India’s Unique Identification Authority (UIDAI) will remove all charges for Aadhaar biometric updates for children aged 5 to 17 from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The waiver covers fingerprint, iris, and photo updates and applies both to the first mandatory biometric update at ages five to seven and to the teen update at 15 to 17.
For one year, updates completed between seven and 15 years old will also be free. UIDAI’s revised fee cycle keeps new Aadhaar enrollments free while setting center-based demographic updates at ₹75 and adult biometric updates at ₹125 under a three-year pricing schedule. The full policy and fee framework are detailed in the agency’s circular and supporting documents.
The move is intended to make updates more accessible for families and to assist schools coordinating Aadhaar drives for students. UIDAI has urged education boards to help parents complete updates on-site or at local enrollment centers, ensuring records remain accurate as children’s biometrics mature. Schools participating in these efforts are expected to benefit from streamlined processes already outlined in UIDAI’s public guidance.
Parents need only bring the child and the Aadhaar number to any authorized Seva Kendra, where updated equipment and procedures are already in place.
The initiative follows earlier outreach encouraging institutions to complete children’s updates by age seven and to expand in-school Aadhaar enrollment. It also runs in parallel with broader digital-identity improvements such as wider use of Aadhaar face authentication for private-sector applications and UIDAI’s continued multi-method authentication framework.
Sources: NDTV, Economic Times, Times of India
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By Ali Nassar-Smith
