Reviewed on: 2026-07-05.
Your Aadhaar update history is a free, digitally-signed PDF from UIDAI that lists every demographic change made to your Aadhaar, with dates and request numbers. Download it from myAadhaar with an OTP. If a bank or court insists on a certified copy instead of a self-attested printout, file RTI to the CPIO, UIDAI for Rs 10; reply reaches you within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.
Rajan Kulkarni faced this exact problem in a Pune tenancy case in March 2026. He had to show the small-causes court that he lived in his Kothrud flat through 2018, when a former landlord was claiming Rajan had vacated early. Every current document Rajan held - his Aadhaar, his voter ID, his driving licence - carried his new Baner address, recorded in 2021. His passport carried yet another update. The rent receipts from 2018 were faded photocopies the landlord now disputed. His lawyer asked for anything official, dated, and independent of the landlord.
Rajan logged in to myAadhaar with his Aadhaar number and the OTP sent to his registered mobile, opened the Update History service, and downloaded a digitally-signed PDF in about four minutes, at zero cost. It listed each change to his Aadhaar in sequence: the Kothrud address recorded in July 2016, unchanged until the Baner update of February 2021, each entry with its date and the update request number (URN). Filed with a short affidavit, the court accepted it. No office visit, no fee, no RTI needed.
That is the usual story. The update history is the fastest official trace of what your Aadhaar said before, and most readers need nothing more than the download. But when the registry refuses a self-printed PDF and demands a certified copy, the same UIDAI - because it is a public authority bound by the Right to Information Act, 2005 - has to give you one. This page covers both paths: the free download that solves most cases, and the Rs 10 RTI route that solves the rest.
Aadhaar Update History is a service run by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). UIDAI is a statutory body corporate established under Section 11 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (Act No. 18 of 2016), which came into force on 12 July 2016 through Notification S.O. 2357(E). Because UIDAI is a body corporate established by a Central Act and financed by the Government of India, it squarely meets the definition of “public authority” in Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. That single fact - UIDAI is a public authority - is what gives you the legal right to demand a certified copy of your own Aadhaar records.
The Update History service is listed under UIDAI's “Update Your Aadhaar” section and is reached after login on the myAadhaar portal at myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in. Login requires your 12-digit Aadhaar number plus a one-time password sent to the mobile number registered against your Aadhaar. A registered mobile is therefore mandatory for online access. UIDAI publishes an official tutorial titled “Aadhaar Update History” walking through the steps.
The history itself shows every accepted demographic update made against your Aadhaar since enrolment - name, address, date of birth, gender, mobile and email - each entry with the date of update and the request number (EID, URN or SRN). It is the dated trail of what your Aadhaar recorded and when. The PDF you download is generated inside UIDAI's digitally-signed ecosystem, the same one used for e-Aadhaar, and UIDAI has confirmed by official Office Memorandum that e-Aadhaar and digitally-signed downloads are valid as proof of identity.
What the history does not show: the supporting documents you once uploaded (old rent receipt, old bank statement), and it does not, on the standard view, display the old photograph held at each update. It lists the changes, not the proofs. This matters for your RTI drafting - if you need an old supporting document or an old biometric record, ask for that separately and specifically; do not assume the standard history PDF contains it.
Two related facts strengthen the value of the download. First, UIDAI has confirmed by official Office Memorandum that an e-Aadhaar - a downloaded, digitally-signed Aadhaar PDF - is valid as proof of identity, on par with the Aadhaar letter sent by post. The Update History PDF is generated in the same digitally-signed ecosystem, so the same logic of authenticity applies. Second, under Section 23 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, UIDAI is assigned the functions of conducting and supervising the enrolment and authentication processes, and under Section 23A (inserted by the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019, Act 14 of 2019, effective 25 July 2019) it has the power to issue directions to all ecosystem entities. This is the statutory root of UIDAI's authority to maintain, audit and certify the update record you are asking for - which is why a certified copy from UIDAI carries real weight in court.
Two things have moved in 2025-2026 that change how you should approach this.
First, UIDAI's RTI disclosure has been refreshed. The current list of Central Public Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities at UIDAI Head Office is dated 18 May 2026, with a parallel list for Regional Offices on the same date. CPIOs are assigned by subject - Enrolment and Updation, Authentication and Verification, Aadhaar Usage, CRM and Grievance Cell, and so on. This means a properly addressed RTI on update-history records now lands with the specific CPIO who holds that subject, not a generic inbox. The Nodal Officer at the UIDAI RTI Cell is the Deputy Director coordinating these; the Head Office address is 3rd Floor, Behind Kali Mandir, Bangla Sahib Road, New Delhi - 110001.
