing the Resident in the Review tab of the enrolment software.
	Introducer’s UID**
Contact Details	Mobile Number	No	—
	Email Address	No	—

Aadhaar Enrollment Form

Aadhaar Form

AADHAAR/Enrollment number: _______________

Date :_____ /______ /___________
Part A – Primary Details
Name: ___________
Mother / Father / Husband / Guardian’s Name _________________
(Name of Mother/Father/Guardian is must for children below 5 years of age)
Date of Birth: ___________
If not known, Age:______
Gender:   Male, Female, Transgender
Residential address:
c/o:_______________________________
House No. and name: ___________________
Street No. and name: ___________________
Landmark: ___________________
Village / City: ______________
District:________________
State:______________
Pin code: __________
Part B – Additional Information
Phone No. / Mobile No. (optional):
Email (optional):  ____________________
Part C – Financial Information
I want to link my existing bank A/c to Aadhaar and I have no objection on this issue.
Bank name and Branch _____________
A/c No.______________

(Please use CAPITAL letters)

The Form can be downloaded from http://www.iaadhaar.com/forms/enrollment.pdf

Aadhaar Logo

Aadhaar

The logo is a sun in red and yellow, with a fingerprint traced across its centre. It represents a new dawn of equal opportunity for each individual, a dawn which emerges from the unique identity the number guarantees for each individual.
The design as submitted by Mr. Atul S. Pande of Pune.
Aadhaar Logo in JPG Format

Size: 30.02 KB

Aadhaar Logo in PNG Format

Size: 8.71 KB

Aadhaar Logo in GIF Format

Size: 9.49 KB

Aadhaar Logo with Transparent Background

Know Your Residence

Know Your Residence (KYR)

Banks in India are required to follow customer identification procedures while opening new accounts, to reduce the risk of fraud and money laundering. The strong authentication that the UIDAI will offer, combined with its KYR standards, can remove the need for such individual KYC by banks for basic, no-frills accounts. It will thus vastly reduce the documentation the poor are required to produce for a bank account, and significantly bring down KYC costs for banks.
The UIDAI will ensure that the Know Your Resident (KYR) standards don’t become a barrier for enrolling the poor, and will devise suitable procedures to ensure their inclusion without compromising the integrity of the data.

Aadhaar Advantages

Advantages after getting an Aadhaar Number / UID

The Aadhaar will become the single source of identity verification. Once residents enrol, they can use the number multiple times – they would be spared the hassle of repeatedly providing supporting identity documents each time they wish to access services such as obtaining a bank account, passport, driving license,andso on.
By providing a clear proof of identity, the Aadhaar will also facilitate entry for poor and underprivileged residents into the formal banking system, and the opportunity to avail services provided by the government and the private sector. The Aadhaar will also give migrants mobility of identity.
It will also provide governments with accurate data on residents, enable direct benefit programs, and allow government departments to coordinate investments and share information.

Central Identities Data Repository

CIDR

The CIDR will be the central data repository, and will function as a Managed Service Provider. It will implement the core services around the UID – it will store resident records, issue unique identification numbers,and verify, authenticate and amend resident data.
The CIDR will only hold the minimum information required to identify the resident and ensure no duplicates. This will include:

• Unique Identity Number
• Unique ID agencies
• Setting standards on demographic data and biometrics

Aadhaar API

AADHAAR AUTHENTICATION API

AADHAAR authentication service will be exposed as stateless service over HTTPS with mutual SSL authentication (server and client certificate validation). Usage of HTTP allows any device such as computer, mobile phone, micro-ATM devices, and PoS systems to communicate over broadband, GPRS, and similar communication channels.
To support strong end to end security and avoid request tampering and man-in-the- middle attacks, it is essential that encryption of data happens at the time of capture. For establishing a secure channel, AUAs are required to be registered and their public key needs to be shared with UIDAI. Process for registration and key sharing will be specified later.
Following is the URL format for AADHAAR authentication service:
https://<host>/<ac>/<uid[0]>/<uid[1]>/
API input data should be sent to this URL using POST parameter “input”.
Details
host – AADHAAR authentication server name. Currently it is “auth.uidai.gov.in”.
ac – A unique code for the AUA which is assigned by UIDAI during AUA registration process. This is an alpha-numeric string having maximum length 40.
uid[0] and uid[1] – First 2 digits of AADHAAR Number. Used for load-balancing.
For all valid responses, HTTP response code 200 is used. All application error codes are encapsulated in response XML element. In the case of connection and other server errors, standard HTTP error response codes are used (4xx codes such as 403, 404, etc.). HTTP automatic redirects also should be handled by AUA server.

