Is Aadhaar A Valid Proof For Date Of Birth? (Image: Pixabay)
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) recently emphasized in a directive that the Aadhaar was a proof of identity, not proof of birth. The UIDAI’s directive (Circular No. 08 of 2023) clarifies that even though Aadhaar is a unique identifier, it is not recognized as proof of date of birth according to the Aadhaar Act, 2016.
UIDAI noted in its circular that Authentication User Agencies (AUAs) and Know Your Customer User Agencies (KUAs) are accepting Aadhaar card as valid proof of birth. The circular has cited the office memorandum of December 20, 2018. This memorandum by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) states that “An Aadhaar number can be used for establishing identity of an individual subject to authentication and thereby, per se its not a proof of date of birth.” The circular also stated that recent judgments, including the one by the Bombay High Court, have highlighted this aspect.
LATE BREAKING: @UIDAI Director (Authentication and Veririfcation Division) has written to various agencies last month(Dec “23) stating that Aadhaar is not valid proof for Date of Birth. pic.twitter.com/VCy1Ny8Vj2
— (@kingslyj) January 17, 2024
“In view of the above, it is required that use of Aadhaar, as a proof of DoB needs to be deleted from the list of acceptable documents,” mentioned the UIDAI circular. Notably, following this directive, the Employees” Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has removed Aadhaar from the list of documents acceptable as date of birth proof. The EPFO circular, issued on January 16, has received approval from the Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC). In the circular, it was also mentioned that they had received a letter from UIDAI on this matter. Thus, the proofs valid for EPFO include the birth certificate issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths and the marksheet issued by any recognised university or government board.
