Issuance of Aadhar Card to NRIs
Indian NRIs and Expats Can Now Apply For Aadhar Card
Government approves the issuance of aadhar card to Indian NRIs and Indian expats in foreign countries with valid passports. Till date, Aadhar card was issued only to Indian residents.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar, has rolled out the system for accepting applications from NRIs complying with the Indian government’s decision to remove the mandatory criterion of 180-day stay in India.
Earlier, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar, made a mandatory criterion of 180 days stay in India for NRIs to get Aadhar Card. With this new government decision, NRIs shall be entitled to obtain an Aadhar number after his/her arrival in India.
A gazette notification was issued on Friday by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology regarding the new rule.
NRIs can book an appointment for Aadhar online even before they arrive in India. Once they reach India, they can submit a copy of the passport and other necessary documents for register for Aadhar. Once it is registered, the applicants will receive the Aadhaar Letter containing the 10-digit unique Aadhaar number at their Indian address submitted during the time of application.
The officials also clarified that Aadhar is not mandatory for NRIs. It is a voluntary decision of the residents. Indian expats and NRIs have welcomed the decision of the Indian government.