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Government makes citizenship disclaimer on new Aadhaar cards more prominent

New Aadhaar cards and PDF versions of the identity document have started including a more explicit and prominent disclaimer that they are “a proof of identity, not of citizenship or date of birth,” signalling to government departments and other organisations to not use it for those purposes. Aadhaar has never been proof of citizenship — foreign nationals are eligible to obtain one if they have been living in India for half a year — but different government departments accept it for purposes reserved for citizens or adults.

For instance, the Election Commission of India explicitly accepts Aadhaar as a proof of date of birth for enrolling people to vote. These new clarifications, prominently printed in the identity document, may challenge such allowances. The IDs also include a warning that authenticating them offline needs to be done by scanning the QR code on the reverse side of the document, or by using an XML file issued to residents by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which administers Aadhaar.

At least one organisation has stopped accepting Aadhaar as a proof of date of birth: the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), which administers the mandatory retirement fund for salaried employees in India. The EPFO issued a circular on January 16, deleting Aadhaar from the list of documents acceptable as a proof of date of birth.

This invalidity of Aadhaar for use in determining the date of birth and citizenship has been the case for years — the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology clarified in a 2018 memorandum that Aadhaar is “per se … not a proof of date of birth,” as the date of birth is based on a different document given by Aadhaar applicants. A Bombay High Court judgment last year that emphasised this was cited in a December 2023 circular that UIDAI issued, which reminded organisations of the fact.

But now the warning is imprinted on the face of all Aadhaar cards and digital copies issued to all Indian residents. This new, more visible warning initially only mentioned last year that it was not a proof of citizenship, but now clarifies that Aadhaar is not a proof of date of birth either. The 12-digit ID is a proof of uniqueness and residence, but different government agencies accept it — often on a standalone basis — for any citizens establishing their identity.