Masked Aadhaar Card: What is it and how to download? All you need to know

In day-to-day life, Indian citizens might need to share their Aadhaar card or the Aadhaar card number to avail certain facilities and services. For instance, people are required to provide their Aadhaar card for buying a new SIM card. Those who are applying for a new job might have to share Aadhaar card details with the company. However, the cases of fraud and misuse related to Aadhaar details have led the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to release the Masked Aadhaar. 

What is a Masked Aadhaar card?

According to the Unique Identification Authority of India, a Masked Aadhaar card does not contain the "first 8 digits of Aadhaar number" and replaces it with characters like "XXXX-XXXX" to prevent the misuse of that Aadhaar card. In a Masked Aadhaar card, only the last four digits of the Aadhaar number are visible, along with other details such as the name of the individual, residential address and date of birth. 

How to download a Masked Aadhaar card?

• Head over to the official UIDAI website at https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/
• Click on 'Download Aadhaar'
• On the following screen, select one of the following options 
  • Aadhaar Number 
  • Enrollment ID 
  • Virtual ID
• Enter one of the details selected above and enter the captcha shown on the screen 
• Click on 'Send OTP' and keep the mobile number linked with the Aadhaar card handy 
• Upon receiving the OTP, enter it into the field
• Tick the box that says 'I want Masked Aadhaar Card' and click on 'Download'
• The electronic Masked Aadhaar should be downloaded on the computer system
• Enter the password in the following format to access the file - first four alphabets of the name (in the capital) followed by the year of birth
• Once the Masked Aadhaar card opens, users can check that the first eight digits of the Aadhaar number are not mentioned, implying that the card is masked

As per a new warning shared by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India on May 27, 2022, people were advised not to share the photocopy of their Aadhaar card with any organisation as it can be misused. Instead, the press release asked people to share the masked Aadhaar, which is available to download from the official UIDAI website. However, two days later, the Ministry has withdrawn its statement, stating that "UIDAI issues Aadhaar cardholders are only advised to exercise normal prudence in using and sharing their UIDAI Aadhaar numbers." Nevertheless, users can still download a Masked Aadhaar Card if they want to.