Second, the DoRTI Online portal (rtionline.gov.in), Version 2.0, now lists UIDAI as a selectable Central public authority. You can file and pay entirely online - by internet banking, debit or credit card (Master/Visa/RuPay), or UPI - without buying an Indian Postal Order. The portal help desk is 011-24010690 and 011-24010691. This is the fastest route for most readers: no post office trip, no draft, and the application reaches UIDAI's RTI Cell the same day.
Why this matters for your RTI. Most readers will never need the RTI route at all, because the free download carries a UIDAI digital signature and many banks and courts accept it with a short affidavit. File RTI only after you have (a) downloaded the history, (b) printed and self-attested it, and © asked the bank or court registry in writing whether a self-attested copy is enough. That one written question often saves you the entire certified-copy detour.
Understanding the flow tells you exactly what to ask for and who holds it.
The key insight: the free download and the certified copy are the same underlying record, just issued in two different formats. That is why the RTI route is a fallback, not a different source of truth.
A practical point on the request numbers, because banks and courts sometimes ask for them. The EID (Enrolment ID) is assigned at first enrolment and is a 28-digit number that includes the timestamp. The URN (Update Request Number) is generated for each update filed at an enrolment centre. The SRN (Service Request Number) is generated for each online update filed through myAadhaar. All three appear in your update history, and the CPIO can certify any of them. When you draft your RTI, giving the approximate date range and the field you care about (address, name, date of birth) is enough - you do not need to know the URN in advance, because asking for it is part of what the RTI does.
Before you file anything, download the history. It costs nothing and solves most cases.
If your registered mobile is lost or dead, fix that first at an enrolment centre - you cannot log in without the OTP. See Aadhaar mobile number update delays for that process.
This step is skipped more often than any other, and it is the one that saves the most time. Send a short written request to the bank officer or the court registry asking:
Keep the stamped receiving. If the answer is “self-attested is fine”, you are done. If the answer is “we need a certified copy”, go to Step 3.
UIDAI is a Central public authority, so this is a Central RTI. You file it with the Central Public Information Officer, UIDAI.
Online route (recommended): File through rtionline.gov.in. Select “Unique Identification Authority of India” as the public authority. Pay the Rs 10 fee by internet banking, card, or UPI. The application reaches UIDAI's RTI Cell the same day.
Offline route: Send the application by post or by hand to the Central Registry Section, Ground Floor, UIDAI HQ Building, Bangla Sahib Road, New Delhi - 110001, during office hours (9:30 AM to 6:00 PM). Pay the Rs 10 fee by Indian Postal Order, Demand Draft, or Cash in favour of “Unique Identification Authority of India”.
Frame your questions tightly. Ask only for your own record. Four strong sample questions:
The application fee is Rs 10 under Rule 3 of the Right to Information (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2012. The application should not exceed 500 words. If you ask for extra photocopies beyond the certified copy, the charge is Rs 2 per page under Rule 4; inspection of records is free for the first hour and Rs 5 for each subsequent hour or fraction.
The CPIO must reply within 30 days of receipt under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act (or within 48 hours where the information concerns the life or liberty of a person). If the reply is evasive, silent, or refuses without citing Section 8(1)(j) properly, file a first appeal with the First Appellate Authority, UIDAI, within 30 days of the CPIO reply under Section 19(1) of the Act. If the FAA also fails, a second appeal lies to the Central Information Commission within 90 days.
The fee for online filing and the appeal format are on the UIDAI RTI page and rtionline.gov.in. For the fee structure across states (useful if you also need a state-Aadhaar-linked record), see rti-fees-by-state.
Once UIDAI issues the certified copy, submit it with a covering letter and your affidavit. Keep a stamped receiving. RTI cannot compel the bank or court to accept any particular document, but a UIDAI-certified copy of your own Aadhaar record is, in practice, the strongest form of that record you can produce.
Rajan Kulkarni, Pune (Kothrud to Baner move, March 2026)
Rajan needed to prove his Kothrud address stood through 2018 in a small-causes tenancy case. His current Aadhaar carried the Baner address from February 2021.
- Step 1: Logged in to myAadhaar, downloaded the free digitally-signed Update History PDF - 4 minutes, Rs 0. It showed Kothrud address recorded July 2016, unchanged until the Baner update of 02 February 2021 (URN on record). - Step 2: Filed it with a short affidavit. The court registry asked for a certified copy. - Step 3: Filed RTI online through rtionline.gov.in selecting UIDAI. Fee: Rs 10 paid by UPI. Asked for a certified copy of his complete update history and the address recorded immediately before the 02 February 2021 update. - Step 4: Certified copy received on day 26, under Section 7(1). - Total cost: Rs 0 download + Rs 10 RTI fee = Rs 10. Total elapsed time: about 5 weeks. - Filed the certified copy with the court; tenancy claim proceeded.
