UIDAI onboards 300 Offline Verification Seeking Entities for paperless Aadhaar checks
5 November 2026
The Unique Identification Authority of India said on 5 November 2026 that it has brought 300 Offline Verification Seeking Entities on board since the rollout began in January. An Offline Verification Seeking Entity is an organisation allowed to verify a person's Aadhaar details offline, with that person's consent and without any paper copy changing hands. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the entities now span hotels and hospitality, healthcare, education, events, the gig economy and other consumer-facing businesses. The authority described the method as secure, consent-based and paperless, and said it follows the data minimisation principle of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Offline verification does not require the business to connect to the central Aadhaar database for each check.
In plain words
UIDAI Unique Identification Authority of India — The statutory authority that issues Aadhaar numbers and runs its verification systems.
OVSE Offline Verification Seeking Entity — An organisation permitted to verify Aadhaar details offline with the holder's consent.
DPDP Act Digital Personal Data Protection Act — India's law on how personal digital data may be collected and used.