Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 16: The central government on Tuesday urged parents and guardians to update the Aadhaar biometrics of children who have turned seven, highlighting it as a mandatory step to ensure uninterrupted access to essential services and benefits.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) emphasized that children enrolled in Aadhaar before the age of five are required to undergo a Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) once they reach age seven, if not already done at age five.

To facilitate this process, UIDAI has begun sending SMS alerts to registered mobile numbers linked with such Aadhaar records, reminding parents to complete the update.

"Timely completion of MBU is essential for the accuracy and reliability of a child's Aadhaar data," the IT Ministry said, noting that failure to update biometrics after age seven may lead to deactivation of the Aadhaar number under existing guidelines.

For children under five, Aadhaar enrolment only captures photograph, name, date of birth, gender, and address, along with supporting documents, since fingerprints and iris scans are not mature at that age. These biometrics become mandatory at age five as part of the first MBU.

• If the update is done between ages 5–7, it is free of cost.
• After seven years, a nominal fee of Rs 100 is applicable for the update.

Parents can complete the biometric update at any Aadhaar Seva Kendra or authorised Aadhaar centre.

Updated Aadhaar records with biometric data are essential for school admissions, scholarships, entrance exams, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes. The Ministry urged all parents to treat this as a priority task to avoid future inconvenience.