Applying for an Aadhar card is always an in-person process. That is because it is a document of high security implications and hence in-person verification is a must. Once the application process is completed, then one can always look to update the Aadhar online without visiting the facilitation centre. Today you have a wide choice for submitting an Aadhar application. For example, you can actually go to your nearest bank branch and apply for an Aadhar card or even update your Aadhar. Alternatively, you can also walk into the nearest post office with the required documents and get your Aadhar application done or even get your Aadhar updated. In addition, there are the Aadhar facilitation centres that have been set up by the government in every locality. It is essential that you always rely on an Aadhar facilitation centre that is very close to your place of residence.
Aadhaar is one of the ‘must have’ documents for everyone. If you still have not applied for it, you must do so at your nearest Aadhaar Enrolment Centre. However, if you are not able to find an Aadhaar Enrolment Centre near your area, then you can follow the said process.
How to locate the nearest Aadhar Enrolment Centre
There are more than 25,000 Aadhaar Enrolment Centres across the country. That means; wherever you are located, you are never too far from an Aadhar enrolment centre. You can easily find the ones near you by following these steps:
The easiest way is to visit the UIDAI website to download the complete list of Aadhar centres. The file is available in PDF format and may be a little bulky for you to search through. Of course, you can always use the CTRL-F function in your computer to locate your preferred location or preferred pin code that is most relevant to you. This will also give you a list of post offices that are enabled for Aadhar applications and post offices that are enabled for updation.
The second method is to search for Enrolment and Update Centres using the “Search Criteria” section, which gives you three options to search for Aadhaar Enrolment Centres. You can search by state, by pin code or by simply using the search box.
Search by State
Using this option, the users can search for the nearby Aadhaar card Enrolment Centres on the basis of their home location. This is a very logical process where you can drill down from state to district to taluka etc. To proceed with the search, first select the State, District, Sub-district (if any) and VTC (Village Town City) from their respective drop-down lists. Then you must check the “Only permanent centres” checkbox. These are multifaceted facilitation centres where you can enrol, update etc. To avoid any machine searches, you are required to enter a randomly generated “Verification Code”. Click the “Search” button to get the results. The search results will include details such as the registrar’s name, agency’s name, centre’s address, contact person and mobile number.
Search by Pin Code
If you know your pin code of the area you live in then you can search very easily. You can use the Search Pin Code facility to fine tune your search. For example, if you are Nariman Point in Mumbai, then you just need to put the pin code 400021 and the relevant facilitation centres will be shown to you. Interestingly, there is also a facility in Google Maps wherein you can locate the nearest Aadhar centre based on your actual location. It is a lot simpler and you get the directions too. Here again, to avoid machine searches, you need to input a verification code in the appropriate space before you can search.
Using the Search Box
If users are not sure about their address or pin code, they can still search for the nearby Aadhaar Enrolment Centres by using the “Search Box” option. The advantage here is that you can search by locality or even by landmarks or even by lane / roads etc. If you type Andheri in the search box, then you can get all the centres in Andheri West and in Andheri East and you can choose from the same. Here again, to avoid machine searches, you need to input a verification code in the appropriate space before you can search.
Once you have located the Aadhaar Enrolment Centre near you, you can visit the location, ideally with an appointment, carry all you relevant documents in original and photocopy and get your biometric recording done.