Aadhaar Deactivation - How To Deactivate A Deceased Person’s Aadhaar

Aadhaar is one of India’s most important identity documents, linked to banking, UIDAI search, welfare schemes, mobile connections and countless everyday services. When an Aadhaar holder passes away, keeping the Aadhaar number active can expose families to serious risks such as identity misuse, financial fraud and wrongful claiming of government benefits. Aadhaar deactivation is, therefore, a necessary legal and administrative step that helps safeguard the deceased person’s identity while protecting their family from future complications.

This article explains what Aadhaar deactivation means, why it is important, the latest updates, and how family members can deactivate the Aadhaar of a deceased person through official UIDAI channels or with guided assistance from Jaagruk Bharat.

What Is Aadhaar Deactivation?

Aadhaar deactivation occurs when an Aadhaar number is permanently inactivated in the UIDAI system after the cardholder’s death. Once UIDAI deactivates an Aadhaar number, no government department, bank, telecom operator, or service provider can authenticate the identity using that Aadhaar.

This step ensures that the Aadhaar number cannot be used for availing services, subsidies or financial transactions in the future. If families wish to verify the Aadhaar status, they can use the UIDAI search features available on the official portal to confirm whether the Aadhaar is active or deactivated.

It is important to note that deactivation is different from suspension or correction. While some users look for ways to reactivate a deactivated Aadhaar number, reactivation is not permitted in the case of a deceased person, as deactivation is final and legally valid.

What Is The Need for the Aadhaar Deactivation?

By deactivating Aadhaar for individuals who have died, UIDAI is meeting a range of important societal obligations.

• Prevent Identity Fraud: This will help prevent an individual from using someone else’s Aadhaar number to obtain financial or welfare benefits fraudulently.

• Protect Family Members: Deceased individuals are often subject to fraud via their Aadhaar number, where the victim may be liable for any wrongful actions taken by the fraudster using the victim's identity.

• Enhance Data Hygiene: By removing inactive records, UIDAI improves the efficiency of benefit delivery and ensures compliance with Aadhaar card regulation 27, which focuses on accuracy and lawful usage of Aadhaar data.

Legality Of Aadhaar Deactivation Of A Deceased Person

UIDAI treats Aadhaar deactivation as a lawful administrative action. The process does not affect inheritance rights, succession claims or financial entitlements of legal heirs. All historical records linked to Aadhaar remain intact for legal verification purposes.

If families have doubts or disputes, they can raise a grievance and later perform a UIDAI complaint status check online to track progress and resolution.

How To Deactivate the Aadhaar Of A deceased Person?

Below is a clear and step-by-step guide to follow on the myAadhaar portal to report a death and request Aadhaar deactivation.

Step 1: Access the myAadhaar portal.

Step 2: Select the option "Report Death of Family Member" or whichever option corresponds to your situation.

Step 3: Fill in the information for the deceased individual's Aadhaar Number.

Step 4: Upload a copy of the death certificate issued by either the local municipality or the doctor's office (hospital) and any other necessary documents (listed below).

Step 5: UIDAI will ask you to confirm the sender's identity through the use of a one-time password (OTP) sent to your registered mobile phone associated with your Aadhaar number or to upload proof of the sender's identity/relationship to the deceased.

Step 6: Submit the completed form. An acknowledgement number will be provided to you that can be used to monitor the progress of your request.

Step 7: Once UIDAI completes the verification process, it will deactivate the Aadhaar number associated with the deceased. There generally are no specifications on how long it will take; however, at least one number of people has reportedly received their processed reports within a few days after completion of the verification process.

Note: If you do not have a copy of the deceased person's Aadhaar number, you can submit a report by providing their name, Date of Birth and Date of Death along with a copy of the death certificate: UIDAI will match the information provided to verify the report. If the Aadhaar number is unavailable, UIDAI can trace it using personal details through its internal UIDAI search process.

Also Read: What To Know About The New Aadhaar Card App?

Documents Required

The list of documents needed to notify the authorities of a death and suspend the Aadhaar number may differ slightly from region to region, or depending on certain local regulations; however, the following documents are typically included:

• A valid Death Certificate from the competent authority (Municipal Death Registrar or Health Centre) that has been written, signed and dated (mandatory).

• Aadhaar Number of the deceased (if known)

• Government-issued ID (Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, or Passport) of the person filing the application

• Relationship between Informant and Deceased (Ration Card, Family ID, School Record, Affidavit)

• Informant's contact number for OTP/Updates

• Any Legal Heir Certificate or Succession documentation.

When uploading supporting documents, always make sure they are clear and readable; also, keep the original copies available to verify if requested. Also, Many users search for options to Reactivate deactivated Aadhaar number or check Aadhar Card order status after deactivation. It is important to understand that:

• The Aadhaar of a deceased person cannot be reactivated

• Aadhar card order status applies only to new enrolments or updates

• Complaints or queries can be tracked via the UIDAI complaint status Check online