The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) announced on Saturday that the fee for the mandatory biometric update (MBU) for children in Aadhaar has been completely waived. This new rule comes into effect from October 1, 2025, and will remain in place for the next year.

UIDAI says this move will benefit approximately 60 million children. To obtain an Aadhaar card for children under 5 years of age, their photo, name, date of birth, gender, address, and birth certificate are required. Fingerprints and iris biometrics are not taken at this age because they are not yet fully developed. According to current rules, children's fingerprints, iris, and photo must be updated in Aadhaar after the age of 5.

Current Rules
Children under five years of age can enroll for Aadhaar by providing their photo, name, date of birth, gender, address, and birth certificate. No fee will now be charged for their biometric update. The first mandatory biometric update is required when a child turns five.

The second update is required at the age of 15-17 years. Previously, these updates were free for children aged 5-7 and 15-17 years, but otherwise, a charge of ₹125 per MBU was levied. Now, UIDAI has made MBU completely free for all children aged 5-17 years. This means that parents will no longer have to pay any money for their children's Aadhaar updates. This step will facilitate easy updating of children's Aadhaar and provide financial relief to millions of families.

Advice to Parents
UIDAI has advised parents and guardians to update their children's Aadhaar biometrics as soon as possible. This will enable children to easily avail of various government and education-related schemes. This will make it easier for them to get admission in schools, avail benefits like scholarships and DBT schemes. This new rule will make Aadhaar services more accessible and affordable for children. Furthermore, this decision highlights the importance of Aadhaar for children.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from TV9. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.