Lock Aadhaar number- now you can lock your aadhaar biometric data online

The government body – Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched a new feature that allows users to lock or unlock their Aadhaar number. This is in line with the UIDAI’s drive towards tighter security on user’s Aadhaar details.

This new feature enables the user to lock/unlock their Aadhaar number. By doing so, any authentication services using any method, such as demographic, biometric or OTP, cannot be undertaken for KYC requirements.

Keep in mind that a user cannot lock their Aadhaar number unless they have generated a virtual ID (VID). Hence, you need to first create your virtual ID. Then, lock the Aadhaar number.

1. How to lock Aadhaar number
2. How to unlock Aadhaar number

How to lock Aadhaar number

There are two methods a user can use to lock their Aadhaar number:

Via UIDAI portal

Step 1: Go to www.uidai.gov.in.

Step 2: Select the ‘My Aadhaar’ tab and click on the ‘Aadhaar lock/unlock’ option.

Step 3: Click on the option ‘Lock UID’ and fill in the necessary details.

Step 4: Now click on ‘Send OTP’, it will be sent to the registered mobile number.

Step 5: Enter OTP and click submit, now your Aadhaar number is locked.

Via SMS

A user can lock their Aadhaar number by the means of SMS with the following steps:

Step 1: Send an SMS to 1947 from the registered mobile number. The format of the message should be – GETOTPLast four digits of Aadhaar number.

Step 2: You will receive a six-digit OTP from UIDAI by SMS.

Step 3: Now to lock your Aadhaar number, send a second message with the format – LOCKUIDLast four digits of Aadhaar numbersix-digit OTP number.

Note: If the same mobile number has been registered to multiple Aadhaar numbers, the user will have to send the last eight digits of the Aadhaar instead of the last four digits.

How to unlock Aadhaar number

Similar to the locking of Aadhaar number, a user can unlock their Aadhaar number via both the UIDAI portal or SMS

Via UIDAI portal

Step 1: Go to www.uidai.gov.in.

Step 2: Select the ‘My Aadhaar’ tab and click on the ‘Aadhaar lock/unlock’ option.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Unlock UID’ option and fill your Virtual ID and security code in the correct fields.

Step 4: Click on the ‘Send OTP’ option to receive the OTP on the registered mobile number.

Step 5: Enter the OTP and select ‘Submit’ to unlock your Aadhaar number.

Via SMS

Step 1: From the registered mobile number, send an SMS to 1947 in the following format: GETOTPLast six digits of your Virtual ID number.

Step 2: You will receive a six-digit OTP via SMS.

Step 3: To unlock your Aadhaar number, send a second SMS to 1947 with the following format: UNLOCKUIDLast six digits of Virtual IDsix-digit OTP number.

Like in the case of locking the Aadhaar number, if there are multiple Aadhaar numbers associated with the same mobile number, the user will have to send the last 10 digits of their Virtual ID instead of six-digits.