Quick answer: The password for your e-Aadhaar PDF is the first four letters of your name, exactly as it appears in Aadhaar, in CAPITAL letters, followed by your year of birth in four digits. For “Suresh Kumar” born in 1990, the password is SURE1990. Spaces are skipped, punctuation such as a full stop counts as a character, and a name shorter than four letters is used in full (RIA1990).
The e-Aadhaar password format
When you download e-Aadhaar from the myAadhaar portal or the Aadhaar app, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) locks the PDF with a password. UIDAI’s FAQ defines it as a combination of the first 4 letters of the name in CAPITAL and the year of birth (YYYY).
Build it in three steps:
- Take your name as it is printed in English on your Aadhaar, not a nickname or the spelling on another document.
- Write its first four characters in capital letters, skipping spaces.
- Add your four-digit year of birth with no space in between.
An earlier version of this article said the password was your area PIN code, or the PIN code of your enrolment centre. That is not the format UIDAI gives today. If an old e-Aadhaar file saved years ago does not open with the name-and-year password, the simplest fix is to download a fresh copy, which is free.
Examples, including the tricky cases
The first four rows below are the examples UIDAI publishes in its FAQ. The rest apply the same rule.
| Name on Aadhaar | Year of birth | Password | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| SURESH KUMAR | 1990 | SURE1990 | First four letters of the name |
| SAI KUMAR | 1990 | SAIK1990 | The space is skipped, so the fourth letter comes from the second word |
| P. KUMAR | 1990 | P.KU1990 | The full stop counts as one of the four characters |
| RIA | 1990 | RIA1990 | Names shorter than four letters are used in full |
| Johnny (born 11.09.1991) | 1991 | JOHN1991 | Capitals, no space, and only the year from the date of birth |
The last example was in the original version of this article as “John 1991”. The correct password has no space and is all capitals: JOHN1991.
Why your e-Aadhaar password is not working
Work through these checks in order.
1. Capital letters
The password is case-sensitive. “Sure1990” will fail where “SURE1990” works. Check that Caps Lock is on, and on a phone that the keyboard has not switched back to lower case after the first letter.
2. The name exactly as in Aadhaar
Use the spelling in your Aadhaar record, even if it differs from your PAN card or school certificate. If your Aadhaar starts with an initial, the initial and its full stop are part of the password, as in P.KU1990. If you have recently updated your name, the password uses the name in the record when you downloaded the file.
3. Year of birth, not full date
Use only the four-digit year, such as 1985, never the date or month. If your Aadhaar shows only a year of birth because your date of birth was recorded as declared or approximate, use that year.
4. The right file
If several family members have downloaded e-Aadhaar on the same phone or computer, the files can look alike. Make sure you are using your own name and year for your own file. Each file opens only with its holder’s password.
5. A complete download and a suitable PDF reader
An interrupted download can produce a damaged file that rejects every password. Download it again. UIDAI recommends Adobe Reader to open e-Aadhaar and to see its digital signature verified; most browsers’ built-in PDF viewers also ask for the password.
6. It is a different file
The Aadhaar Paperless Offline e-KYC download is a ZIP file, not e-Aadhaar. It opens with the “share code” you chose while downloading it, not with the name-and-year format.
If none of this works, the details in your Aadhaar record may be different from what you expect, for example a spelling you did not know about. You can check what is printed by getting a colour print at an Aadhaar centre (₹40, according to UIDAI’s charges), and correct the record if needed. Our guide to correcting details at an Aadhaar centre explains which changes need a visit.
Can UIDAI reset the e-Aadhaar password?
No. The password is not something you set, so there is nothing to reset. An earlier version of this article suggested contacting a UIDAI regional office to reset it; that is not how the system works. The password always comes from your name and year of birth. If you still need help, call UIDAI’s toll-free helpline 1947 or email help@uidai.gov.in. For other common Aadhaar problems, see our Aadhaar troubleshooting guide.
Can you remove the password from e-Aadhaar?
Some people open the PDF with the password and then save or “print to PDF” an unlocked copy so they do not have to type the password again. The original version of this article described doing this in Google Chrome. Before you do it, consider two things:
- Anyone who gets the unlocked file can open it. The password protects your Aadhaar details if your phone, email or cloud storage is accessed by someone else.
- A re-saved copy is no longer the file UIDAI signed. The digital signature that proves the PDF came from UIDAI does not carry over to a printed-to-PDF copy.
A safer habit is to keep the original password-protected file and simply download a fresh one or print it when needed. For printing options, including the official PVC card, see our guide to printing your Aadhaar card.
Frequently asked questions
Is the password the same for masked and regular e-Aadhaar?
Yes. Both are e-Aadhaar files and use the same name-and-year format.
My name has only two letters. What is the password?
Following UIDAI’s rule for short names, use the whole name in capitals followed by the year, for example “OM” born in 1995 would be OM1995. UIDAI’s own example for a three-letter name is RIA1990. If your name on Aadhaar includes a surname after a space, the letters continue from the next word, as in SAIK1990.
Where do I download e-Aadhaar in the first place?
From myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in, the Aadhaar app or an Aadhaar-verified DigiLocker account, using your Aadhaar number, Enrolment ID or Virtual ID and an OTP. Our e-Aadhaar download guide has the steps.
Does the password change if I download e-Aadhaar again?
No, as long as your name and year of birth in Aadhaar have not changed. If you update your name, later downloads use the new name.
The password format and examples in this guide were checked in October 2026 against UIDAI’s e-Aadhaar FAQ on its online services page. If UIDAI changes the format, the official FAQ on uidai.gov.in will show it first.
