Aadhaar Card for Non Resident Indians

According to the Aadhaar Act 2016, an Individual who is a resident of India is eligible to enrol for Aadhaar Card. Resident is defined as an individual who is residing or has resided in India for a period of 182 days or more, in the immediate 12 months from the date of the application of the Aadhaar Card. A Non-Resident Indian (NRI) is eligible for enrolling for Aadhaar Card only if he/she is staying or has stayed for 182 days or more, in the 12 months right before applying for the Aadhaar Card. An Aadhaar Card consists of biometric, demographic and other relevant data of an individual, which is used in identifying that individual and is linked with the centralised database. Aadhaar Card is available without any cost for each Indian citizen, whether he/she is a resident or non-resident. It is even available to a resident foreign national, regardless of his/her nationality and/or citizenship. At the time of enrolment (at any Aadhaar centre of the country), an individual is required to be physically present. An appointment for enrolment can be booked by visiting any Aadhaar centre nearest to him / her.
 

Advantages of acquiring Aadhaar

For NRIs, an Aadhaar Card acts as a strong identification proof. It can help them to get jobs in the government sector when they return to the country. Not only this, they can receive other multiple benefits, such as government study schemes and social security schemes.

However, to obtain the Aadhaar card, they need to prove their existence in India for 182 days or more and for this, certain documents are required. 

Documents Required for Aadhaar card by NRIs

NRIs who wish to enrol for Aadhaar Card need to have a few basic documents. UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) accepts the following documents:

• Birth Certificate
• Photo ID Proof
• School Certificate

In addition to the above, an NRI is required to present certain other documents that prove his /her  relationship with another country. In order to check whether such an individual is eligible for an Aadhaar card, all documents are verified by government officials and appropriate authorities

Procedure for NRIs to avail an Aadhaar Card :

An NRI has to follow a similar process that an Indian resident goes through, to acquire an Aadhaar Card. The Non-Resident Indian applying for Aadhaar card can visit the UIDAI website , fill up the application form , download it and accordingly find an UIDAI authorised enrolment centre near him/her. Once the enrolment centre is selected, the person has to go to the authorised enrolment centre with the application form and all the documents consisting of proof of identity and other supporting documents. The steps that an NRI needs to follow to avail an Aadhaar card are given below:-

Step 1. Submitting of Documents 
The very first step is to submit all the relevant documents that establish the Identity of being an NRI. Birth certificate, photo ID card and school certificate are some of the documents that are to be submitted by the NRI. After that, the submitted documents will be verified by government officials. 

Step 2. Scanning of Finger Prints
After the process of submitting the documents, the NRI will be called for biometric scanning. This includes the scanning of all of his/her ten fingers to establish the Unique ID. This is why the person has to be physically present at the Aadhaar Card enrolment centre. The biometric scan is a necessary process to ensure that identification of the applicant is unique and accurate.

Step 3. Scanning of Iris
Not just the fingertips, the officials will also scan the iris of the concerned person to ensure that there is no risk of being confused with someone else's identity.

Step 4. Photograph
After the scanning procedure is complete , the government officials would take a passport size photograph of the applicant, using a webcam. This photo will be printed on the Aadhaar card.

Post-Enrolment Procedure

By visiting the UIDAI website, the applicant can track the status of his/her Aadhaar card online with the help of the enrolment number as mentioned in the acknowledgement slip. However, It takes around 60-90 days for the authorities to dispatch the Aadhaar card.  The time taken to dispatch the Aadhaar Card by the Aadhaar department is the same for both, NRIs and Indian residents. One can avail the Aadhaar card with relative ease by following the above given procedure.  The digital copy of Aadhaar called E-Aadhaar is equally accepted for all kinds of services which can be obtained from the UIDAI website. 

NRIs, Aadhaar and Income Tax Returns :

According to Section 139AA of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, as introduced by the Finance Act, 2017, quoting Aadhaar Number or Aadhaar Enrolment ID is mandatory in order to file income tax returns, and also for submitting applications for Permanent Account Number, as effective from July 1, 2017.  This condition of mandatory quoting of the Aadhaar number/Enrolment ID is applicable to all those individuals who are eligible to obtain the Aadhaar number. According to the Aadhaar Act 2016, an individual who is a resident of India is eligible to enrol for Aadhaar Card and according to the Act, a resident is an Individual who is staying or stayed for a period of 182 days or more, in the immediate 12 months before the date of application of Aadhaar. Hence, the Section 139AA of the Income-Tax Act, 1961 does not apply to those individuals who are not residents, as per the Aadhaar Act, 2016.

Conclusion is that this condition of quoting the Aadhaar number/Enrolment ID while filing ITS is not applicable to NRIs.