On this page
If your child is 15, 16 or 17, their Aadhaar may be due for a second biometric update in the same years as board exams and entrance registrations. The update is free for now, takes one visit, and is much easier in October than in the week a form closes.
Why does my child's Aadhaar need a biometric update?
When a child enrols before age five, Aadhaar records their photo and details but not fingerprints or iris, because these are not mature at that age, according to a UIDAI release on PIB from July 2025. The same release says fingerprints, iris and photo must be updated when the child turns five, which UIDAI calls the first Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU), and warns that if it is not done even after age seven, the Aadhaar number may be deactivated.
There is a second one. UIDAI lists the mandatory biometric update of children "attaining the age of 5 and 15 years" among the services at Aadhaar Seva Kendras. For most families, that second update falls in Class 9 or Class 10, just before exam paperwork starts.
Is the Aadhaar biometric update free?
Yes, for now. The UIDAI homepage says the Mandatory Biometric Update is free of cost for children aged 5 to 17 until 30 September 2027. After that date, or for anyone 18 or older, check the current fee with the centre.
Why finish it before exam registrations?
UIDAI says keeping biometrics updated in a child's Aadhaar helps with scholarships and with registering for competitive and university exams such as NEET, JEE and CUET, in a March 2026 release on PIB. The same release reports that around 1.2 crore children had completed their MBU in their schools, in a drive that had covered more than 103,000 schools.
In a public notice dated 28 October 2026, NTA said JEE Main 2027 Session 1 is in January 2027 and its form is open. The notice advises candidates to do a Re-KYC through DigiLocker before filling the form so their latest details are fetched, and says the name and date of birth must match the Class 10 certificate or mark sheet. Our guide to JEE Main 2027 Session 1 registration covers the rest of the form.
Board registration rules differ by board and year, so read your board's current circular for which IDs it asks for. The APAAR ID is a separate student ID and does not replace the Aadhaar update.
How do you update a child's Aadhaar biometrics, step by step?
Check whether it is due. UIDAI has sent SMS reminders about the first update to the mobile number registered in a child's Aadhaar, according to the July 2025 PIB release, but do not wait for a message. If your child turned 15 and you have not been to a centre since, assume it is due.
Ask the school first. UIDAI has run MBU camps in schools, using UDISE+ data to find children who are due, per the March 2026 release.
If there is no camp, find a centre on the Bhuvan Aadhaar portal listed by UIDAI, or call the UIDAI helpline 1947.
Go in person with your child and their Aadhaar. Fingerprints, iris and photo are captured at the centre; this cannot be done from home.
Keep the acknowledgement receipt. UIDAI says it carries an Update Request Number (URN) you can use to track the request. Photograph it.
While you are there, check the name spelling and date of birth against the Class 10 certificate. A mismatch needs documents and time, and our post on fixing a name spelling across documents explains the order.
When the update shows as complete, do the DigiLocker Re-KYC if the exam portal asks for it, then start the entrance form.
What does this look like for a Class 11 student?
Take a made-up example. Aarav is 16, in Class 11, and plans to sit JEE Main and NEET-UG in Class 12. He enrolled at three and his parents did the first update at six, but nobody has been back since he turned 15.
This month: his mother asks the class teacher if a school camp is planned. None is, so she books a centre visit for a Saturday.
At the centre: biometrics are captured, she checks his name against his Class 10 mark sheet, and photographs the receipt.
Afterwards: she checks the URN status. Once it is complete, Aarav does the DigiLocker Re-KYC.
Before forms open in Class 12: nothing is left to fix in a hurry.
What to say at the counter: "My son is 16 and needs his mandatory biometric update for age 15. Can you also confirm the name and date of birth on his Aadhaar? I'd like the acknowledgement slip with the URN, please."
Once the paperwork is done, the evenings go back to study. If your child is not sure where to restart, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what they already know and build a plan for the session.
