Get Your PF UAN Yourself With Aadhaar Face Authentication

Direct answer: From 1 August 2025, you generate and activate your EPFO Universal Account Number (UAN) yourself, using Aadhaar-based Face Authentication Technology on the UMANG app. You no longer have to wait for your employer to create it. EPFO confirmed this in its circular dated 30 July 2025, which made face authentication on UMANG the only route for normal UAN allotment. An earlier circular dated 8 April 2025 had introduced the same method as an optional facility.

This is good news if you are joining your first job, or if your employer is slow to generate your UAN. The number you get is auto-activated and Aadhaar-verified, with your photo, name and date of birth pulled straight from Aadhaar. That cuts down spelling mistakes and date errors that earlier needed long correction requests.

• First-time employees getting a brand-new UAN.
• Existing members whose UAN was allotted but never activated.
• Members who want to re-verify or refresh their EPFO record against Aadhaar.

For all of these, the self-service face scan on UMANG is now the standard way. You need a smartphone, the UMANG app, and an Aadhaar number that is linked to your active mobile number.

Follow these steps in order. Keep your Aadhaar number and Aadhaar-linked phone with you.

1. Install the apps. Download the UMANG app and the Aadhaar Face RD app from your phone's app store. Both are needed, because UMANG uses the Aadhaar Face RD app for the actual scan.
2. Open EPFO on UMANG. In UMANG, search for EPFO, then choose the UAN Allotment and Activation service. If you already have a UAN that is not active, choose UAN Activation instead.
3. Enter your Aadhaar and verify OTP. Type your 12-digit Aadhaar number. An OTP is sent to the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar. Enter it to verify.
4. Do the face scan. Hold the phone at eye level in good light, follow the on-screen prompts, and let the camera capture your face. The app matches it with the UIDAI Aadhaar database.
5. UAN generated and activated. Once the match passes, your UAN is allotted and activated instantly. Your name, date of birth and photo are taken from Aadhaar, so the details are already verified.

After this, you can log in to the EPFO member portal or UMANG to view your passbook, add your bank and nominee details, and track contributions.

If your details still do not match after correction, you may need to raise a grievance with your regional EPFO office.

The earlier employer-driven UAN generation has not been removed for everyone. EPFO has kept it for exceptional cases, mainly:

• International workers covered under EPF.
• Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan working in India under the scheme.

For these members, the employer can still generate the UAN through the establishment portal, because face authentication may not suit their documentation. For a regular Indian employee, though, the self-service face route is now the normal path. Knowing your provident fund rights is part of the wider set of worker protections in the new labour codes for 2026.

No. For a normal Indian employee, from 1 August 2025 you generate and activate the UAN yourself on UMANG using Aadhaar face authentication. The employer route now applies only to exceptional cases like international workers and citizens of Nepal and Bhutan.

Yes. A UAN created through face authentication is auto-activated. Your name, photo and date of birth come from Aadhaar, so you can start using the member portal at once without a separate activation step.

You will not receive the OTP, so the process cannot continue. Visit an Aadhaar enrolment or update centre, link your current mobile number to your Aadhaar, and then start the UMANG steps again.

Yes. Because details are pulled from Aadhaar, first make sure your Aadhaar is correct. If your EPFO record still shows wrong details, use the online UAN name and date of birth correction process.

A correct, Aadhaar-verified UAN reduces claim problems, but rejections can still happen. If EPFO rejects a claim, see our guide on what to do when a PF withdrawal claim is rejected without a reason.

Before you start, keep this ready: a smartphone, the UMANG app, the Aadhaar Face RD app, your 12-digit Aadhaar number, and your Aadhaar-linked mobile for the OTP. Sit in good light for the face scan. Once your UAN is generated, log in, add your bank account and nominee, and check that your monthly contributions are showing.

To understand how to file an RTI with EPFO when a record or claim is stuck, see The RTI Playbook, which walks you through asking a public authority for the exact status of your file.