If your Aadhaar number is deactivated, you will need to update its details to activate it again

The Aadhaar number issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to Indian residents has become an important document for individuals to not just avail government schemes but also to continue availing certain vital services like banking. The government has made it mandatory to link your Aadhaar number with bank accounts. Moreover, Aadhaar is emerging as the most important KYC document as it can provide instant online verification of KYC details to service providers. Hence, it is critical to ensure that your Aadhaar is not just active, but also has accurate information.

Is Aadhaar active?
Your Aadhaar can be deactivated, for instance, if the system finds mixed or anomalous biometric information, or multiple names in single name (using ‘urf’ or ‘alias’).

The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology told Rajya Sabha said on 11 August that about 8.1 million Aadhaar numbers had been deactivated. De-activation does not mean cancellation. While a cancelled Aadhaar ceases to exist, the deactivated one can be activated by updating the relevant information with UIDAI.

How to update your Aadhaar details
To do this, having an active mobile number linked with your Aadhaar is important, as it will enable you to carry on the Aadhaar-based verification using a one time password (OTP). This method of verification is also needed for electronic verification of income tax returns.

While most updates can be done online or by post, you will need to visit an Aadhaar centre for others. Online, you can update all the demographic details (like name, date of birth, gender), address, mobile number and email ID. For updating photographs or the biometrics, you will have to visit an Aadhaar enrolment centre.

You will need your Aadhaar number and access to the registered mobile number to use this facility as the login requires an OTP, which is sent to the mobile number. Once you have logged in, update whatever you have to and upload the self-attested scanned copies of relevant documents. This process can also be used to rectify mis-spelling in names. Documents are not required to update your mobile number and email ID. Once you complete these steps, an ‘Update Request Number’ will be generated, which is also sent to your registered mobile number. You can use this number to track the status of your update. There is no charge for using the online service.

The second way to update all details, except picture and biometrics, is by post. The request should be sent along with relevant self-attested copies of documents. No fee is charged for using this mode either.

The third option is to update details at an Aadhaar enrolment centre. These centres will charge you Rs25 each time you visit with an update request. You can update all the details, including biometrics and picture, through an enrolment centre. 

Once the updates have been processed, you will receive an SMS saying that your update has been processed successfully. Also, an updated Aadhaar letter is sent to your registered address if you had requested for updating your name, address, date of birth or the gender.