Input Data Format

AADHAAR authentication will use XML as the data format for input and output. To avoid sending unnecessary data, do not pass any optional attribute or element unless its value is different from default value. Any bad data or extra data will be rejected.
Following is the data format for authentication API:
<Auth uid=”" tid=”" ac=”" ver=”" txn=”">
<Skey>encrypted and encoded session key</Skey> <Uses pi=”" pa=”" bio=”" bt=”" pin=”" otp=”"/> <Data>encrypted and then encoded block</Data> </Auth>
“Data” element contains “Pid” (Personal Identity Data) element which is a base-64 encoded encrypted block. Complete “Data” block should be encrypted at the time of capture on the capture device. See next chapter for details.
Following is the format for “Pid” element:
<Pid ts=”"> <Demo>
<Pi ms=”E” name=”" gender=”M|F|T” dob=”" phone=”" email=”"/> <Pa ms=”E” co=”" house=”" street=”" lm=”" loc=”" vtc=”" dist=”" state=”" pc=”"/> </Demo> <Bios>
<Bio>encoded biometric</Bio> <Bio type=”FMR|FIR|IIR”>encoded biometric</Bio> </Bios>
<Pv otp=”" pin=”"/> </Pid>
Details
Element: Auth (mandatory)
root element of the input XML for authentication service.
Attributes:
uid – (mandatory) AADHAAR Number of the resident
tid – (mandatory) For Registered devices, send its unique Terminal ID. For Public devices, value should be passed as “public”.
ac – (mandatory) A unique code for the AUA which is assigned by UIDAI during AUA registration process. This is an alpha-numeric string having maximum length 40.
ver – (optional) version of the API. Defaulted to latest version. Suggested to use latest version always by leaving this attribute unless an application wants specific version compatibility. Currently only valid value is “1.0″.
txn – (optional) AUA specific transaction identifier. AUA can choose to pass this as part of input. This is returned as part of response as is. This can be an alpha­numeric string of maximum length 50.
Element: Data (mandatory)
Contains the encrypted “Pid” element in base-64 encoding
Element: Uses (mandatory)
This element specifies the authentication factors used by the request. When an authentication factor is specified in this element, that specific attribute must be present in the encrypted data block. This is particularly useful in situations where the AUA does not fully control the terminal device, but wishes to maintain a certain level of control on the authentication transaction.
Attributes:
pi – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then at least one attribute of element “Pi” (part of “Demo” element) should be used in authentication. Otherwise, it is not mandated.
pa – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then at least one attribute of element “Pa” (part of “Demo” element) should be used in authentication. Otherwise, it is not mandated.
bio – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then at least one biometric element “Bio” (part of “Bios” element) should be used in authentication. Otherwise, it is not mandated.
bt – (mandatory only if “bio” attribute has value “y”) provide a comma separated list of biometrics used. Valid values that can be used in this comma separated list are “FMR”, “FIR”, and “IIR”. If “FMR” is part of the list, then at least one “Bio” element with type FMR should be used. Similarly, if “FIR” or “IIR” are part of the list, then at least one “Bio” element with those types must be used.
pin – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then PIN should be used in authentication. Otherwise, “pin” is not mandated.
otp – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then OTP should be used in authentication. Otherwise, “otp” is not mandated.
Element: Skey (mandatory only for Public devices)
Value of this element is base-64 encoded value of encrypted session key. See next chapter for encryption details.
Element: Pid (mandatory)
Attributes:
ts – (mandatory) Timestamp at the time of demographic and biometric input capture. This is in ISO 8601 date and time format “YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss”. Time zone automatically defaulted to IST (UTC +5.30).
AUAs can queue authentication requests and send it to AADHAAR authentication server to support occasional lack of network connectivity on the field. Maximum time up to which requests can be queued will be defined by UIDAI policy. During initial release, this will be configured to 24 hours. All requests with “ts” value older than this limit will be rejected.
Element: Demo (optional)

• Contains child elements “Pi” and “Pa” both of which are optional.
• All demographic data fields as per KYR specifications.

