Aadhaar enrolment in 2026 remains free and is available to residents of India irrespective of age or gender, but the process depends on the applicant’s age, residential status and documents. UIDAI’s 2026 framework continues to allow enrolment through either document-based verification or a Head of Family (HoF)-based route, while updated document schedules now distinguish more clearly between children, adults, NRIs and resident foreign nationals.
For children, the rules are particularly important. A child below five can generally be enrolled using the HoF route with a parent or legal guardian, supported by an acceptable proof-of-relationship document and proof of the child’s date of birth. UIDAI’s May 2026 amendment also updated the formal document schedules, while its current enrolment guidance continues to require the child and relevant parent or guardian to appear at an enrolment centre for the applicable process.
What changed for Aadhaar enrolment in 2026?
The most significant 2026 development is not a new universal application form or a new enrolment fee. Instead, UIDAI has updated the regulatory and document framework governing enrolment and updates.
The Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) First Amendment Regulations, 2026 were notified in May 2026 and came into force on 7 May 2026. The amendment substituted the schedules containing acceptable documents for enrolment and updates.
UIDAI’s current enrolment resources, updated during 2026, now provide separate document guidance for:
- Resident Indian children below five
- NRI children below five
- Resident Indian children aged 5 to below 18
- NRI children aged 5 to below 18
- Resident foreign nationals below 18
- Adults who are residents or NRIs
- Resident foreign nationals aged 18 and above
This segmentation matters because the acceptable documents and residential-status requirements are not identical for every applicant.
Who is eligible for a new Aadhaar?
Aadhaar is available to an individual who is a resident of India, irrespective of age or gender, subject to UIDAI’s enrolment and verification requirements. UIDAI describes Aadhaar enrolment as voluntary and says an individual should enrol only once.
For ordinary resident applicants, the central requirement is therefore not citizenship alone. Residence and the applicable supporting documents are important parts of the enrolment process.
NRIs and resident foreign nationals have separate document and enrolment provisions. An applicant should therefore use the document list corresponding to their actual residential status rather than assuming that the standard resident-Indian checklist applies to everyone. UIDAI’s 2026 enrolment page explicitly separates these categories.
The two basic enrolment routes
UIDAI’s current enrolment guidance identifies two broad approaches.
1. Document-based enrolment
Under the document-based route, the applicant establishes identity and address using the prescribed supporting documents.
UIDAI describes this route as requiring acceptable Proof of Identity (PoI) and Proof of Address (PoA) documents. The precise documents permitted depend on the applicant category and the current UIDAI document schedule.
This is the more straightforward route for an adult who already has the necessary identity and address documentation.
2. Head of Family-based enrolment
The HoF route is particularly relevant to children.
A qualifying Head of Family can introduce a family member using documents establishing the relationship. For a new child enrolment, UIDAI’s current guidance specifies that the HoF must be the mother, father or legal guardian. The HoF must also meet the applicable age requirement.
The applicant and HoF are required to be present for the relevant enrolment process, and the HoF’s Aadhaar details are captured for authentication and linkage to the child’s enrolment.
Aadhaar enrolment for children below five
Children can receive Aadhaar from an early age. The enrolment process is different from that for an adult because a young child’s biometrics are handled differently.
For a child below five years, the 2026 document schedule provides for HoF-based enrolment. The updated schedule identifies documents such as a birth certificate issued under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 as an acceptable document for establishing the child’s date of birth and relationship information where the relevant requirements are met.
The parent or legal guardian has an important role in the transaction. UIDAI’s enrolment guidance says that the parent or guardian authenticates on behalf of the child and provides consent by signing the enrolment form.
For a young child, the enrolment record includes the child’s photograph. The child’s fingerprints and iris are not collected in the same way as they are for an adult because biometric collection for children changes with age.
What parents should take for a child’s first Aadhaar
For a resident Indian child below five, parents should generally be prepared with:
- The child’s birth certificate or another currently accepted date-of-birth document, as applicable.
- The relevant proof-of-relationship document where HoF-based enrolment is being used.
- The Aadhaar details of the parent or legal guardian acting as HoF.
- The required enrolment form and the original supporting documents.
UIDAI’s rules require original documents to be presented for verification; the enrolment operator electronically copies the required documents and returns the originals.
Because UIDAI’s acceptable-document lists are periodically amended, parents should check the current list before visiting rather than relying on a generic internet checklist.
What happens when a child turns five?
The initial child enrolment is not the end of the biometric process.
Aadhaar’s system requires biometric information to be updated as a child grows. The mandatory biometric-update process is therefore an important follow-up to first enrolment.
For parents, the practical lesson is simple: getting an Aadhaar number for a baby or young child does not mean the child’s Aadhaar biometrics are permanently complete. Later mandatory biometric updates are part of maintaining the Aadhaar record.
UIDAI has also introduced fee concessions for children’s mandatory biometric updates. In 2026, the authority extended the waiver for the first mandatory biometric update of children aged 7–15 for another year beginning 1 October 2026.
Aadhaar enrolment for children aged 5 to below 18
The documentation framework changes once the child reaches five.
UIDAI’s current 2026 document resources provide a separate category for resident Indian children aged 5 years and above but below 18, rather than applying the under-five document list indiscriminately.
