Aadhaar mobile number update delayed after an enrolment centre visit

Reviewed on: 2026-07-05.

Anita S. of Indore lost the SIM that was linked to her Aadhaar on 2 May 2026. Without that number she could not draw her PF online, could not preview her Aadhaar PVC card, and could not complete a bank KYC that demanded an Aadhaar OTP. On 6 May she walked into an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, gave her biometric, paid ₹75, and was handed a small acknowledgement slip printed with a 14-digit number and a date-time stamp. The operator told her “ho jayega” - it will be done.

By 27 May, three weeks later, her bank OTPs were still landing silently on a number she no longer owned. The status tracker on myAadhaar read “your request is under process”. The free Verify Mobile service on the same portal showed nothing registered against her new SIM. She called 1947, quoted the 14-digit SRN from the slip, and learnt the request was sitting in a back-end quality-check queue. The agent logged a complaint and gave her a reference number. The same evening she filed a grievance on the UIDAI portal, attaching a photograph of the slip. The update finally reflected on 2 June 2026, 27 days after her visit. Her total cost stayed ₹75.

Her story is the standard one. The slip, and the SRN printed on it, did all the work. She escalated one rung at a time, and she never paid anyone who promised an “online” mobile update - because no such route exists.

A mobile number update is a demographic update to your Aadhaar record. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), maintains the Aadhaar database and decides how each field can be changed.

Two things make a mobile update different from every other demographic change:

1. It can never be done online. UIDAI states plainly, “Mobile update is not permitted through online mode.” The reason is logical: the online route assumes you still control the old number, because it needs an OTP to that number to authorise the change. If you have lost the number, that assumption breaks. So the only route is an in-person visit to an Aadhaar Enrolment Centre or Aadhaar Seva Kendra, where your biometric is captured to prove identity.
2. No document is required. You do not need to carry proof of the new number, and you do not need the old number at all. Your biometric is the proof. This is why the process is cheap (₹75) but not instant - UIDAI runs the request through back-end quality checks before it commits the change.

The fee, revised upward with effect from 1 October 2025, is ₹75 for a standalone demographic update (mobile alone, or any combination of name/gender/date of birth/address/mobile/email). This fee is valid till 30 September 2028 and will be reviewed in October 2028. A demographic update is free when it is done together with a biometric update (the biometric update itself costs ₹125, rising to ₹150 from October 2028). So if your fingerprints are also failing, club the mobile update with a biometric update and pay only ₹125 instead of ₹75 plus ₹125 separately.

An alternative channel exists: India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) runs a doorstep mobile-update service delivered by postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks using the UIDAI Child Enrolment Lite Client (CELC) app. The charge is ₹75 including applicable taxes, and you can book it by calling the IPPB call centre at 155299 (or 033-22029000), or by asking your local postman. Delivery is scheduled T+2 to T+10 days, in an 11 AM to 4 PM slot. It is available at selected post offices and is being rolled out in phases, so it may not yet cover your pincode.

If anyone - a shop, an agent, a website - offers to update your Aadhaar mobile number “online” for a fee, it is a scam. Only the centre route and the IPPB doorstep route exist. Report the offer to 1947 with the person's name and number.

Understanding the flow tells you exactly what to ask for when you escalate.

1. At the centre: the operator captures your biometric and the new mobile number, and prints an acknowledgement. For a new enrolment this carries a 14-digit Enrolment ID (EID) with a date-time stamp. For an update request - which is what a mobile change is - it carries a 14-digit Service Request Number (SRN) on the update invoice. Many people call both “the EID”, but they are different numbers and they are tracked on slightly different pages. Use the right one.
2. Back-end queue: UIDAI runs the request through quality checks - biometric match, demographic consistency, and fraud screening. This is the queue that stretches the wait. The operator at the counter cannot see this queue and cannot move it.
3. Tracking: for an update, go to myAadhaar (myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in) and use “Check Aadhaar Update Status”, entering the 14-digit SRN. For a fresh enrolment, use resident.uidai.gov.in/check-aadhaar-status with the EID.
4. Verification: the free Verify Mobile (and Verify Aadhaar) service on myAadhaar tells you, without any OTP, whether a given mobile number is registered against your Aadhaar number. This is the cleanest way to confirm the update went through even if no confirmation SMS has arrived.
5. Normal window: UIDAI states that 90 per cent of update requests are completed within 30 days, and the maximum statutory window runs up to 90 days. So “30 days” is the practical escalation trigger, not a hard deadline. Beyond 90 days of inactivity, the ladder below is the right sequence.

