20 mn Aadhaar numbers disabled: How to record death of a family member

Aadhaar information of a person who has died is deactivated to prevent misuse like accessing subsidies, opening financial accounts

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More than 20 million Aadhaar numbers of deceased people have been disabled to improve the “integrity of the database”, said the organisaiton that issues the 12-digit unique identity number.

 

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) did so to reduce the risk of identity fraud and prevent the wrongful use of Aadhaar-linked benefits, according to a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB). The cleanup draws on data from multiple government sources and will continue as more systems are integrated.

 

Why Aadhaar deactivation after death matters

 

Aadhaar is widely used for authentication, from banking to welfare schemes, and the absence of a formal death-linked update has long posed challenges. If the Aadhaar of a deceased person remains active, it may be misused for accessing subsidies, opening financial accounts, or claiming benefits. UIDAI has reiterated, as per the PIB release, that Aadhaar numbers are never reassigned to another individual, making deactivation the only appropriate step after a person’s death.

 

How UIDAI gets data on deaths

 

UIDAI is sourcing records from the Registrar General of India, states, public distribution systems, social assistance schemes and other central departments. It is also exploring data-sharing arrangements with financial institutions to strengthen the verification pipeline.

 

Report a family member’s death online

 

To make the process more systematic, UIDAI introduced a “reporting of death of a family member” feature on the myAadhaar portal earlier this year. According to the PIB release, this service currently covers deaths registered in 25 states and Union Territories that are linked to the Civil Registration System, with the remaining jurisdictions in the process of being integrated.

 

How the online reporting works

 

A family member can initiate the process on the myAadhaar portal by completing the following steps:

 

• Authenticate their own identity through the portal.
• Provide the deceased person’s Aadhaar number.
• Enter the Death Registration Number and basic demographic details.
• UIDAI then verifies the information before taking a decision on whether to deactivate the Aadhaar number.

 

How to check if an Aadhaar number has been deactivated

Legal heirs can confirm the activation status of a deceased person’s Aadhaar through two routes:

 

Online

 

Visit the myAadhaar portal.

 

Select “Check Aadhaar Status”.

 

Enter the Aadhaar number. The system will display whether it is active or marked as “deactivated due to death”.

 

Offline

 

Visit an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or enrolment centre with basic identification documents. Officials can check the status.

 

UIDAI has encouraged families to report deaths promptly once a death certificate is issued, to help maintain a reliable national identity database and to minimise any scope for fraudulent activity.