To: The Central Public Information Officer, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), 3rd Floor, Behind Kali Mandir, Bangla Sahib Road, New Delhi - 110001. Sub: Certified copy of my own Aadhaar update history under the RTI Act, 2005. 1. I seek information relating only to my own Aadhaar record. My Aadhaar No. is XXXX-XXXX-XXXX and my registered mobile is [number]. A photocopy of my Aadhaar is enclosed as identity proof. 2. Under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, kindly provide a certified copy of the complete update history recorded against my Aadhaar, showing each updated field, the date of update, and the request number (URN/SRN/EID). 3. Under Section 6(3), kindly state the address recorded against my Aadhaar immediately before the update dated [DD/MM/YYYY], as held in UIDAI records. 4. Under Section 7(1), I request that the information be supplied within the statutory period of 30 days. The certified copy is required for production before the [court / bank], so an early reply is requested. 5. Application fee of Rs 10 is paid by [IPO / DD / online receipt no. ...] in favour of "Unique Identification Authority of India". 6. I may file a first appeal under Section 19(1) if the information is not supplied within 30 days or is refused without valid grounds. Name: ........................................ Full address: ................................ Mobile / email: .............................. Signature: ................................... Date: ........................................
If filing online through rtionline.gov.in, paste the same text into the application field; the portal handles the fee and routing.
Yes. Viewing and downloading it on myAadhaar costs nothing, any number of times. Costs arise only if you need a certified copy, where the RTI application fee is Rs 10 under Rule 3 of the RTI (Fee and Cost) Rules, 2012, plus Rs 2 per page if you request extra photocopies beyond the certified copy under Rule 4.
To your enrolment. Every accepted demographic update since then appears with its date and request number. Rejected requests are not part of the proof trail, because they never became part of your record.
Not online, because the myAadhaar login needs the OTP sent to the registered mobile. Update your mobile at an enrolment centre first, or visit an Aadhaar Seva Kendra with original ID for assisted access. See Aadhaar mobile number update delays for the steps.
Practice varies. The PDF carries a UIDAI digital signature, and many courts and banks take it with a supporting affidavit, as in the Pune example above. If the registry insists on a certified copy, the RTI route supplies one. Always ask the registry in writing first, so you have a stamped receiving of what they require.
No. Aadhaar records are personal information. UIDAI will refuse third-party requests, including under RTI, on the basis of Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, which exempts personal information disclosure that has no relationship to any public activity or interest. The record holder must obtain their own copy. This is a correct and important protection - do not try to bypass it.
The standard history focuses on demographic fields and update dates. For questions about old biometric or photograph records, put the specific question in your RTI for your own data, citing the date range you need. Do not assume the standard history PDF contains a photo field.
Open the PDF in a reader that supports signature validation (Adobe Reader is the standard reference UIDAI cites), click the signature panel, and validate. A bank officer or court registry can do the same on screen before accepting your printout. UIDAI publishes a public certificate and a validation tutorial for e-Aadhaar, which applies to the same digitally-signed ecosystem.
Then the mismatch lives on the bank's side or in an authentication issue, not in your update history. Ask the bank in writing to state the exact mismatch (field, date, value), and see Aadhaar authentication failure at the bank or ration shop for the fix sequence. If the mismatch is a name issue across documents, the name-mismatch correction sequence sets out the order in which to fix each document.
You can file it fully online through rtionline.gov.in, selecting UIDAI as the Central public authority and paying the Rs 10 fee by internet banking, card, or UPI. The offline route - post or hand delivery to the UIDAI Central Registry in New Delhi with an IPO or DD - is still available and is useful where you want a stamped paper receiving.
File a first appeal with the First Appellate Authority, UIDAI, within 30 days of the date the reply was due, under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act. If the FAA also fails, a second appeal lies to the Central Information Commission within 90 days. The appeal formats and fee are on the UIDAI RTI page. You can use the first-appeal tool at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/first-appeal-app.html to draft the appeal letter.
In substance, no - both reflect the same UIDAI record. In form, yes - a certified copy carries the CPIO's signature and UIDAI's seal under the RTI Act, which is the format court registries are trained to accept. Some registries are simply not willing to take a printout you signed yourself, however genuine the underlying digital signature. For those, the certified copy is the clean answer, and it costs only Rs 10.
Yes. Under Rule 4 of the RTI (Fee and Cost) Rules, 2012, inspection of records is free for the first hour and Rs 5 for each subsequent hour or fraction. In practice, Aadhaar back-end records are inspected at UIDAI's offices on a date fixed by the CPIO. For most readers this is unnecessary - a certified copy is enough - but inspection is useful if you need to see the full audit trail across many updates before deciding what to ask for.
No. BPL applicants are exempt from both the Rs 10 application fee and the information-supply fee, on producing a valid BPL certificate. Attach the BPL certificate to your application and state the exemption in your covering letter.
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*This page explains the law as it stands on the date above. It is not legal advice. If a court registry has refused your document, act quickly and in writing at every step.*