The single most important change is the fee revision effective 1 October 2025. The old ₹50 figure that many older guides and many centre operators still quote is outdated. The notified fee for a standalone demographic update - including a mobile number update - is now ₹75, valid till 30 September 2028. If a centre demands more than ₹75 for a standalone demographic update, pay nothing extra, note the centre name and operator ID, and report it on 1947 with your SRN. If a centre demands more than ₹125 for a biometric-plus-demographic update, do the same.

The second change is the IPPB doorstep service charge, now fixed at ₹75 including taxes - bookable on 155299. Earlier informal descriptions called it “a nominal charge”, which left the door open for overcharging. The ₹75 figure is now the published rate.

The third is the clarification that the outer UIDAI window is 90 days, not 30. This matters for your RTI framing: if you file an RTI at day 31 asking “why is my update delayed”, UIDAI can reasonably answer that it is still within the 90-day window. The sharper RTI question is to ask for the current status of your SRN, the specific reason it is held in the queue, and the action taken on your grievance - not a blanket “why the delay”.

Do not jump straight to RTI. UIDAI runs a working grievance system, and RTI is the last rung, used when the earlier rungs have gone quiet. Walk the ladder in order.

1. Step 1 - Self-check (day 0 to day 30). Photograph the acknowledgement slip the moment it is handed over. Track the SRN on myAadhaar's “Check Aadhaar Update Status”. Run Verify Mobile to see if the new number is already registered. Do nothing else until either 30 days pass or the status shows “rejected”.
2. Step 2 - Helpline (day 31). Call 1947 with the SRN ready. The IVRS is self-service 24×7; a Contact Centre Executive is available Monday to Saturday 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM and Sunday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (closed on 26 January, 15 August, 2 October), in 12 languages. Ask for the current status, the specific reason the request is held, and log a complaint - note the complaint reference number. You can also email [email protected].
3. Step 3 - UIDAI grievance (day 31 to day 60). File a written grievance at myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/file-complaint (reachable from the UIDAI site under “Grievance and Feedback”). Attach the slip photo, quote the SRN and the 1947 complaint reference. Grievances are normally resolved within 30 days. Keep the grievance registration number.
4. Step 4 - CPGRAMS (day 60 onward, if the grievance is silent). Escalate to the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System at pgportal.gov.in, available 24×7. File a grievance against UIDAI, quoting the SRN, the 1947 complaint reference, and the UIDAI grievance number. CPGRAMS gives you a central tracking number that sits above the department's own system.
5. Step 5 - RTI to UIDAI (day 60 onward, or earlier if the grievance is rejected). This is the step that forces a written, legally binding answer. The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) is at UIDAI Headquarters, Bangla Sahib Road, Gole Market, New Delhi-110001, or at the relevant UIDAI Regional Office. File it online - the RTI fee to a Central public authority is Rs 10, payable through the online portal. Ask, in writing:

1. “Provide the current status of Aadhaar update request SRN filed on at the Aadhaar Seva Kendra, .”
2. “Provide the specific reason this request is held in the back-end queue beyond the normal 30-day window, with the date it entered each stage of processing.”
3. “Provide the action taken on grievance number filed on on the UIDAI grievance portal, and the name and designation of the officer who handled it.”
4. “Provide the expected date by which the mobile update will reflect in the Aadhaar database, as recorded against this SRN.”
5. “Provide a certified copy of the quality-check report or rejection note, if any, generated against this SRN.”

