Aadhaar card download: e-Aadhaar, password, PVC card

You can download your Aadhaar as e-Aadhaar, a password-protected PDF signed by UIDAI, from the myAadhaar portal or the official Aadhaar app. You enter your Aadhaar number, Enrolment ID or Virtual ID, and a one-time password (OTP) goes to the mobile number registered with your Aadhaar. The PDF password is the first four letters of your name in capitals plus your year of birth, like SURE1990. e-Aadhaar is as valid as the paper letter. If you want a card, UIDAI prints a PVC card for ₹75.

Last checked 20 October 2026 against UIDAI's FAQs, charges list and circular, listed at the end of this page. Fees and services can change, so check the official page before you pay.

What e-Aadhaar is

e-Aadhaar is an electronic copy of your Aadhaar. It is a PDF protected by a password and digitally signed by UIDAI. UIDAI says it is just as valid as the Aadhaar letter that comes by post, and the PVC card is too. You can use whichever form you like.

You can download it as soon as your Aadhaar is generated, and again after any update goes through.

Before you start: your registered mobile

Downloading online works only if a mobile number is registered with your Aadhaar and you have that phone with you. That is where the OTP goes.

Mobile registered and with you: go ahead with the steps below.
Mobile never registered: you have to visit an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or an enrolment and update centre. UIDAI says a first-time mobile number can't be added through the app.
Old number lost or changed: the Aadhaar app can update it only if you can still get an OTP on the old number. If not, visit a centre.

You can find nearby centres on UIDAI's Bhuvan Aadhaar map (link in the sources).

How to download e-Aadhaar

UIDAI lists two official places: the myAadhaar portal and the Aadhaar app. You can download with any one of these:

your 12-digit Aadhaar number;
your 28-digit Enrolment ID (EID), printed on the slip you got at enrolment or update;
your 16-digit Virtual ID (VID), a stand-in number you can generate yourself.

On the website

Open the official Download Aadhaar page on myAadhaar. Check the address starts with myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in.
Choose Aadhaar number, Enrolment ID or VID, type it in, and fill in the security code.
Ask for the OTP and enter it when it arrives on your registered mobile.
If the page offers a masked Aadhaar, choose it when you only need a copy to share (see below).
Download the PDF and open it with the password.

On the Aadhaar app

UIDAI's current app is called Aadhaar, on Google Play and the App Store. You register with your Aadhaar number, pick the SIM, do a face check and set a 6-digit PIN. Downloading e-Aadhaar is one of its services. UIDAI says the app can't be used outside India or with developer options turned on.

The e-Aadhaar password

UIDAI's rule: the first four letters of your name in CAPITALS, then your year of birth (four digits). Use the name as it is printed on your Aadhaar. UIDAI's own examples:

Name on Aadhaar	Year of birth	Password
SURESH KUMAR	1990	SURE1990
SAI KUMAR	1990	SAIK1990
P. KUMAR	1990	P.KU1990
RIA	1990	RIA1990

In these examples the space is skipped (SAIK), the dot counts as a character (P.KU), and a name shorter than four letters is used in full (RIA). UIDAI suggests the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader if you want to check the digital signature.

Masked Aadhaar: the safer copy to share

In a masked Aadhaar, the first 8 digits of your number are hidden and only the last 4 show. UIDAI offers it only as e-Aadhaar. When a hotel, shop or office just needs to see your Aadhaar, a masked copy shows much less.

UIDAI also asks people not to post their Aadhaar on public platforms such as social media.

Forgot your Aadhaar number or Enrolment ID?

Use Retrieve Lost UID/EID on myAadhaar. It needs your registered mobile.
Call 1947 (toll free). An agent can help you get your Enrolment ID, which you can then use to download e-Aadhaar.
Or visit any enrolment centre.

If you enrolled once and your Aadhaar was generated, don't enrol again. UIDAI says repeat enrolments are rejected.

Order an Aadhaar PVC card

The PVC card is a credit-card-sized print of your Aadhaar. It has the same validity as e-Aadhaar and the paper letter, with security features like a tamper-proof QR code, micro text and a ghost image.

Go to the order page on myAadhaar (linked from uidai.gov.in as "Order PVC Card").
With a registered mobile, enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and follow the steps on screen.
Without one, enter your Aadhaar number or 28-digit Enrolment ID and the security code, tick the box for not having a registered mobile, and give another number. You won't see a preview of the card this way.
Pay ₹75 (GST and speed post included, as of 20 October 2026) by card, net banking, UPI or wallet.
Keep the 14-digit SRN (Service Request Number) from the receipt and SMS.

UIDAI says the card is normally delivered within 10 working days by India Post Speed Post to your registered address. The tracking number is sent to your registered mobile. You can reorder as many times as you need. The card prints your current details, so if anything is wrong, update Aadhaar first and order after the update is complete.