Element: Pi (Optional)

• This element captures attributes related to “Personal Identity”

Attributes:

• ms – (optional) “Matching Strategy” for “name” attribute. Currently only the value “E” (Exact) is supported. This is used only when “name” attribute is specified. Future releases will support fuzzy matching.
• name – (optional) Name of the resident.
• gender – (optional) Valid values are “M” for male, “F” for female, and “T” for transgender.
• dob – (optional) Date of Birth in “YYYY-MM-DD” format. If only year needs to be authenticated, then use format “YYYY”.
• phone – (optional) Registered mobile phone number of the resident.
• email – (optional) Registered email address of the resident.

Element: Pa (Optional)
This element captures attributes related to “Personal Address”. These are address fields as provided by the resident during enrolment or later updates. Only attributes that are sent as part of input will be compared.
Attributes:

• ms – (optional) “Matching Strategy” for address attributes. Currently only the value “E” (Exact) is supported. This is used only when at least one address attribute is specified.
• co – (optional) “Care of” person’s name.
• house – (optional) House identifier.
• street – (optional) Street name.
• lm – (optional) Landmark if any.
• loc – (optional) Locality where resident resides.
• vtc – (optional) Name of village or town or city.
• dist – (optional) District name.
• state – (optional) State name.
• pc – (optional) Postal pin code.

Element: Bios – (optional)
This element can have one or many “Bio” elements carrying biometric records to be matched.
Element: Bio (optional)
base 64 encoded biometric record
Attributes:
type – (optional) This attribute specifies type of the biometric. Valid values are “FMR” (Finger Minutiae), “FIR” (Finger Image), and “IIR” (Iris Image). Defaulted to “FMR”.
FMR – The biometric data is of type Fingerprint Minutiae Record. This
data is in ISO minutiae format with no proprietary extensions allowed. o FIR – The biometric data is of type Fingerprint Image Record. The data is a fingerprint image packaged in ISO 19794-4 format, which could contain a compressed or uncompressed image, of type PNG, WSQ, or Jpeg2000. o IIR – The biometric data is of type Iris Image Record. The data is an iris image packaged in ISO 19794-6 format, which could contain a compressed (or uncompressed) image, which could be of type PNG, or Jpeg2000.
Element value contains base-64 encoded biometric record.
Element: Pv (optional)
This element (“Pin Value”) is used to support additional secret “pin” or “otp” or both for supporting multi-factor authentication.
Attributes:
pin – (optional) Actual value of PIN as set by resident. This attribute contains a 6 digit numeric value.
otp – (optional) Most recently activated challenge-response OTP value for resident. Resident can send an SMS/Email to a specified short code or to specified email address to obtain an OTP and then use the last active OTP as part of authentication. This attribute contains a 6 digit numeric value. Unlike PIN, OTP is a one-time usage token.

Output Data Format

Authentication API does not provide any identity data as part of the response. All it does is to match given input and respond with a “yes/no”. Response XML is as follows:
<AuthResp ret=”y|n” code=”" txn=”" err=”"/>
Details
Element: AuthResp Attributes:
ret – this is the main authentication response. It is either “y” or “n”.
code – unique alphanumeric authentication response code having maximum length 40. AUA is expected to store this for future reference for handling any disputes. AADHAAR authentication server will retain authentication trail only for a short period of time as per UIDAI policy. After that period, older authentication trails will be deleted and this code will become unusable.
txn – Authenticator specific transaction identifier. This is exactly the same value that is sent within the request.
err – Failure error code. If authentication fails (“ret” attribute value is “n”), this attribute provides any of the following codes:
“100″ – “Pi” (basic) attributes of demographic data did not match.
“200″ – - “Pa” (address) attributes of demographic data did not match
“300″ – Biometric data did not match
“500″ – - Invalid encryption
“510″ – Invalid XML format
“520″ – Invalid device
“530″ – Invalid authenticator code
“540″ – - Invalid version
“550″ – Invalid “Uses” element attributes
“700″ – Invalid demographic data
“710″ – Missing “Pi” data as specified in “Uses”
“720″ – Missing “Pa” data as specified in “Uses”
“730″ – Missing PIN data as specified in “Uses”
“740″ – Missing OTP data as specified in “Uses”
“800″ – - Invalid biometric data
“810″ – Missing biometric data as specified in “Uses”
“999″ – - Unknown error

