Aadhaar Card for Children: How to Apply for Aadhaar Card for Kids

You can get your children enrolled in Aadhaar almost as soon as they’re born. Here’s how you go about doing it.

Today, Aadhaar Card is not just proof of your identity and address; it can be used for several other purposes too. You can open a bank account with an Aadhaar number, file your income returns, get government subsidies – like those on LPG and PDS rations — credited to your account, make investments and so on.

So it’s important for all Indians to have an Aadhaar number, including children. It’s not mandatory for children to have an Aadhaar number, but it will be required at some point in their lives, so you may as well get them enrolled so that there are no future issues. For instance, when you want admission for your child in an educational institute, having an Aadhaar number would make it much easier, since it is universally acceptable proof of identity and easy to verify.

How soon can children be enrolled in Aadhaar? There are stories of parents rushing to an Aadhaar centre straight from the hospital after the child is born. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) that manages Aadhaar enables such enrolment. However, there’s no need to be in such a tearing hurry, and you can do it when the child is a little older.

According to newspaper reports, the government is thinking of linking Aadhaar to government schemes focused on children to prevent leakage or diversion of funds. These schemes include the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. So to avail of these schemes, the children will need to have an Aadhaar number.

How to enroll children for Aadhaar number:

1. You need to visit the nearest Aadhaar enrolment centre along with your child.
2. Fillin the application form, including your mobile number and Aadhaar number.
3. Ifneither parent has an Aadhaar number, you will have to get one first before the child is enrolled.
4. Youwill need the child’s birth certificate or government hospital discharge slip.
5. Ifyour child is of school-going age, a school ID can be used as identity proof.
6. Afterthat, your child’s photograph will be taken.
7. Biometricverification will not be done for children under five years of age.
8. Thenotification of Aadhaar generation will be sent to the registered mobile phone number.
9. Takethe acknowledgement slip.
10. Youcan use the enrolment number in the acknowledgement slip to check the status of Aadhaar enrolment.
11. Childrenbelow five years will get a Baal Aadhaar card, which is blue in colour.
12. Thechild’s Aadhaar number will be linked to the parent’s Aadhaar.
13. Thechild’s Aadhaar card will be sent to your residential address within 90 days of enrolment.

Update at the age of five

• If enrolment was done before the child was five years old, you need to take your child to the enrolment centre for an update after he/ she turns five.

• You don’t have to take any documents at this stage.

• Biometric authentication like scanning iris and ten fingerprints will be done. A photograph will also be taken.

• This update is mandatory. If not done, the Aadhaar number will be rendered invalid.

• The update is free of cost.

Update at the age of 15

• The process of biometric authentication will have to be repeated at the age of 15.

• The process of scanning irises and fingerprints will be repeated at this stage.

• A photograph will also be taken.

• No documents will be needed for this update.

• This update, too, is free of cost.

If you want any updates done in the interim, between the ages of five and 15, to change any details, this can be done at an enrolment centre by paying a fee of Rs. 50.

How to Book an Appointment Online?

To make the entire process more efficient, you can fix an appointment online at your nearest enrolment centre.

• You can fix an appointment through the UIDAI website.

• Alternatively, you can use the mAadhaar app to fix an appointment.

• Enter all the details in the online form.

• Take all the necessary documents like birth certificate, school ID etc.

The Aadhaar mobile app mAadhaar provides services at your fingertips. You can download it from Google Play Store. You can add your children’s profiles to your mAadhaar so that you are able to avail of services on their behalf.