Who this is for
Non-Resident Indians in Canada who need Aadhaar for banking, property, investments, a pension or an Indian return, and family members helping an elderly parent. If you are a Canadian citizen without an Indian passport, read point 3 carefully.
The five points
-
It is in person, in India. UIDAI states that you have to personally visit an enrolment centre because your biometrics are captured: photograph, all ten fingerprints and both iris scans. There is no enrolment from abroad. You can enrol at any centre in India, not only in your home state.
-
NRIs with a valid Indian passport skip the residency wait. The general eligibility rule is 182 days of residence in India in the twelve months before applying. UIDAI’s circular on NRI enrolment allows an NRI to enrol after arrival. The valid Indian passport is accepted as proof of identity, address and date of birth. There is also a declaration specific to NRIs. An email address is required.
-
Foreign citizens are a different case. The NRI exception is for Indian passport holders. A Canadian citizen, including an OCI holder, falls under the general residency rule as set by UIDAI. Check UIDAI’s current eligibility rules before relying on a short trip.
-
Some updates are online; the important ones are not. After enrolment, address and supporting document updates can be done through the UIDAI portal. Biometric updates, and corrections to name, gender or date of birth, require a visit. Mobile number updates also require a visit.
-
Aadhaar and PAN are separate. Aadhaar is identity; PAN is the tax number. Indian tax filing and banking often need both, and they may need to be linked. Our PAN guide covers the other half.
One thing many people do not realize
The 182-day rule does not apply to NRIs. UIDAI’s general requirement is that an applicant has lived in India for 182 days in the twelve months before applying. Its 2019 circular on NRI enrolment allows a Non-Resident Indian with a valid Indian passport to enrol after arrival. The passport is accepted as proof of identity, address and date of birth. A week’s trip can be enough, as long as you go to a centre.
What to prepare
- A valid Indian passport, checked for expiry well before the trip
- An email address and, if you have one, an Indian mobile number
- Proof of an Indian address if the passport does not show one, from UIDAI’s accepted list
- The dates of your trip and the city, so a centre can be found in advance
- Any existing Aadhaar number, if enrolment was done years ago
When professional help may make sense
Enrolling an elderly parent whose biometrics are hard to capture. Correcting a name that differs between the passport and other documents. A foreign citizen unsure whether they are eligible. Each needs the current UIDAI rules checked for that situation.
How Rex Tax may be able to help
We explain what to arrange before you travel, what documents to carry, and what can only be done at the centre. We are not an enrolment centre and cannot issue or update Aadhaar. UIDAI’s rules decide eligibility and process, and they change; this guide is checked against UIDAI’s published pages on the date shown.
Official sources
- UIDAI: Enrolment and update (eligibility, in-person biometrics, online updates)
- UIDAI circular, 23 September 2019: NRI Aadhaar enrolment
This guide is general information, not advice about your situation. It reflects the rules for the 2026 tax year. It has not yet been reviewed by a practitioner. The information was checked against the official sources listed above on the date shown. Rules change. Check the official sources above or ask us. How we prepare these guides.