Mar 154 min read

Difference Between Masked Aadhaar and Regular Aadhaar

In India, every individual has a unique Aadhaar number which is issued by the unique identification authority of India. The Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique number which is a proof of identification and residence for all the citizens. The Aadhaar is considered as one of the most crucial documents for all. An individual should have an Aadhaar to avail of various government programs and schemes such as LPG subsidies, PM yojana, and many more. Apart from all these, Aadhaar is also very important if you wish to open a fixed deposit, apply for a driving license, Banking purposes like account creation, or any such related issues. Oftentimes, it is mandatory for Indians to link their Aadhaar with PAN cards for successful filing of Income Tax return. Now let us move to our main topic that is the difference between masked and regular Aadhaar. But before knowing about the difference between these two let us first know what is marked Aadhaar?

What is a Masked Aadhaar Card?

Masked Aadhaar card can be said as another form of Aadhaar card in which only the last 4 digits of your 12-digit Aadhaar card number are visible. It is an e-Aadhaar card introduced by UIDAI. This masked Aadhaar card was introduced to combat issues that were caused by Aadhaar card data leaks. One can easily get this after necessary authentication from the UIDAI website. In the masked Aadhaar card, the first 8 digits get replaced by XXXX-XXXX. As mentioned earlier this masked Aadhaar card ensures and protects your Aadhaar number from getting disclosed. The remaining details on the Aadhaar card remain unchanged such as name, date of birth, code, sex, photograph, demographic information, etc. The masked Aadhaar card is valid and authenticated as your normal Aadhaar card as it is authorized by UIDAI hence it is acceptable and legible.

What is a Regular Aadhaar card?

Regular Aadhaar is the usual Aadhaar card that any individual gets initially. It comprises a 12-digit random number that is allotted in each Aadhaar. As mentioned earlier this is issued by UIDAI. The regular Aadhaar is only given to the residents of India. You can easily enrol for receiving one without bothering about your age, gender, caste, religion, or any other factor. All you need is to provide the authority with your demographic and biometric information. The biometric information is taken then and there itself at the office where you have been to enrol for your regular Aadhaar. This enrollment process is free of cost. The demographic information includes your name, DOB, age, gender, mobile number, email, Aadhaar card number, parental information, residential address, etc whereas the biometric information accounts for ten fingerprints, iris scans, and of course your facial photograph.

Purpose of Having an Aadhaar

There was one single purpose to have a unique Aadhaar for all individuals and that was to eliminate the fake identities that were used to avail government schemes. It also aimed to provide the government with transparency. You will be amazed to know that it is the only program carried globally that is free of cost. It also aims to improve the way of servicing and delivery functionalities of the government in the whole county.

Steps to Getting Masked Aadhaar Card

To get your masked Aadhaar card to follow the below-mentioned steps.

Step1: Open a web browser.
Step 2: Open the official website of UIDAI or just type http://uidai.gov.in/
Step 3: Now go to my Aadhaar option and click on download Aadhaar.
Step 4: Enter your valid Aadhaar number.
Step 5: Now go and click on “I want a masked Aadhaar”.
Step 6: Click on send OTP and an OTP will be sent to you on your registered mobile number.
Step 7: Enter the OTP sent.
Step 8: Complete the survey that appears.
Step 9: Click on verify and download.
Step 10: Your masked Aadhaar will be finally downloaded.

Keep in mind that your mobile number should be registered with your Aadhaar Card else you will face issues in Step 6 and you won't be able to receive any OTP.

How to Access Your Masked Aadhaar?

After downloading the masked Aadhaar you will soon witness that it is protected with a password. To open it, you need to enter the 8 digits password. Now, what's the password? Just enter the initial four letters of your name (In Upper Case) followed by your birth year in the YYYY format. For example, if your name is RAJAN and your birth year is 1996 then your password will be RAJA1996.

Use of Masked Aadhaar

Similar to your normal Aadhaar card you can also use this Aadhaar card as identity proof (e.g., in train or plane). Also, it can be submitted to any hotel for booking. But there is one loophole: one cannot go for availing government schemes or programs with this masked Aadhaar card. Apart from all these, you can also use masked Aadhaar for e-KYC at various places.