Changing your address on Aadhaar

You can change your address online if your mobile number is registered:

Online: log in to myAadhaar with your Aadhaar number and OTP, enter the new address in English and upload a clear colour scan of a valid address proof in your name. Or do it in the Aadhaar app, which adds a face check. The app FAQ lists ₹75, and UIDAI's charges list shows ₹75 for an address (demographic) change done on its own, as of 20 October 2026.
At a centre: any Aadhaar enrolment centre can do it with your documents.

Requests are rejected when the proof is not on UIDAI's list, isn't in your name, doesn't match the address you typed, or is unclear. You get an SRN to track the request. UIDAI says an update can take up to 90 days. Once it's done, download e-Aadhaar again so your copy shows the new address.

Don't mix this up with a document update, where you only re-submit proofs for the details already on your Aadhaar. UIDAI suggests doing that at least once in 10 years. It is free on myAadhaar until 14 June 2027 and ₹75 at a centre.

Common problems

The OTP doesn't come. Check the phone has signal and SMS works. The OTP goes only to the number registered with Aadhaar, not any other number you use. UIDAI says messages are not delivered to international numbers. If it still fails, call 1947.
My mobile isn't linked. You can't download online. Visit an Aadhaar centre to register the number, then download.
The PDF won't open. Check the capitals, the four letters as printed on your Aadhaar, and the full year of birth.
The e-Aadhaar shows my old address. Your update may still be in process. Check the status on myAadhaar, and download again once it is complete.
An update is stuck for over 90 days. Call 1947 or email help@uidai.gov.in.

For when Aadhaar is asked for elsewhere, see passport documents in India. For what DigiLocker does, see DigiLocker: what it is and what it can't do. To link Aadhaar with your PAN, or get an e-PAN with it, see PAN card: apply online, e-PAN and the Aadhaar link.

Keep your e-Aadhaar on your phone with DocIt

We make DocIt, so read this part with that in mind. DocIt does not download Aadhaar and does not connect to UIDAI. Use myAadhaar or the Aadhaar app for that. What DocIt can do is keep the copy you downloaded on your phone, so it's there when someone asks.

Add it: the e-Aadhaar PDF is password protected. Import it into DocIt and enter the password when asked, and DocIt opens it. Or take a screenshot of the masked Aadhaar and add that. You can also scan your Aadhaar letter or PVC card; the page is found and cropped for you. Name it "Aadhaar" or pick its type.
Encrypted on this phone, and works offline. You can lock the app with your fingerprint.
Keep a masked copy too for sharing, so you aren't sending your full number around.
Lost your wallet? DocIt's Lost wallet screen lists the next step for each document you saved, and opens UIDAI's site so you can lock your Aadhaar.

DocIt is free on Google Play, on Android, available in India. No ads, and sign-up is optional.

Questions

Is a downloaded e-Aadhaar valid?

Yes. UIDAI says e-Aadhaar is as valid as the physical Aadhaar letter. Its circular of 28 April 2017 tells ministries, state governments and agencies that accept the printed letter to accept the downloaded one too.

Can I download Aadhaar with just my mobile number?

Not with the mobile number alone. You download with your Aadhaar number, Enrolment ID or Virtual ID, and the one-time password goes to the mobile number registered with your Aadhaar. If you have lost your Aadhaar number, the Retrieve EID/UID service on myAadhaar can find it, again only if you have the registered mobile.

What is the password to open the e-Aadhaar PDF?

The first four letters of your name in capital letters, followed by your year of birth. For SURESH KUMAR born in 1990 it is SURE1990. If your name has fewer than four letters, use the whole name (RIA1990).

How much does the Aadhaar PVC card cost?

UIDAI lists ₹75, including GST and speed post charges, as of 20 October 2026. It is normally delivered within 10 working days to the address registered with UIDAI.

Can I order a PVC card without a registered mobile number?

Yes. On the myAadhaar order page, tick the box for not having a registered mobile number and enter another number. You won't see a preview of the card in that case.

How do I change the address on my Aadhaar?

Online on myAadhaar or in the Aadhaar app, if your mobile number is registered, by uploading a valid address proof. The app FAQ lists ₹75 for this. You can also go to an Aadhaar centre. Once the update is done, download a fresh e-Aadhaar.

Is mAadhaar still available?

UIDAI's current app is called Aadhaar (on Google Play and the App Store), and it can download e-Aadhaar. When we checked on 20 October 2026, the old mAadhaar page on Google Play showed "Not found".

Sources

All checked on 20 October 2026. The myAadhaar pages are web apps that need a normal browser; we could not read the download screen itself, so the steps above follow UIDAI's FAQ wording.

Last updated 20 October 2026