How To Download A Digital Aadhaar Card

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) enables Aadhaar enrollees holders to download a digital copy of their identification card. This can be done either through the UIDAI's website - uidai.gov.in - or using mobile app mAadhaar. The UIDAI manages the Aadhaar biometric ID programme, and also provides a slew of related services online. The digital copy of Aadhaar card is available with or without a mask, which hides the entire 12-digit identification number - also known as Unique Identity Number. (Also Read: How To Get An Aadhaar Card Reprinted)

Here is the step-by-step guide to download a digital copy of an Aadhaar card:

The user selects the "download Aadhaar" option under the "Get Aadhaar" section on the the Aadhaar website (uidai.gov.in).

Next, the user selects any of the three options to proceed:

• Aadhaar number (UID)
• Enrolment ID (EID)
• Virtual ID (VID)

At this stage, the user can also select whether a masked copy is desired. On a masked version, the entire UID is not visible.

The user clicks on the "Send OTP" button after filling in the necessary details, and enters the OTP or one-time passcode (received on the Aadhaar-registered mobile) in the given space to proceed.

After this, the user selects the "verify and download" option to proceed.

Upon successful completion of the process, a digital copy of the Aadhaar card is downloaded on the device being used. The downloaded file is in the PDF format, and is protected by a password (the user is required to enter a password to be able to access it).

This password is a combination of the first four letters of the user's name in capital letters, followed by the user's birth year in the YYYY format, according to the UIDAI website.

A similar process can be used to download an Aadhaar card using the mAadhaar app.