UIDAI Waives Charges For Mandatory Biometric Update, Benefiting 6 Crore Children

By Surabhi Gupta

New Delhi: In an effort to facilitate Aadhaar updates for children, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has now waived all fees for Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU-1) for children. This decision, which comes into effect from October 1, 2025, will benefit an estimated six crore children nationwide and will be valid for one year.

When children are enrolled for their Aadhaar number before the age of five, they are only provided an Aadhaar number based on demographic information, such as name, date of birth, gender, address, and a person's photograph, as children do not have developed fingerprints or a developed iris pattern at that age. After the age of five years, the first Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU-1) will be required to obtain the child's updated photograph, as well as the child's fingerprint and iris. After the age of fifteen, a child's biometrics will also go through another Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU-2) to ensure that the child has continuing functioning biometric data in the Aadhaar system.

Under current guidelines today, both MBUs, if done in the age windows of 5–7 years and 15–17 years, are already free. Beyond those ages, however, each update of a child's fingerprint and iris has a fee of ₹125. This waiving of fees means that UIDAI has now essentially waived all fees for children between 5–17 years of age and therefore removes or reduces a financial affordability barrier to families during a child's update period.

The UIDAI said the initiative is aimed at promoting timely biometric updates and ensuring that every child’s Aadhaar remains valid and usable for various services. “An Aadhaar with updated biometrics facilitates ease of living and ensures seamless access to services such as school admissions, entrance examinations, scholarships, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes,” the authority noted.

Parents and guardians have been advised to visit the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra or enrolment centre to complete the biometric update for their children at the earliest.

Officials believe the move will encourage greater compliance with Aadhaar update requirements and enhance the accuracy and reliability of the national identity database. It is also expected to significantly reduce delays and challenges faced by children while accessing education and welfare-related benefits.

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