If the CPIO's reply is silent, evasive, or wrong, file a first appeal under section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority at UIDAI within 30 days of the reply. Use the first-appeal drafting tool at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/first-appeal-app.html to structure it. To check whether the CPIO's reply actually answers what you asked, run it through the PIO reply checker at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker-app.html. To compute your statutory deadlines precisely, use the RTI timeline calculator at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/timeline-calculator-app.html.

You can also draft the initial application with the AI RTI draft tool at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html, which structures your questions against the correct sections of the RTI Act.

1. A clear photograph or scan of the acknowledgement slip showing the 14-digit SRN and the date-time stamp.
2. Your Aadhaar number (the 12-digit number, not the SRN).
3. The 1947 complaint reference number, if you called.
4. The UIDAI grievance registration number, if you filed one.
5. The CPGRAMS tracking number, if you escalated there.
6. A short note on the impact: bank KYC blocked, PF withdrawal stuck, PVC card preview failing - this shows the real-world harm, which strengthens a first appeal.
7. The ₹75 fee receipt from the centre (some centres issue one; if yours did not, the slip itself is proof of payment).

1. Losing the slip. Without the 14-digit SRN, every channel - 1947, the grievance portal, CPGRAMS, RTI - slows to a crawl. Photograph the slip the instant you get it, and email the photo to yourself.
2. Confusing the SRN with the EID. An update centre issues an SRN; a fresh enrolment issues an EID. They are tracked on different pages. Entering the SRN into the enrolment-status page returns “not found” and causes needless panic.
3. Escalating on day five. UIDAI's own SLA is 90 per cent within 30 days, and the outer window is 90 days. Escalating before 30 days just generates a “still in process” reply.
4. Returning to the centre repeatedly. The operator at the counter cannot see or move the UIDAI back-end queue. Revisits waste time and money. Track online instead.
5. Paying anyone who promises an online mobile update. No such service exists. This is the single most common Aadhaar scam. Report the offer to 1947.
6. Paying more than ₹75 at the centre. The notified fee for a standalone demographic update is ₹75 w.e.f. 1 October 2025. Overcharging is a complaint ground.
7. Filing RTI against the enrolment-centre operator. The operator is a private vendor and is not a public authority. RTI lies against UIDAI, which owns the back-end system. Frame your questions to UIDAI.
8. Forgetting that a stuck mobile update blocks everything OTP-based. PVC card preview, update-history download, online address change, PF withdrawal, and many bank KYC flows all need an Aadhaar OTP. Fix this first, before chasing any of those downstream problems.

Anita never needed to file an RTI because the helpline-plus-grievance combination worked. Had the grievance stayed silent past day 60, she would have filed an RTI with the CPIO, UIDAI, quoting the SRN, the 1947 reference, and the grievance number - the three references carried forward, exactly as the ladder requires.

To
The Central Public Information Officer,
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI),
Bangla Sahib Road, Gole Market,
New Delhi - 110001.

Sub: Application under section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 -
status of Aadhaar mobile-number update request SRN ____________.

Sir/Madam,

I, ____________ son/daughter of ____________, holder of Aadhaar number
____________, filed a mobile-number update request at the Aadhaar Seva Kendra,
____________, on ____________ (SRN ____________, copy of acknowledgement slip
attached). The normal 30-day window has elapsed and the request is still
shown as "under process" on myAadhaar. I have also lodged a complaint with
the 1947 helpline (reference ____________) and a grievance on the UIDAI
grievance portal (registration number ____________), but no substantive
reply has been received.

I respectfully seek the following information under section 6(1) of the
RTI Act, 2005:

1. The current status of Aadhaar update request SRN ____________ as on the
   date of receipt of this application.
2. The specific stage at which the request is currently held in the back-end
   processing queue, with the date it entered each stage.
3. The specific reason the request has not been completed within the normal
   30-day window stated by UIDAI.
4. The action taken on grievance registration number ____________ filed on
   ____________, including the name and designation of the officer who
   handled it.
5. The expected date by which the mobile update will reflect in the Aadhaar
   database, as recorded against this SRN.
6. A certified copy of any quality-check report, rejection note, or exception
   log generated against this SRN.

