Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has now allowed residents to update addresses in Aadhaar online with the consent of their head of family, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The new process can be initiated after submitting proof of relationship documents like a ration card, mark sheet, marriage certificate, passport etc, mentioning the name of both the applicant and head of family (HOF) and the relationship between them. The process requires OTP-based authentication by the HOF.

In case proof of relationship document is not available, UIDAI provides the resident to submit a self-declaration by the HOF in the UIDAI-prescribed format, as per the statement.

"The HoF-based online address update in Aadhaar will be of great help to the relative(s) of a resident like children, spouse, parents etc, who don't have supporting documents in their own name to update the address in their Aadhaar. With people moving cities and towns due to various reasons within the country, such a facility will be beneficial for millions of people," the statement said.

The new option to update address is in addition to the existing address update facility using any valid proof of address document prescribed by UIDAI.

"Any resident above the age of 18 can be a HOF for this purpose and can share his or her address with his or her relatives through this process," the statement said.

Residents can visit the 'My Aadhaar' portal for updating addresses online.

Following this, the resident will be allowed to enter the Aadhaar number of the HOF, which will only be validated. No other information of the HOF's Aadhaar will be displayed on the screen to maintain adequate privacy of HOF.

Post successful validation of the Aadhaar number of HOF, the resident will be required to upload the proof of relationship document.

"Residents have to pay a fee of Rs 50 for the service. On successful payment, a service request number (SRN) would be shared with the resident, and an SMS would be sent to the HOF about the address request.

"The HOF is to approve the request and give his or her consent by logging into the My Aadhaar portal within 30 days from the date of receiving the notification and the request will be processed," the statement said.

If the HOF rejects to share her or his address or does not accept or decline within the stipulated 30 days of SRN creation, the request would be closed.

The resident, seeking an address update through this option, will be informed about the closure of the request via an SMS. In case the request is closed or rejected due to non-acceptance of the HOF or rejected during the process, the amount shall not be refunded to the applicant, the statement said.