Can OCI cardholders apply for Aadhaar? Rules, documents and validity explained

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If you are an OCI living in India for long stretches, you may well wonder whether you can get an Aadhaar card like a resident Indian. The rules on "resident foreign nationals" have finally been clarified, and many OCI cardholders do qualify, provided they satisfy certain conditions related to residency and documentation. Here is a simple explainer of what the current framework allows.

An OCI cardholder can apply for an Aadhaar card if he/she meets the definition of "resident" as defined under the Aadhaar Act for foreign nationals. In other words, you must have stayed in India for at least 182 days in the twelve months immediately preceding the date of application.

In addition to this residency criterion, you must also have a valid Indian address. In Aadhaar terminology, you are then treated as a resident foreign national rather than a non-resident visitor. You don't get automatic eligibility if you hold an OCI card; both the stay test of 182 days and the Indian address are critical.

For Aadhaar enrolment, an applicant for OCI has to give proof of identity as well as proof of address.

UIDAI needs your valid OCI card along with a valid foreign passport for proof of identity. These two, when combined, establish both your identity and your status.

For address proof, you will have to submit any accepted document that reflects an address in India. It may be a lease agreement, a utility bill, your bank statement, or any such document listed under the official UIDAI list that clearly mentions your name and address in India.

Taken together, these two sets of documents permit the enrolment centre to verify both identity and residency before issuing Aadhaar.

Unlike the majority of resident Indian applicants, who rely principally on mobile-based OTPs, resident foreign nationals must provide an email address mandatorily at the time of enrolment in Aadhaar.

The verification of the e-mail is done through an OTP in the process and becomes an important contact point for future updates, authentication, and communication. If you are an OCI cardholder and plan to enroll, it would be worth your while to ensure you have an active and accessible e-mail ID, which you check regularly.

According to the rules as they stand, the category "resident foreign national" comprises three broad groups: holders of Indian visa or Long-Term Visa (LTV), OCI cardholders, and citizens of Nepal and Bhutan.

All these must meet the same essential criterion, which states that they should have stayed in India for 182 days or more in the immediate previous 12 months from the date of enrolment. Only then will it be possible for them to apply in this category for an Aadhaar.

This means that short-term visitors, frequent business travellers, or tourists do not qualify, even if they come in and out of India multiple times in a year. The rule focuses on actual continuous presence in India over a defined period.

The Aadhaar issued to the resident foreign nationals is not exactly the same as the ones issued to Indian citizens. The biggest difference lies in the validity.

In the case of a person holding an Indian visa, which includes LTV holders, too, the Aadhaar is valid only up to the date of expiry of the visa. Once the visa lapses, the Aadhaar linked to that status also ceases to remain valid, and further updates or use will require a fresh valid status in India.

In the case of OCI cardholders and citizens of Nepal and Bhutan, Aadhaar will be valid for ten years from the date of enrolment. Thereafter, renewal or fresh enrolment rules, as prescribed then, would apply.

Put differently, even though the Aadhaar number format would appear similar in nature, the underlying validity and linkage to immigration or residency status creates a distinction from those that have been issued to Indian citizens.

For OCI cardholders who treat India as a long-term base, Aadhaar can ease practical matters relating to mobile connections, bank KYC, financial transactions, and access to a range of services that rely on Aadhaar-based authentication.

But let it not be forgotten that this Aadhaar does not transform an OCI into a citizen, nor does it change the nature of their residency rights. It is essentially an identity and address proof inside India, subject to the special rules governing the validity applicable to non-citizens.

If you are an eligible OCI residing in India for more than 182 days, with a stable Indian address, it may be worth considering enrolment into Aadhaar. Just make sure your documentation is in order, your email is active, and you understand the validity conditions attached to your category before you walk into an enrolment centre.

Yes. If an OCI minor has stayed in India for at least 182 days in the 12 months before enrolment and has a valid Indian address, they can be enrolled for Aadhaar through their parent/guardian, with the same “resident foreign national” rules applying.

Your Aadhaar number does not automatically get cancelled if you travel abroad, but you are expected to have genuinely met the 182-day residency condition at the time of enrolment and to keep your contact details (especially email) and address updated while it remains valid.

No. Aadhaar for OCI cardholders is only an identity and address proof for use within India. It does not grant citizenship, voting rights, or eligibility for an Indian passport, and it does not change the underlying immigration or residency status.