The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has set up new guidelines for issuing Aadhaar for newborn babies and children below five years of age.
On 20 February, a tweet on UIDAI’s official Twitter handle mentioned that for children below the five years of age, the biometrics would not be collected while issuing an Aadhaar card, and that the biometric of one of the parents will be used instead.
The reason stated by the UIDAI is that the biometrics don’t fully develop for children till they are five years old. Hence, a child's Aadhaar data does not include biometric info like fingerprints and iris scan.
UIDAI also mentioned that the biometrics of children also need to be updated once the child crosses the age of five and later when the child is 15 years old. The biometric update for children is conducted without a charge.
The Aadhaar card that will be issued to children below the age of five will be blue in colour and will be called ‘Baal Aadhaar’. The UIDAI has been spreading the information on social media using the hashtag #AadhaarForMyChild.
According to the UIDAI, the child's school ID – a photo ID issued by a recognised educational institution – can also be used for enrolment.
Procedure to Enroll For Aadhaar For Your Child
- The parent has to Collect all the necessary documents listed below
- Birth certificate of child
- ID proof of child’s parents (eg, PAN card, driving licence, Aadhaar card, passport, ration card, voter ID card)
- A form will have to be filled with details such as name, age, etc, along with contact details of the parents
- The applicant will have to provide details like the location of the child, his/her parent’s address, locality, state/Union Territory, etc. Now, visit the nearest Aadhaar kendra
- On the date of appointment, the applicant will have to provide necessary documents and the reference number, along with a print out of the form, to the centre. At the centre, all documents will be first verified, including the parents’ Aadhaar details
- In case the child is below five years of age, biometrics will not be verified. In case the child is above five, his/her biometric details will be taken and then linked to his/her Aadhaar card. When he/she reaches the age of 15, the biometrics will have to be updated again
- When the procedure is complete, an acknowledgment number of Aadhaar enrollment process will be provided. This will be used as a future reference when your child reaches the age of 15. After that, biometrics will be taken by the UIDAI to complete the final process
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