What Will I Do If I Lose My Aadhaar Card?

Lost your Aadhaar card? Don’t fret! This article will explain what needs to be done.

In an era where establishing real identity has become a huge challenge for individuals, losing an identity card, like Aadhaar Card can create huge problems, if not reprinted quickly. Not only does Aadhaar help to establish your identity, which is accepted across establishments as valid proof, but also helps you access many government-sponsored schemes.

UIDAI, the implementing agency of Aadhaar has made many provisions for its cardholders, in case of its loss or misplacement. One can retrieve and download Aadhaar card with much ease from the official website of UIDAI.

A lost or misplaced Aadhar Card can be retrieved, downloaded or reprinted by any of the following three modes.

• By visiting the official website of UIDAI (Online Mode).
• By contacting help-centre or toll-free no. (Offline Mode).
• By approaching Aadhaar enrolment agency.

We will now discuss in details the steps involved in retrieving and downloading Aadhar card or getting it reissued using any of the three modes.

It is the easiest and quickest method for lost Aadhaar retrieval. Following are the steps involved in retrieving a lost Aadhar Card online.

• Visit the official website of UIDAI, and click on 'My Aadhaar' situated in the top left corner of the menu bar.
• Under 'Get Aadhaar,' select the option 'Retrieve Lost or Forgotten UID/EID.'
• After which, you will be redirected to the page, where you will be asked to fill in the right credentials.
• If you want to retrieve Aadhaar No. (UID), tick the box in front of it, and fill in all the details such as Full Name, Mobile No. or Email ID and Captcha Verification Code.
• Then click on the 'Send OTP' button to proceed.
• After entering the OTP that you received in your Mobile No or email id, the system will verify your details and then you will receive your lost Aadhaar No (UID) either on the email address or on the mobile no given.

Online Aadhaar Card Download

For Aadhar Card download, you need to follow the below-mentioned steps:

• Visit the official website of UIDAI, and click on 'My Aadhaar' situated in the menu bar
• Under 'Get Aadhaar' option, select 'Download Aadhaar.'
• You will be redirected to the page, where you need to give your Aadhaar Number for Aadhar Card download
• Enter the Captcha Verification Code and click on 'Send OTP' button
• After successful verification, you will able to download the password-protected PDF file that contains your Aadhar Card.
• The password to open the document will be the 'Pin Code' of your home address or a combination of the first 4 letters of name in CAPITAL and the year of birth (YYYY) as password.
• You can then print the copy of Aadhaar Card download.

Order Aadhaar Reprint

It's a new service launched by UIDAI in which the cardholder can place an order to reprint their Aadhar Card, in case of loss or misplaced.

This is a paid service by UIDAI in which you need to pay Rs. 50 (inclusive of GST & speed post charges) and the payment can be made through debit card, credit card, net banking and UPI.

The Aadhaar Reprint service can be availed through the same process as involved in Aadhaar Card download. Once the request has been placed, the UIDAI will send the Aadhaar letter within five working days to the post office for delivery through speed post. Aadhaar Card Status

You can also check your Aadhar card status for reprint, by clicking on the following link.

Under the offline mode, the cardholder has to call the UIDAI toll free no. 1800-180-1947 or 1947 and place a request for a duplicate card. Following are the steps involved:

• Make a call to the UIDAI's toll-free no
• Follow the step, as directed by the IVRS, and select the option to talk to customer support executive
• Make a request with the customer support executive for the duplicate copy of the Aadhar Card
• Following the request for the duplicate card has been made, the executive will verify your details and identity
• After the successful verification, the customer support executive will accept your request and initiate the process
• The duplicate Aadhaar Card will then be sent to your address via post

You need to visit the enrolment agency, in case your mobile no. is not registered with UIDAI. You need to follow the steps mentioned below to get your duplicate Aadhaar.

UIDAI, on its website, lists all the enrolment agency present in your area and also offers the feature to book an appointment online.

You can know about the enrolment agency present in your area by clicking on this link.

• Visit the nearest enrolment agency and fill in Aadhaar Correction form.
• If you know your Enrolment ID or Aadhaar No, then you can simply request the registrar to issue a duplicate Aadhar Card. You can also use the opportunity to update your registered mobile number and address if changed.
• If you don't remember your Aadhaar No or Enrolment ID, then the executive will run a scan of your fingerprint and Iris Scan to match with biometric data fed in the UIDAI system to verify and place a request for duplicate Aadhar Card.
• After successful processing, the duplicate card will be sent to your residential address.

If the card re-issue request has been made via enrolment agency, you have to check the Aadhar Card status with enrolment number.

Following are the steps involved:

• To check Aadhar card status, visit the portal
• Enter your enrolment id (EID) and time of enrolment
• Enter the Captcha code
• Click on the 'Check Status' button

Being one of the most versatile identity cards, losing or misplacing Aadhar card can bring huge problems. But one can easily overcome the situation and retrieve their lost Aadhar Card.

Unlike other forms of identity cards like Voter ID, Driving License or Passport, reissuing Aadhar Card is very simple, quick and incorporates less to no paperwork. As everything is generated by the system, with minimum or no manual intervention, its tracking becomes easy. Therefore, knowing the Aadhar Card Status or downloading Aadhar Card for print can be easily done.

Recommended Read: Aadhaar Services: How Much Do You Need to Pay?