The Unique Identification Authority of India will let Aadhaar holders update or add an email address on their record free of charge for six months starting July 1, provided the change is made through the official Aadhaar mobile app. The waiver runs through December 31, 2026, after which the standard fee, currently Rs 75 per update, is expected to apply again unless UIDAI extends the offer.
The discount is narrower than it might first appear. It covers only email address updates submitted via the app's self-service flow; changes made at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, an enrolment centre, or through other channels are not covered and will continue to attract the usual charge. Mobile number updates, address changes, and other demographic edits also fall outside the waiver.
UIDAI's broader goal is to get more Aadhaar holders to link a working email address to their record, something a large share of the roughly 1.4 billion Aadhaar numbers issued so far still lack. An email on file gives UIDAI a second channel, alongside SMS, for delivering OTPs and update notifications, which matters increasingly as more government services and banking processes lean on Aadhaar-based verification. A registered email also makes it easier to recover access if a linked mobile number is lost or changed.
The app-only restriction fits a pattern UIDAI has followed with previous fee waivers: steering users toward digital self-service rather than in-person centres, which still see heavy footfall for routine updates. For residents in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where Aadhaar Seva Kendra wait times in district towns can run into hours, the free app-based route is the more practical option for anyone who has been putting off the update.
