Aadhaar Becomes Easier: Free Biometric Updates for Children Aged 5–17 Across India

In a citizen-friendly move, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced that Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBU-1) for children between 5 and 17 years will now be free of cost for one year, starting October 1, 2025.

This decision is expected to benefit nearly six crore children across the country, making it easier for families to update Aadhaar and access services like school admissions, scholarships, and government schemes.

According to UIDAI, children below the age of 5 are enrolled in Aadhaar only with their photo, name, date of birth, gender, address, and birth certificate, since fingerprints and iris scans are not captured at that age.

Once a child turns five years old, a Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU-1) is required to capture fingerprints, iris data, and an updated photo. Similarly, another update, known as MBU-2, must be done when the child reaches 15 years of age.Earlier, both updates carried a charge of ₹125 after the free window. Now, with this decision, all MBUs for the 5–17 age group will remain free for one year, encouraging parents to update their child’s Aadhaar details on time.

UIDAI officials explained that having an updated Aadhaar ensures seamless access to multiple services — including school enrolments, entrance exam registrations, scholarships, and DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) benefits.

Parents and guardians are advised to update their children’s biometrics at the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra at the earliest.

The announcement comes shortly after ‘Aadhaar Samvaad’, a national stakeholder conference held in Hyderabad, where over 700 policymakers, startups, and industry experts discussed ways to strengthen Aadhaar’s digital ecosystem.

During the event, S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), highlighted that Aadhaar has become the foundation of India’s digital infrastructure, enabling a range of welfare and financial services.

Neelkanth Mishra, Chairperson of UIDAI, emphasized ongoing innovations and upcoming use cases, while Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO of UIDAI, said that Aadhaar represents not just an identity, but a journey of empowerment, accessibility, and trust.