Government requests parents to update children’s Aadhaar biometrics between age 5-7, free of cost

NEW DELHI — The government on Tuesday urged parents and guardians to update their children’s Aadhaar biometrics who have reached age seven.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) reiterated the importance of completing the Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) for children who have attained the age of seven but have not yet updated their biometrics in Aadhaar.

UIDAI said it has started sending SMS messages to the mobile numbers registered in the Aadhaar of such children for completing the MBU exercise.

This is an existing requirement under Aadhaar, and parents or guardians can update the details of their child at any Aadhaar Seva Kendra or designated Aadhaar centre, the IT Ministry said in a statement.

A child under the age of five enrols for Aadhaar by providing the photograph, name, date of birth, gender, address and documents of proof.

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According to the official statement, the fingerprints and iris biometrics of a child are not captured for Aadhaar enrolment below the age of five because these are not mature at that age.

As per existing rules, therefore, fingerprints, iris and photo are mandatorily required to be updated in his/her Aadhaar when the child reaches the age of five years.

This is called the first Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU). If the child performs the MBU between the age of five and seven years, it is free of cost.

“But after seven years of age, there is a prescribed fee of Rs. 100 only,” the IT Ministry informed.

According to UIDAI, timely completion of MBU is an essential requirement for maintaining the accuracy and reliability of biometric data of children. If the MBU is not completed even after 7 years of age, the Aadhaar number may be deactivated, as per the existing rules.