Aadhaar Card Big News: UIDAI waives of update fees for one year, Modi government issues statement, move to benefit over 6 crore children

The Aadhaar enrollment for children below five years of age is done using their photograph, name, date of birth, gender, address, and birth certificate.

New Delhi: In a major development, UIDAI has waived the biometric update fees for children aged 7 to 15 years. According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the relief will remain applicable for one year. The ministry has said that the free biometric updates in Aadhaar will make it easier for children to access education, scholarships, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes.

As per the statement released by the ministry, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has waived all fees for the mandatory biometric update (MBU-1). This move is expected to benefit around 6 crore children. The fee waiver for this age group came into effect on October 1, 2025, and will remain valid for a period of one year.

Here are some of the key details

• UIDAI has waived all fees for the mandatory biometric update (MBU-1).
• This move is expected to benefit around 6 crore children.
• The fee waiver for this age group came into effect on October 1, 2025, and will remain valid for a period of one year.
• The Aadhaar enrollment for children below five years of age is done using their photograph, name, date of birth, gender, address, and birth certificate.
• For children under five, fingerprints and iris biometrics are not collected, as these features are not yet fully developed at that age.
• As per existing rules, once the child turns five, it becomes mandatory to update their Aadhaar with fingerprints, iris scan, and photograph. This is known as the first Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU).
• Similarly, when the child turns fifteen, they are again required to update their biometrics, which is called the second MBU.
• If the first and second MBUs are carried out between the ages of 5–7 years and 15–17 years respectively, they are free of charge.

After that, a fixed fee of ₹125 is charged per MBU. With this decision, all MBUs for children in the 5–17 age group are now effectively free of cost.