Quick answer: You can download your Aadhaar (called e-Aadhaar) free of charge from the myAadhaar portal (myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in) using your 12-digit Aadhaar number, your 28-digit Enrolment ID or your 16-digit Virtual ID, plus an OTP sent to your registered mobile number. The same download is available in UIDAI’s Aadhaar app, and an Aadhaar-verified DigiLocker account also holds a copy. You can download it even if your printed Aadhaar letter has already reached you by post.
What you need before you download e-Aadhaar
e-Aadhaar is a password-protected PDF copy of your Aadhaar, digitally signed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). To download it you need:
- One identifier: your Aadhaar number (12 digits), your Enrolment ID (EID, 28 digits: the 14-digit enrolment number plus the 14-digit date and time printed on your enrolment slip), or your Virtual ID (VID, 16 digits).
- Access to your registered mobile number: UIDAI sends the OTP only to the mobile number linked with your Aadhaar.
- A PDF reader: UIDAI recommends Adobe Reader if you want to see the digital signature verified.
Downloading e-Aadhaar from UIDAI is free. If someone asks you to pay for a “download”, you are not on the official site.
Method 1: Download e-Aadhaar on the myAadhaar portal
The myAadhaar portal replaced the older eaadhaar.uidai.gov.in and resident.uidai.gov.in pages, which earlier versions of this article pointed to. Those addresses no longer work.
- Open the myAadhaar portal at myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in and choose Download Aadhaar.
- Select whether you will enter your Aadhaar number, Enrolment ID or VID, and type it in.
- Enter the captcha shown on the screen.
- If you want a copy that hides most of your Aadhaar number, tick the masked Aadhaar option. A masked copy shows only the last 4 digits.
- Click Send OTP, enter the OTP received on your registered mobile number and submit.
- The PDF downloads to your device. Save it somewhere you can find it again.
You can also log in to myAadhaar with your Aadhaar number and an OTP and use the download option from your dashboard. The result is the same file.
Downloading with your Enrolment ID
If your Aadhaar has been generated but you have only the enrolment slip, choose the Enrolment ID option and enter all 28 digits from the slip. This works only after your Aadhaar is generated. If you are still waiting, see our guide on what to do when your Aadhaar card has not arrived.
Method 2: Download e-Aadhaar in the Aadhaar app
UIDAI’s Aadhaar app (Android 9 and above, iOS 16 and above) is replacing the older mAadhaar app. According to UIDAI’s app FAQ, the app’s services include downloading e-Aadhaar, along with biometric lock and unlock, authentication history and selective sharing of your details.
- Install the Aadhaar app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. It is published by UIDAI; avoid look-alike apps.
- Register: choose a language, enter your Aadhaar number, accept the terms, choose the SIM card, complete face authentication and set a 6-digit PIN.
- Log in with your PIN and open the e-Aadhaar download option from the app’s services.
The app can hold up to five Aadhaar profiles on one phone, so a family can use one device. It cannot be used outside India.
Method 3: Get Aadhaar through DigiLocker
DigiLocker, the government’s digital document wallet (digilocker.gov.in and the DigiLocker app), can fetch your Aadhaar directly from UIDAI once your DigiLocker account is verified with Aadhaar and an OTP. Your Aadhaar then appears among your issued documents, where you can view or download it.
DigiLocker’s terms of use say documents issued through it are legally equivalent to physical originals under the Digital Locker rules of 2016. Linking Aadhaar to DigiLocker is voluntary, but without it you cannot pull issued documents such as Aadhaar.
Opening the downloaded PDF
The e-Aadhaar PDF is password-protected. The password is the first four letters of your name in CAPITAL letters followed by your year of birth, for example SURE1990 for “Suresh Kumar” born in 1990. An earlier version of this article said the password was your area PIN code; that is not the format UIDAI gives today. Names with initials, spaces or fewer than four letters follow special rules, explained in our e-Aadhaar password guide.
If you do not know your Aadhaar number or Enrolment ID
You cannot download e-Aadhaar by name alone. An earlier version of this article suggested you could. What you can do is use Retrieve EID/UID on myAadhaar: enter your name as on Aadhaar and your registered mobile number or email, verify with an OTP, and UIDAI sends your Aadhaar number or Enrolment ID by SMS. You can then download e-Aadhaar as above. For the full lost-card process, see what to do if you have lost your Aadhaar card.
If your mobile number is not linked to Aadhaar
Online download needs an OTP on your registered mobile, so without one you have two options:
- Visit an Aadhaar centre. The operator can find your Aadhaar and give you a colour printout for ₹40, according to UIDAI’s published charges. You can register a mobile number on the same visit; a separate demographic update costs ₹75.
- Order the Aadhaar PVC card. UIDAI lets you order the PVC card with a non-registered mobile number (without a preview). It costs ₹75, including GST and speed post. Our guide on printing Aadhaar and ordering the PVC card covers this.
Wrong photo or details on your download?
The e-Aadhaar shows whatever is currently in UIDAI’s records. If the photo or details are wrong, downloading again will not change them. A new photograph is a biometric update and needs a visit to an Aadhaar centre, where the operator also captures fingerprints and iris scans. A biometric update costs ₹125 in most cases (it is free at the mandatory ages and, until 30 September 2027, for children aged 7 to 15), according to UIDAI’s published charges. Name, date of birth and gender changes also need a centre visit; only address and document updates can be done fully online. Once the update is processed, download a fresh e-Aadhaar. UIDAI says about 90% of update requests are completed within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions
Is a downloaded e-Aadhaar valid?
Yes. UIDAI says that under the Aadhaar Act, e-Aadhaar is as valid as the physical Aadhaar letter for all purposes. A printout of it on ordinary paper can be used like the original letter.
Do I need to download e-Aadhaar again after updating my details?
Yes. An e-Aadhaar shows your details as they were on the day you downloaded it. Once UIDAI has processed an update, download a fresh copy so that the new address or photo appears. Each download needs a new OTP on your registered mobile number.
Should I download the masked or the regular e-Aadhaar?
Use the masked version when the full number is not needed, for example as an identity proof at a hotel. Use the regular version where a service genuinely needs your full Aadhaar number. The e-Aadhaar explainer covers masked Aadhaar and the Virtual ID in detail.
Can I download my child’s e-Aadhaar?
Yes, if the child’s Aadhaar is linked to a mobile number you can access, because the OTP goes to that number. Each person’s e-Aadhaar is downloaded separately. Never share an Aadhaar OTP with anyone who calls or messages you asking for it.
Why is the OTP not arriving?
The OTP goes only to the mobile number registered with your Aadhaar. If you changed numbers without updating Aadhaar, the OTP goes to the old number. Updating a mobile number for the first time, or without the old number, needs a centre visit.
Steps and charges in this guide were checked in October 2026 against UIDAI’s online services FAQ, the Aadhaar app FAQ, UIDAI’s published charges for Aadhaar Seva Kendras and DigiLocker’s terms of use. Portal screens change from time to time, so check the official portal before you pay for any service.
