NEW DELHI – The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced an Aadhaar biometric update fee waiver for children aged seven to fifteen, effective 1 October 2025 for one year, a move expected to benefit about 6 crore children, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said.
The waiver comes at a time when UIDAI has simultaneously revised its overall Aadhaar service charges, including demographic and biometric updates, beginning 1 October 2025 through September 2028.
How the biometric waiver fits existing rules
Under existing Aadhaar policy, children below age five are enrolled using demographic data and a photograph; fingerprints and iris scans are not collected until biometric maturity.
The first Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU-1) is required when a child turns five; the second, MBU-2, between ages 15 and 17. Updates conducted between ages 5–7 or 15–17 have historically been free.
Previously, biometric updates outside those windows (for children aged 7–15) incurred a fee of ₹125 per update. With the new waiver, MBU is now free for all children aged 5 to 17 for one year.
Fee revisions elsewhere in Aadhaar services
As of 1 October, UIDAI increased fees for demographic updates (name, address, date of birth, mobile, email) to ₹75 when performed separately, up from ₹50 earlier, though demographic updates bundled with biometric updates remain exempt.
The Aadhaar biometric update fee (for adults or those not in the waiver age band) remains ₹125. Document updates at enrolment centres are now ₹75, increased from ₹50, while online document updates remain free until June 14, 2026.
In addition, UIDAI instituted a home enrolment fee of ₹700 inclusive of GST. Multiple residents at the same address incur ₹350 per additional person.
Purpose and implications of Aadhaar fee waiver
UIDAI said the biometric waiver aims to reduce pending updates and ease access to education, scholarships and biometric-based services. The authority urged parents and guardians to prioritise updating their children’s biometric data.
Earlier, UIDAI had urged schools to assist in facilitating biometric updates for children aged 5 to 15 to improve compliance rates.
Data on how many children had deferred updates is unavailable; however, the waiver suggests a recognition of financial or administrative barriers among families.
Broader Aadhaar strategy and oversight
This move forms part of UIDAI’s broader strategy to maintain the integrity and reliability of the Aadhaar database, which is essential for public welfare programmes, direct benefit transfers and service access. The Aadhaar system currently serves over 138 crore holders.
According to reports, this is the first change to Aadhaar-update fees in nearly five years. The one-year waiver period applies until September 30, 2026. UIDAI has not said whether the waiver will be extended or integrated permanently into the fee structure.
There is no detailed published data on expected revenue loss from this waiver or the administrative cost burden it might impose.
