UIDAI plans to take Aadhaar global — What are current rules for NRIs and OCI cardholders

Aadhaar-issuing body, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), is working on a plan to take Aadhaar global, especially to enable non-resident Indians and overseas citizens of India, a senior official said.

UIDAI CEO Saurabh Vijay said his ambition is to make the Aadhaar infrastructure best in class to facilitate the platform's global expansion.

“I think for Aadhaar, the focus now is on making Aadhaar international. We really want to work on the interoperability part of it — how to make it more possible. So already some PoCs (proof of concept) are happening,” Vijay said during a fireside chat at Global Fintech Fest 2026.

“Our legal framework is also going (in that direction) to make Aadhaar international. We are working on policies to make it (available) for overseas citizens of India (OCIs) so that it brings in more investment.”

Current enrolment regulations regarding the Aadhaar card

Currently, for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) holding a valid Indian passport, the application process is highly accessible. The standard 182-day residency requirement is waived, allowing NRIs to apply immediately upon arrival.

However, there is no online alternative; applicants must still physically visit an authorised Aadhaar Enrolment Centre in India to complete the biometric verification.

But for the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders, applying for Aadhaar is subject to stricter eligibility criteria. Currently classified alongside resident foreign nationals for Aadhaar purposes, OCI cardholders must physically reside in India for at least 182 days within the 12 months immediately preceding their application date.

Once eligible, they must submit their valid OCI card and foreign passport, along with applicable proof of an Indian address, during their in-person enrolment.

‘Using AI extensively for fraud detection’

In the same event, Chairman Neelkanth Mishra said UIDAI is extensively deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect and counter fraud, as it seeks to outsmart fraudsters in the “cat-and-mouse game”.

"Fraudsters keep getting smarter, but we are also getting smarter," Mishra said. “UIDAI is using AI extensively for fraud detection.”

"So, in fact, well before it became a buzzword, we had liveness tests on face and thumbprints. It is a 'cat and mouse' game. So basically fraudsters keep getting smarter, but we are also getting smarter," he said.

Emphasising the rapid increase in Aadhaar usage, he said daily authentications had risen “dramatically” from about seven crore when he first wrote his comments for UIDAI's annual report, to 10 crore now.

UIDAI is preparing its infrastructure to handle 25-30 crore Aadhaar authentications a day, he highlighted.

(With agency inputs)

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