What is masked Aadhaar, how to download it

On May 29, 2022, the central government reversed its May 27 warning which advised citizens to share only masked versions of their Aadhaar cards with organisations to prevent misuse. The advisory has been withdrawn by the Centre due to the risk of misinterpretation of the press release, and it has been removed with immediate effect. Users of Aadhaar cards have been cautioned to use caution when using and sharing their UIDAI Aadhaar numbers.

According to the UIDAI website, “Mask Aadhaar option allows you to mask your Aadhaar number in your downloaded e-Aadhaar. Masked Aadhaar number implies replacing of first 8 digits of Aadhaar number with some characters like “xxxx-xxxx” while only last 4 digits of the Aadhaar Number are visible.”Only the last four digits of the 12-digit Aadhaar number are visible in the document with masked Aadhaar, hiding the first eight digits to protect the subscriber's identity. This ensures that even if the card is lost or misplaced, it cannot be used fraudulently.

Masked Aadhaar can be used for eKYC where sharing Aadhaar Number is not necessary. It only shows the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar.Physical copies of the Aadhaar card, as well as e-Aadhaar, masked Aadhaar, and offline electronic xml provided by UIDAI (if voluntarily offered by the client) will be accepted as Officially Valid Documents for KYC purposes, according to a circular issued by UIDAI on October 23, 2018, based on the opinion of the Learned Attorney General of India.

Aadhaar number, Enrollment ID, and Virtual ID are the three methods for downloading masked Aadhaar. You can pick between normal Aadhaar and Masked Aadhaar when downloading eAadhaar.Step 1: Visit website of the UIDAI.Step 2: Select 'My Aadhaar' from the drop-down menu.Step 3: Select the 'Aadhaar Card Download' option.Step 4: Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number or other unique identifier (UID)Step 5: Now, choose the 'Masked Aadhaar' option.Step 6: Verify that the captcha code is correct.Step 7: Select 'Send OTP' from the drop-down menu. (Alternatively, you can choose 'Enter TOTP.')Step 8: Enter the OTP and download your Aadhaar or e-Aadhaar card, which is masked.

The Aadhaar letter PDF Password will be in 8 characters.Combination of the first four letters of your name (as in Aadhaar) in CAPITAL letters and Year of Birth in YYYY format.Example: Your name is MAHESH KUMAR Your Year of Birth is 1989.Then your e-Aadhaar password is MAHE1989If the name is AMAR and the year of birth is 1990, the password will be AMAR1990If the name is Ravi and the year of birth is 1998, the password will be RAVI1998