At this age, biometric enrolment becomes substantially different because UIDAI captures the child’s biometrics as part of the enrolment process. The parent or guardian may still be involved where the applicable HoF process is used, but the child’s own identity and biometric information become increasingly central to the record.
Parents should therefore use the specific 5-to-under-18 document list published by UIDAI rather than simply carrying the documents used when the child was a baby.
What documents are needed for an adult’s first Aadhaar?
For an adult using the ordinary document-based route, the applicant should have acceptable documents establishing the information required for enrolment.
The precise list can vary according to whether the applicant is:
- A resident Indian
- An NRI with an Indian address
- An NRI with an address outside India
- A resident foreign national
UIDAI published separate 2026 document lists for these categories.
For a typical resident Indian applicant, the documentation exercise is essentially about proving the required identity and address information through documents on UIDAI’s approved list. Not every government-issued document automatically qualifies simply because it contains the applicant’s name.
This is why checking the current UIDAI list before the appointment is more reliable than assuming that an older document will still be accepted.
Key 2026 enrolment requirements
| Applicant | Main enrolment approach | Important documentation point | What happens at enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Indian, below 5 | Usually HoF-based | Child’s DOB and relationship documents; parent/legal guardian involved | Photograph captured; parent/guardian provides consent and authentication |
| Resident Indian, 5–17 | Document or applicable HoF route | Use the current child-specific document list | Demographic and biometric information collected |
| Resident Indian, 18+ | Document-based or applicable route | Acceptable PoI/PoA documents | Demographic and biometric enrolment |
| NRI child | Special NRI process | NRI-specific document list applies; passport requirements can apply | Parent/guardian involvement depends on age and route |
| Resident foreign national, under 18 | Foreign-national process | Current foreign-national document list applies | Enrolment under the applicable residential-status rules |
| Resident foreign national, 18+ | Foreign-national process | Current adult foreign-national document list applies | Demographic and biometric information collected |
The table summarizes UIDAI’s 2026 category-specific enrolment resources; the actual document accepted in an individual case must be checked against the current UIDAI list.
Do you need to enrol online?
No. New Aadhaar enrolment is not completed entirely online.
The applicant must visit an authorised Aadhaar enrolment centre or applicable Aadhaar camp for the enrolment process. UIDAI says individuals seeking enrolment should enrol at a nearby Aadhaar Enrolment Centre/Aadhaar Camp.
Online services can help with forms, information and other Aadhaar services, but the actual first-time enrolment requires the identity-verification and biometric process to be carried out through the authorised enrolment system.
What happens at the enrolment centre?
The process generally involves:
- Completing the applicable Aadhaar enrolment form.
- Presenting the required original documents.
- Having the operator scan the required documents.
- Capturing the applicant’s demographic information.
- Capturing the applicable biometric information.
- Completing authentication and consent requirements for a child or HoF-based enrolment.
- Receiving an acknowledgement slip containing the enrolment details.
UIDAI specifically instructs operators to scan original documents and return them after the required electronic copies and verification have been completed.
New Aadhaar enrolment itself is free. If an applicant is asked to pay a standard enrolment fee, the charge should be checked against UIDAI’s current published fee schedule rather than assumed to be legitimate.
One Aadhaar enrolment per person
Aadhaar is designed around uniqueness. UIDAI says an individual needs to enrol only once and that multiple enrolments can be rejected unless UIDAI specifically advises otherwise.
This means applicants should not submit another enrolment simply because the first Aadhaar has not yet been generated. The acknowledgement information should be retained so that the status of the original enrolment can be checked.
UIDAI currently states that the waiting period can extend to 180 days after receipt of the enrolment data packet in the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR).
What first-time applicants should check before visiting
The most useful preparation is to identify the applicant category first.
For an adult resident Indian, check the current resident-adult document list. For a child, determine whether the child is below five or already five or older, because the applicable process and biometric requirements differ. For an NRI or foreign national, use the separate category-specific list rather than the ordinary resident-Indian checklist.
Also check the spelling of the name and date of birth before the enrolment is submitted. Correcting information later can require a separate update request and, depending on the field and circumstances, supporting documentation.
Parents enrolling children should pay particular attention to the child’s birth certificate and relationship documentation. The 2026 amendment makes the formal document schedules more explicit, but the governing principle remains that the documents must be among those currently accepted by UIDAI.
What the 2026 rules mean for new applicants
The main change in 2026 is greater differentiation in the official enrolment and document framework, rather than a fundamental redesign of Aadhaar enrolment. UIDAI has refreshed the acceptable-document schedules and separated guidance for resident Indians, NRIs, children and foreign nationals.
For most first-time applicants, the practical rule is therefore straightforward: identify the correct applicant category, use UIDAI’s current document list, take the original documents to an authorised enrolment centre, and complete the required biometric and consent steps. New enrolment remains free, and children should be enrolled using the age-appropriate process rather than an adult checklist.
The detail worth watching is not whether Aadhaar has become a different identity system in 2026, but whether UIDAI continues changing the acceptable-document schedules and child-specific procedures. Anyone applying later in the year should use the latest UIDAI document list available at the time of enrolment, because a document accepted under an older list is not automatically guaranteed to remain acceptable after a regulatory amendment.