UIDAI plans to take Aadhaar global — What are current rules for NRIs and OCI cardholders
UIDAI CEO said his ambition is to make the Aadhaar infrastructure best in class to facilitate the platform's global expansion.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is exploring ways to make Aadhaar available globally, with a focus on non-resident Indians (NRIs) and overseas citizens of India (OCIs). UIDAI CEO Saurabh Vijay expressed his ambition to make the Aadhaar infrastructure best in class for global expansion, emphasizing the importance of interoperability.
Currently, NRIs holding a valid Indian passport can apply for Aadhaar immediately upon arrival in India, with no residency requirement, but they must visit an authorised Aadhaar Enrolment Centre for biometric verification. In contrast, OCI cardholders face stricter eligibility criteria, including a physical residency requirement of 182 days within 12 months before application.
UIDAI is also leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance fraud detection, having already implemented liveness tests for face and thumbprints. Daily Aadhaar authentications have surged from seven crore to 10 crore, with plans to handle up to 25-30 crore daily.
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