Q.1028 Aadhaar Card for NRIs

Question: Dear sir / madam, We, family is living in UAE. How can we apply Aadhar card. Appreciate your earliest advise in this regard. Regards / Asana Malumiar Answer: Physical presence in India is necessary to be able to apply for Aadhaar Card in India. Applicant needs to be present at an Aadhaar enrollment center so their biometric data can be recorded [fingerprints and iris] The only way for Non-residents [NRIs] to get Aadhaar Card is to apply during their visits to India. Currently there is no facility announced by the government that allows non-residents to apply for Aadhaar card from abroad or at Indian consulates. Despite announcements that Aadhaar card is mandatory to avail services and even to file income tax in India, this rule applies only to those who are eligible for Aadhaar card. Those who are not eligible for Aadhaar are exempt. Currently Aadhaar is only for residents of India, hence many non-residents, OCI holders & PIOs are exempt. Aadhaar is only for residents and according to the Aadhaar Act, 2016: 2(v): “resident” means an individual who has resided in India for a period or periods amounting in all to one hundred and eighty-two days or more in the twelve months immediately preceding the date of application for enrollment; Non-residents who are approached by service providers such as banks asking them to provide their Aadhaar numbers, should advise them of their non-resident status and clarify that they do not have Aadhaar cards due to their being non- resident.