Since the information sought relates to the life and liberty of a citizen
whose bank KYC and PF withdrawal are blocked for want of an Aadhaar OTP, I
request a reply within 48 hours under the proviso to section 7(1) of the
RTI Act, 2005; failing which, within the statutory 30 days.

I state that the information sought is not exempt under section 8 or 9 of
the RTI Act, 2005. I am an Indian citizen. The requisite fee of Rs 10 is
remitted through the online RTI portal (transaction reference ____________).

Place: ____________
Date: ____________
                              (Signature)
Name: ____________
Address: ____________
Mobile/Email: ____________

Call 1947 with your 12-digit Aadhaar number, your full name, and the date and location of your centre visit. The agent can trace the request against your Aadhaar number and re-issue the SRN over the helpline. From now on, photograph every slip the moment it is handed over and email the photo to yourself. The SRN is the single key that unlocks every escalation channel.

No. UIDAI explicitly states that mobile update is not permitted through online mode, because the online route assumes you still control the old number and needs an OTP to it. The only routes are an in-person visit to an Aadhaar Enrolment Centre or Aadhaar Seva Kendra, or the IPPB doorstep service (bookable on 155299, ₹75 inclusive of taxes) where available. Anyone offering an online mobile update for a fee is running a scam.

The notified fee for a standalone demographic update - including a mobile number update - is ₹75 with effect from 1 October 2025, valid till 30 September 2028. A demographic update is free when done together with a biometric update (the biometric update costs ₹125). If a centre demands more than ₹75 for a standalone demographic update, pay nothing extra, note the centre name and operator ID, and report it on 1947 with your SRN. The older ₹50 figure is outdated.

Use the free Verify Mobile service on myAadhaar. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and the new mobile number. It tells you, without any OTP, whether that number is registered against your Aadhaar. This works even before any confirmation SMS arrives, and it is the cleanest independent check.

Call 1947 and ask for the specific reason. A common cause is poor biometric capture at the centre - faint fingerprints or an iris mismatch. You will usually need a fresh visit, a fresh ₹75 request, and a fresh SRN. Track the new SRN, not the old one. If the rejection reason is unclear even after the 1947 call, file a grievance at myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/file-complaint asking for the rejection note against the SRN; if that is silent, an RTI for the certified copy of the quality-check report is the next step.

An EID (Enrolment ID) is the 14-digit number with a date-time stamp on the acknowledgement slip when you enrol for Aadhaar for the first time. An SRN (Service Request Number) is the 14-digit number on the update invoice when you update an existing Aadhaar. They are tracked on different pages of the UIDAI website: the EID on resident.uidai.gov.in/check-aadhaar-status, and the SRN on myAadhaar's “Check Aadhaar Update Status”. Entering one into the other's page returns “not found”.

Some services accept biometric authentication instead of an OTP, so a branch visit can unblock Aadhaar authentication failures at a bank or ration shop. An Aadhaar PVC card can even be ordered using a non-registered mobile number. But anything that strictly needs an Aadhaar OTP - such as the Aadhaar update history download - waits for this fix. So fix the mobile number first, before chasing the downstream problems.

No. The mobile number is not printed on the card, and the 12-digit Aadhaar number stays the same across every update. If you also need a name correction after marriage or divorce or an address update with rental proof, ask the operator to club them into the same ₹75 demographic request - one fee covers any combination of demographic fields.

No. The operator - typically a bank, a common-service-centre vendor, or a postman acting as a UIDAI registrar partner - is a private entity and is not a public authority under the RTI Act 2005. RTI lies against UIDAI, which owns the back-end system that holds your SRN. Frame your questions to UIDAI about the status and processing of your SRN, not about the operator's counter conduct. Operator overcharging is better reported to 1947.