Aadhaar Enrollment Camp

Aadhaar Enrollment

The process to get an Aadhaar will be circulated by the local media upon which residents need to go to the nearest Enrolment Camp to register for an Aadhaar. The resident primarily needs to carry certain documents which will be specified in the media advertisement.
The concept of AADHAAR is to issue every resident of India, a unique identification number based on their demographics and biometrics. This concept has to be praised, as it doesn’t have an objective of identifying the people, via their caste system, religion, status, etc… Initially, the planning was done to issue the UID number only to the people, who would fall into the category of ‘below poverty line’, but later it is been decided to issue to the entire population in the country.
This is not compulsory to everybody in the country, though it’s been designed to the entire population, accounting to 120 crores. The basic significance with which, the AADHAAR is been designed is to make sure the availability of the government benefits to every deserving citizen.
Visit the following link for the list of enrolment agencies assigned for issuing Aadhaar:
http://uidai.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=148&Itemid=169

How to get Aadhaar?

Registration/ Enrollment of Aadhaar Number/ UID Card

Residents of India need to visit the nearest Enrollment Camp and need to fulfill some formalities (given below) in order to register for an Aadhaar.

1. Documents Verification.
2. Biometric Scanning of Ten Fingerprints.
3. Biometric Scanning of Iris.
4. Photograph.

Here are some of the stages of enrollment:

Enrolment Agency Operator

Resident Provides Verification Document

Enroler Enters Resident Data

Resident Validating Data Entry

Capture of Face Photograph

Iris Capture

Fingerprints Capture (Left Hand)

Fingerprints Capture (Right Hand)

Both Thumbprint Capture

Enroler Signing off with his own finger print

Resident Receives Acknowledgment

After these stages, residents will get an Aadhaar number within 20 to 30 days.
The following documents are required while applying for aadhaar UID card.
Proof of name and photo identity: (any one from list below)

• Passport
• PAN card
• Ration/PDS photo card
• Voter ID
• Driving license
• Government photo ID cards
• NREGS job card
• photo ID issued by recognised educational institute
• Arms license
• photo bank ATM card
• photo credit card
• pensioner photo card
• freedom fighter photo card
• kisan photo passbook
• CGHS/ECHS photo card
• Address card having name photo issued bu department of post.

Proof of address: (any one from list below):

• Passport
• Bank Statement
• Passbook
• Post Office
• Account Statement/Passbook
• Ration Card
• Voter ID /Driving License
• Government Photo ID cards
• Electricity Bill (not older than 3 months)
• Water bill (not older than 3 months)
• Telephone Landline Bill (not older than 3 months)
• Property Tax Receipt (not older than 3 months)
• Credit Card Statement (not older than 3 months)
• Insurance Policy
• Signed Letter having Photo from Bank on letterhead
• Signed Letter having Photo issued by registered Company on letterhead
• Signed Letter having Photo issued by Recognized Educational Instruction on 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.

Proof of DoB (optional) : (any one from list below)

• Birth Certificate
• SSLC Book/Certificate
• Passport
• Certificate of Date of Birth issued by Group A Gazetted Officer on letterhead

Aadhaar for NRI

Aadhaar NRI

A 16-digit Aadhaar Number/ UID would be issued to every individual above 15 years of age, including NRIs, and foreigners residing in India. There are millions of Indians residing abroad, for whom the physical presence in India for providing fingerprints etc may not be feasible.

Aadhaar Online Application Status

Now you can check your up-to-date Enrollment Status for your Aadhar Card with the Enrollment Number, Data and Time provided by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

Pre-requisites:

• Enrolment Number
• Date and Time

Total number of Aadhaars Issued = 44,70,735
Number of Enrolments in all States of India

• Andhra Pradesh: 1437310
• Karnataka: 1298948
• Tripura: 492818
• Maharashtra: 438876
• Jharkhand: 347470
• Madhya Pradesh: 145631
• Himachal Pradesh: 105370
• Delhi: 63745
• Uttar Pradesh: 56006
• West Bengal: 30127
• Tamil Nadu: 18481
• Uttarakhand: 15704
• Bihar: 4194
• Orissa: 2962
• Manipur: 2629
• Pondicherry: 1810
• Gujarat: 1448
• Haryana: 1256
• Chhattisgarh: 1242
• Punjab: 1231
• Sikkim: 1201
• Chandigarh: 1037

Check Aadhaar Enrollment Status: http://portal.uidai.gov.in/uidwebportal/enrolmentStatusShow.do