UIDAI Waives Charges for Aadhaar Biometric Updates for Children Aged 7–15

TIT Correspondent
info@impressivetimes.com

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced a waiver of all charges for Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBU-1) in Aadhaar for children aged 7 to 15, a move expected to benefit nearly six crore young citizens. This initiative, which came into effect on 1st October 2025, will remain in force for one year and aims to make access to education, scholarships, and government welfare schemes more seamless for children.

Children under the age of five are enrolled in Aadhaar using basic demographic details and a photograph, while fingerprints and iris scans are not captured as they are not fully developed. As per existing rules, the first MBU is required when a child reaches five years of age, and the second MBU is due at 15 years. Previously, these updates were free only within certain age ranges, with a fee of ₹125 charged for updates outside that window. With the new decision, biometric updates for all children between 5 and 17 years will now be free of cost.

Updated Aadhaar biometrics are critical for ensuring smooth access to services such as school admissions, entrance exam registrations, scholarships, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes. Parents and guardians are encouraged to prioritize updating the biometric information of their children to facilitate their participation in various educational and welfare programs. This step underscores UIDAI’s commitment to making essential government services more accessible to India’s youth