UIDAI's own SLA is 90 per cent of updates within 30 days, and the outer window is up to 90 days. A sensible sequence is: self-check until day 30, call 1947 on day 31, file a UIDAI grievance the same week, escalate to CPGRAMS if the grievance is silent past day 60, and file RTI at that point quoting all earlier references. Filing RTI at day 31 usually just gets a “still within window” reply. The sharper RTI asks for status, specific reason for hold, and action taken on your grievance.

• UIDAI - Aadhaar Enrolment / Update FAQs (mobile update not permitted online, no document required, Aadhaar number unchanged): https://uidai.gov.in/en/295-faqs/enrolment-update.html
• UIDAI - Aadhaar Enrolment and Update Charges (₹75 standalone demographic fee w.e.f. 1 October 2025, valid till 30 September 2028; ₹125 biometric; free demographic with biometric): https://uidai.gov.in/en/1443-english-uk/faqs/enrolment-update/aadhaar-enrolment-update-charges.html
• UIDAI - How long does it take to update Aadhaar details (90 per cent within 30 days, outer window up to 90 days): https://uidai.gov.in/en/297-english-uk/faqs/enrolment-update/aadhaar-updation/18720-how-long-does-it-take-to-update-aadhaar-details.html
• UIDAI - Grievance Redressal (1947 helpline hours, [email protected], grievance portal, CPGRAMS pgportal.gov.in): https://uidai.gov.in/en/contact-support/grievance-redressal.html
• UIDAI - Headquarters (Bangla Sahib Road, Gole Market, New Delhi-110001; reception 011-23478653): https://uidai.gov.in/en/contact-support/uidai-headquarter.html
• UIDAI - myAadhaar update services (Check Aadhaar Update Status, Verify Mobile, Verify Aadhaar): https://uidai.gov.in/en/my-aadhaar/update-aadhaar.html
• UIDAI - myAadhaar online update service FAQ (SRN tracking, update invoice): https://uidai.gov.in/en/contact-support/have-any-question/1045-english-uk/faqs/enrolment-update/myaadhaar-online-update-service.html
• India Post Payments Bank - CELC doorstep service (₹75 inclusive of taxes, book on 155299 or 033-22029000, T+2 to T+10, 11 AM-4 PM): https://ippbonline.bank.in/web/ippb/celc-service
• India Post Payments Bank - Doorstep banking: https://ippbonline.bank.in/web/ippb/doorstep-banking
• CPGRAMS - Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System: https://www.pgportal.gov.in/
• Right to Information Act, 2005 - section 6(1) (filing), section 7(1) (reply within 30 days; 48 hours where life or liberty is involved), section 10 (partial access), section 19(1) (first appeal).

• Aadhaar update stuck - the RTI angle - the RTI-focused companion to this guide.
• Aadhaar update delay in 2026 - when the 90-day outer window has passed.
• Aadhaar update rejected - for a “rejected” status and how to get the rejection reason in writing.
• Aadhaar not generated - the first-enrolment sibling, using the EID rather than the SRN.
• Aadhaar authentication failure at a bank or ration shop - when a working mobile number still does not unblock OTP-based services.
• Aadhaar PVC card not delivered or wrong address - a downstream problem that a stuck mobile update often triggers.
• Aadhaar update history for bank or court proof - blocked entirely until your mobile update reflects.
• Aadhaar name correction rejected after marriage or divorce - club it into the same ₹75 demographic request.
• Mobile number disconnected and recycled despite active use - when the lost-SIM problem is the telecom operator's fault, not Aadhaar's.

—

*This guide uses only verified facts from the UIDAI and IPPB sources listed above. The fee figures, helpline hours, and tracking URLs were checked on 5 July 2026. The Aadhaar Act 2016 and the RTI Act 2005 provide the legal framework; no court citation has been fabricated. If your update is genuinely stuck past 90 days, walk the escalation ladder in order and file the RTI at the end - it is the rung that forces a written answer.*