Last updated: 8 September 2026
Quick Answer: An Aadhaar card name correction is allowed twice. A third correction is allowed only through exception handling, where you update at an Aadhaar centre and then approach the concerned UIDAI Regional Office. The Citizen Charter routes it through your nearest Aadhaar Enrolment Centre with a document from the List of Acceptable Documents, normally within 30 days.
A misspelt name on Aadhaar is not a cosmetic problem. Banks, tax departments and other organisations in India verify identity against the name Aadhaar holds, so if it differs from your PAN or bank record the check fails. The correction is simple; the surprise is that UIDAI limits how often you can make it.
Overview
| Detail | What applies to a name correction |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) |
| How many times | Name can be updated twice |
| Third change | Only through exception handling, via a UIDAI Regional Office |
| Where | Nearest Aadhaar Enrolment Centre |
| Document needed | One from UIDAI's List of Acceptable Documents |
| Service standard | Normally up to 30 days from the date of update |
| Tracking | Service Request Number (SRN) issued on the acknowledgement |
Latest Update
As of September 2026, UIDAI's List of Acceptable Documents was last reissued in June 2026, and the caps below are those printed in its Citizen Charter. Charges are as notified by UIDAI, which last revised Aadhaar update fees with effect from 1 November 2025. Confirm both on uidai.gov.in before visiting a centre in India.
How Many Times Can You Change the Name on Aadhaar?
UIDAI's Citizen Charter lists each demographic field with how often it can be changed: name twice, gender and date of birth once each.
UIDAI has tightened these rules, as our note on the stricter name correction rules records. The charter files the caps under Exception Handling and gives the reason plainly: they exist to prevent misuse. It is a fraud control, not a processing convenience, so no counter can waive it.
A third update is not impossible: update at a centre, then approach the concerned UIDAI Regional Office, which handles the exception. Expect it to take longer and to need an explanation of the two earlier changes. Our explainer on how often UIDAI lets you change each detail covers the other fields.
Can You Correct an Aadhaar Name Online?
This is where most guides overreach. The charter separates the routes: name, gender, date of birth, address, mobile and email are updated at your nearest Aadhaar Enrolment Centre against a document from the acceptable list. A separate provision lets residents with a mobile registered in Aadhaar also update the address through the myAadhaar portal.
Address is the field the charter names for the online route; a name correction sits in the counter-based list, so plan on visiting a centre. Check myAadhaar first, though - UIDAI adds services over time, so the charter is a floor, not a ceiling.
What Documents Prove a Name Change?
One document from UIDAI's List of Acceptable Documents, on the enrolment and update resources page, last reissued in June 2026. Download the current version: a superseded checklist is the commonest reason a counter turns someone away.
Read the list against your own situation before you go:
- A spelling fix is usually supported by an identity document that already carries the correct spelling.
- A name change after marriage or by deed needs the document that effected the change, not merely a document that reflects it.
- The enrolment and update forms differ by age and by residential status, so a resident Indian adult, a minor and a Non-Resident Indian each use a different form. All of them are on the same UIDAI page.
How Do You Get a Name Corrected at an Enrolment Centre?
- Download the update form for your age and residential status, and enter the name exactly as it should appear.
- Carry your Aadhaar number and one supporting document from the current acceptable list.
- Hand both over; the operator captures the request and takes biometric authentication.
- Pay the charge notified at the counter and collect the acknowledgement slip.
- Keep the slip: it carries the Service Request Number you track the request with.
What Does a Name Correction Cost?
An Aadhaar card name correction has no separately published fee, so confirm the amount at the counter and be wary of figures quoted elsewhere. The only charge the Citizen Charter publishes is for a document update - a different transaction - at ₹50 through an Aadhaar Enrolment Centre and ₹25 through myAadhaar. It prints no name-correction figure and points readers to UIDAI for current charges.
That is deliberately narrower than most pages: a fee carried over from an older article is worse than none. Our note on the 2025 revision to Aadhaar update rules and fees shows how fast these move.
How Long Does It Take, and How Do You Track It?
The charter's standard for a demographic update is normally up to 30 days from the date of update, against a 90% success indicator. Follow it with the Service Request Number on your acknowledgement; our guide to checking an Aadhaar update status by SRN explains each stage.
If the request is rejected, the reason is nearly always the document rather than the form. Compare the name on your supporting document, character for character, against what you asked for. More guides sit in our documents and licensing category.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating a spelling fix as free of the cap. A typo still consumes one of your two name updates.
- Working from an old document list. Use the June 2026 version of the List of Acceptable Documents.
- Expecting it to reach other records. Aadhaar does not push a new name to your PAN, bank or scheme records; update each separately.
- Using the wrong form. Forms split by age and residential status, and the counter will not substitute one.
- Carrying a document that shows the new name but did not create it. For a marriage or deed change the counter needs the instrument itself.
