e-Aadhaar PDF Password Format: How to Open Aadhaar PDF
The e-Aadhaar PDF from UIDAI opens with the first 4 letters of your name in CAPITALS, exactly as printed on the Aadhaar card, followed by your year of birth in YYYY format, with no space between them.
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The e-Aadhaar PDF opens with the first 4 letters of your name in CAPITAL letters, exactly as printed on the Aadhaar card, followed immediately by your year of birth in YYYY format, with no space. For example, ARJUN NAIR born in 1994 unlocks the file with ARJU1994.
The official rule
According to UIDAI's own e-Aadhaar FAQ, the password is a combination of the first four letters of your name in capitals and your year of birth. This format is fixed by UIDAI and is the same for every Aadhaar holder in the country, so you cannot set or change it yourself.
If you keep mistyping it, unlock the file once with the PDF unlocker and save a password free copy for future use, such as printing at a photocopy shop.
Unlock PDF
Type the e-Aadhaar password once to save a copy without it. You need to know the password; it is not cracked.
Files are uploaded over HTTPS, processed and deleted from our server straight after. Open the full Unlock PDF page
Step by step: open your e-Aadhaar
- Open the downloaded PDF in any reader.
- Look at the exact name printed on your Aadhaar card, not your PAN card or bank passbook, since spelling can differ slightly between documents.
- Take the first 4 letters of that name, ignoring spaces, and type them in capitals.
- Add your year of birth right after, as 4 digits, with no space or punctuation.
- Type the full password (usually 8 characters) and press enter.
Worked examples for tricky names
The name field on real Aadhaar cards is not always a single clean word, so here is how the rule applies in the cases that trip people up most.
- Short name: RIA, born 1995. Since the full name has only 3 letters, use all of them: RIA1995. UIDAI's own FAQ gives exactly this case (RIA plus the year of birth).
- Name with initials: P. KUMAR, born 1990. Take the first 4 characters as they appear, including the full stop: P.KU1990. This is one of UIDAI's own examples.
- Name with a space early on: A K SHARMA, born 1988. Spaces are skipped, so the password is AKSH1988. UIDAI's example SAI KUMAR becomes SAIK plus the year the same way.
- Double-barrelled surname: SHAIK MOHAMMED ALI, born 2000. Take the first 4 letters of the full printed name as one string: SHAI2000.
Always use the name exactly as printed on the Aadhaar card, not a nickname or a shorter version you use elsewhere. A mismatch in even one letter means the password will not work.
What if it still will not open
- Re-check the year. It must be your year of birth, not the year you downloaded the Aadhaar or the current year.
- Confirm there are no extra spaces typed before or after the password.
- Check the letters are in capitals. The rule asks for CAPITAL letters, so arju1994 is not the same as ARJU1994. On a phone keyboard, tap shift twice to lock capitals before typing the name part.
- Remove any spaces from the name part. Spaces are skipped, but a full stop from an initial stays in.
- Download the PDF again in case the file itself did not save completely.
Printing your Aadhaar after opening it
Once the file is open, you can print the front and back cleanly on one page at real card size using the Aadhaar card print tool, without needing a photocopy shop to handle the unlocked file.
Do not overshare the file
UIDAI's FAQs advise care when sharing your Aadhaar number, and you can download a masked Aadhaar, which UIDAI describes as showing only the last 4 digits of the number. That is enough wherever the recipient does not need the full number. If you must share a full copy for a specific purpose, such as bank KYC or a government form, a simple precaution is to write the recipient's name and today's date in a corner of the printed page before handing it over, so a stray copy is less useful if it is ever misused later.
Aadhaar password vs other government document passwords
It is easy to mix up password rules across different Indian ID documents once you are dealing with several of them in the same week, for example while applying for a loan or a new bank account. The e-Aadhaar rule (first 4 letters of name plus year of birth) is specific to UIDAI and does not carry over to other password-protected government PDFs, which often use a different combination such as name and PAN number, or date of birth alone. If you also need to open a password-protected e-PAN file, see our separate guide on the e-PAN PDF password format rather than assuming the same 4-letters-plus-year pattern applies there too, since a wrong guess based on the Aadhaar rule can lock you out of the wrong document entirely.
Common mistakes
- Typing your name from memory instead of checking the Aadhaar card, which can differ by a letter or an added initial.
- Using the current year instead of the year of birth.
- Typing a space from the printed name. Spaces are skipped; only letters and punctuation such as a full stop count.
- Trying a PAN card password format on an Aadhaar file. The two documents use completely different rules.
- Assuming every UIDAI-related file, such as an Aadhaar update acknowledgement, uses the same password rule as the e-Aadhaar PDF itself; always check the specific document's own instructions.
Tools for this
Frequently asked questions
What is the password to open my e-Aadhaar PDF?
It is the first 4 letters of your name exactly as printed on the Aadhaar card, in CAPITAL letters, followed immediately by your year of birth in YYYY format, with no space.
My name is only 3 letters long. What is the password?
Use all the letters of the name plus your year of birth. For example, RIA born in 1995 would try RIA1995.
Does the password use my name or my father's or husband's name?
It uses your own name exactly as it appears on your Aadhaar card, not a parent's or spouse's name field, even if that name also appears on the card.
Can I change my e-Aadhaar password?
No, the format is fixed by UIDAI for every Aadhaar holder. You can, however, unlock the PDF once opened and save a copy without any password for your own future use.
Why does e-Aadhaar need a password but the physical Aadhaar card does not?
The PDF is a downloadable file that could end up in the wrong inbox or shared folder, so UIDAI locks it with a password only you would know (your name and birth year) to add a layer of protection that a printed card does not need.
Sources
- UIDAI, e-Aadhaar FAQs (What is the password of e-Aadhaar) (checked 2026-09)
- myAadhaar portal (download e-Aadhaar, masked option) (checked 2026-09)
- UIDAI, What is Masked Aadhaar (checked 2026-09)
Rules and limits change. Always check the latest official notification or portal before you submit a form.