Lok Sabha Question No. 1640 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-30
Subject: Issue of Aadhaar Cards to Unauthorised Foreign Nationals
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri Manish Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1640

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 30.07.2025

## ISSUE OF AADHAAR CARDS TO UNAUTHORISED FOREIGN NATIONALS

## 1640.   SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: SHRI MANISH JAISWAL:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  a  large  number of Aadhaar cards are being issued to unauthorised foreign nationals in the country allowing them to access to citizenship linked documents and government welfare schemes and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  outsourced  Aadhaar  enrolment  service  centres  such  as  third  party  vendors  are  primarily responsible for issuance of Aadhaar card to unauthorised/illegal foreign nationals;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government to stop these third party vendors and switch to the in-house model of enrolment in the country;
- (d) whether the Government has directed the concerned authority to conduct a monthly audit exercise to plug up the loopholes in issuance of Aadhaar card to illegal foreign  nationals/unauthorised persons; and (e) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (e): Aadhar enrolment: As per the Aadhaar Act, 2016, a person who has resided in India for a period of 182 days or more in the last 12 months is eligible for Aadhaar enrolment.  An applicant can enroll for Aadhaar by providing three biometric attributes -face, fingerprints and iris scan along with demographic details such as name, date of birth, gender and address, supported by relevant documents.

Enrolment  for  Aadhaar  number  is  carried  out  through  a  network  of  UIDAI  authorised  Registrars  and enrolment  agencies.  These  include  departments  of  the  Central  and  State  Governments,  public  sector enterprises, scheduled banks and other regulated entities.

Aadhar enrolment system is reviewed from time to time, and necessary policy and technological measures are undertaken to strengthen the process.

Following measures have been recently implemented to ensure that no unauthorised foreign national is issued an Aadhaar number:

- Aadhaar enrolments for foreign nationals is restricted to designated Aadhaar enrolment centres only.
- All enrolment requests from resident foreign nationals (except the nationals of Nepal and Bhutan) are forwarded to Bureau of Immigration (BOI) for verification of passport and visa details. Aadhaar is generated only after verification of details from BOI.
- All  adult  enrolment  requests  received  from  the  nationals  of  Nepal/Bhutan  are  sent  to  respective States/UTs for verification. Aadhaar is generated only upon receipt of confirmation from the concerned State/UT authorities.
- Aadhaar issued to foreign nationals is valid only for the duration of their visa. In case of OCI card holders and nationals of Nepal and Bhutan, the Aadhaar is valid for a period of ten years.
- To distinctly identify Aadhaar numbers issued to foreign nationals, the phrase ' foreigner enrolled as a Resident ' is incorporated on such Aadhaar letters and PVC cards.
- Visibly distinct Aadhaar cards and letters are issued to foreign nationals to facilitate easy identification.

*******