The Budget of 2019 has eased the criteria of obtaining Aadhaar card for NRIs who hold an Indian passport. Now, Aadhaar card for NRIs with Indian passport will be issued after their arrival in the country, without waiting for a mandatory period of 182 days.
Now, almost everyone has an Aadhaar Card. Aadhaar card contains a unique number issued to every citizen of India, which is a centralised and universal identification number. Aadhaar card is fast becoming the government's base for disbursing citizen services and public welfare schemes. The use of Aadhaar card is not meant to replace PAN card, passport, driving license, or Voter ID. It can, however, be used as a single identification document by Indian citizens. Aadhaar is issued to every citizen of India based on their demographic and biometric data.
According to Aadhaar Act, 2016, every Indian resident can apply for Aadhaar Card. An Indian resident is an individual who has been living in the country for 182 days or more in the year preceding the date of Aadhaar enrolment. Therefore, if a Non-Resident Indian has lived in the country for a minimum of 182 days or more in the year immediately preceding the date of application, then the NRI is eligible to apply for an Aadhaar card as well. If the NRI has not lived in the country for a minimum of 182 days in the past 12 months, although being an Indian citizen, he or she is not eligible to apply for an Aadhaar card.
However, according to Budget, 2019, the government of India proposed to consider issuing Aadhar card for NRI holding Indian passport without having to wait for 182 days. This will facilitate NRIs in getting their KYC done quickly and use Aadhaar card to make financial transactions within the country.
The process to get an Aadhar card for NRI is the same as for an Indian resident. As an NRI, to apply for Aadhaar card, you can visit the UIDAI website and search for authorised Aadhaar enrolment centre. You can visit the enrolment centre with identity proof and other necessary documents. Upon submission of all the documents, you will be requested to provide your biometric information. You can follow the steps mentioned below to avail Aadhar card for NRI at the Aadhaar enrolment centre.
The very first step to gve to produce to the enrolment centre include birth certificate, resident proof, passport, and PAN card. In addition to these documents, you maet Aadhar card for NRIs is to submit all necessary documents that establish your identity. Some of the documents that you will hay require to present specific documents that stipulate the evidence of your relationship with another country. These documents will be verified by the government officials to determine if they are valid to get Aadhar card for NRI.
Once you hand over all the required documents, the next step is the biometric scanning of all ten fingers. You will have to place your fingers on the platen for scanning purpose. The biometric information will be stored in the government database and is mandatory to establish a unique identity.
The next step is iris scanning. The operator will scan your iris. You will be asked to sit in a fixed position, and the iris recognition software will scan your iris. The image captured helps to ensure that your identity is never confused with someone else's.
Once the fingerprint and iris scanning process is completed, your passport-sized photograph will be captured in the web camera at the Aadhaar enrolment centre. The picture will be printed on your Aadhaar card and added to the Aadhaar database.
The Aadhaar acknowledgement will be given to you. This acknowledgement receipt contains the enrolment ID, which you can use to track the status of your Aadhaar application.
You need to carry along a few necessary documents when you visit the Aadhaar enrolment centre. Following is the list of documents accepted by the UIDAI to avail Aadhar card for NRI.
Proof of date of birth: Birth certificate, PAN card, or a passport can be used as proof of birth date.
Any person residing in India is eligible to apply for an Aadhar card. The process is simple and does not involve a lot of paperwork. The eligibility criteria for getting the Aadhar card is as follows:
An individual has to be above the age of 3 years.
Earlier, NRIs, although they are citizens of India, were not eligible to get Aadhar card if they have not stayed in the country for at least 182 days in the last 12 months. However, now it seems possible for NRIs to get Aadhar card within 180 days as proposed in the Budget, 2019. Budget 2019 has eased the criteria of obtaining Aadhar card for NRIs who hold an Indian passport. Now, Aadhar card for NRIs with Indian passport will be issued after their arrival in the country, without waiting for a mandatory period of 182 days.
Recommended Read: How to Unlock Biometric in Aadhaar Permanently?
