A sixteen-digit number that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued since 2018 now stands in for the twelve-digit Aadhaar number during authentication and e-KYC. For many families asking what is VID number, the answer is that it is a temporary and revocable Virtual ID, and the real Aadhaar number cannot be worked out from it, as per guides from indiafilings and mStock.
UIDAI introduced it so that people can check their identity without giving the Aadhaar number to every agency. The link between the VID and the Aadhaar number stays only on UIDAI servers, and no outsider, even the agency doing the authentication, can reverse it.
The Aadhaar Act, as amended in 2019, says that VID is an alternate virtual identity that the Authority creates as directed by the regulations.
How a VID is made and managed
UIDAI charges no fee for creating a VID, as per the TrustyBull guide. Anyone can make it on the UIDAI website or in the Aadhaar app, or by SMS from the mobile linked with Aadhaar. The website and app send an OTP to that mobile, but the SMS route needs no OTP.
A new Aadhaar app was launched on 28 January 2026 and has replaced the older mAadhaar app. Many guides still refer to mAadhaar, so borrowers and investors may find different app names in different places.
Only one VID is live for an Aadhaar number at a time, and each new VID replaces the previous one, as per UIDAI. If a VID gets lost, it can be retrieved, but the system will return only the most recent active one, as mStock says.
Where it is used, and what is unsettled
A VID is used for authentication and e‑KYC, and it can also be employed to download an online copy of Aadhaar from the UIDAI portal, as indiafilings says.
Giving a VID is optional, since an individual may still provide the Aadhaar number instead and agencies must obtain consent before authenticating with it, as per UIDAI.
On validity, the guides do not agree. A VID stays valid until the holder generates a new one, with no fixed expiry, and a new VID can be generated only after the current one has been valid for one calendar day.
