In today’s times, the Aadhaar card is not just an identity card, but has become every citizen’s digital key. Whether opening a bank account, receiving government subsidies (Direct Benefit Transfer), or obtaining a passport, Aadhaar is mandatory everywhere. But did you know that you cannot change your name, photo, or date of birth in Aadhaar as many times as you wish? The UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) has set a strict time limit for Aadhaar updates, keeping fraud and data security in mind. Exceeding this limit could lead to serious legal and banking problems in the future.
Name Change Limit
The name is the most important information on the Aadhaar card. Women often want to change their surname after marriage, or sometimes need to update their name due to a spelling error. According to UIDAI rules, you can change your name in Aadhaar only twice in your lifetime.
This strict rule is designed to prevent anyone from repeatedly changing their identity and misleading the system. If you’ve exceeded your two-time limit, you’ll have to visit the Regional Office for a third change, where the process is quite complicated.
Date of Birth and Gender
Date of birth and gender are the least susceptible to change. Therefore, UIDAI has established the most stringent rules for these. You can only correct your date of birth in your Aadhaar once in your lifetime. If a mistake persists after correction, it’s impossible to correct it again online or at a regular center.
Similarly, if there’s a human error in selecting male, female, or other, the gender update can only be corrected once. UIDAI clearly states that these changes are extremely sensitive and that allowing them to be changed repeatedly could pose a significant security risk.
Address and Mobile Number
Some information can change over time, such as a home address or phone number. Keeping this in mind, UIDAI has made its rules quite flexible and rigid. If you move to another city or change your address, you can change it as many times as you wish. There is no fixed limit.
Due to the increasing importance of OTP (One-Time Transactions), updating your mobile number has become increasingly important. You can change your mobile number and email ID as many times as you wish. You don’t need any special documents; you simply need to verify your biometrics at an Aadhaar center.
What to do if the limit is exceeded
If you have exceeded your set threshold (such as two times your name or one time your date of birth) and still have an error in your Aadhaar, regular Aadhaar centers will not be able to help you. In such a situation, you will need to contact the UIDAI Regional Office directly.
You must obtain special permission via email and submit solid documents along with concrete evidence to prove why you need to make this change. The officials then thoroughly investigate the matter and only after being satisfied, allow manual correction in exceptional circumstances.