The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has removed Aadhaar from the list of acceptable documents for proof of date of birth (DoB). In a circular (No: WSU/2024/1/UIDAI Matter/4090) issued on January 16, the employment body said that the decision has been taken following a directive from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as detailed in Circular No. 08 of 2023.
“Removal of Aadhaar from the list of acceptable documents as a Date of Birth Proof. In this connection, a letter has been received from UIDAI (copy attached), wherein it has been stated that use of Aadhaar, as a proof of DoB needs to be deleted from the list of acceptable documents. Accordingly, the Aadhaar is being removed from the list of acceptable documents for correction in date of birth as mentioned in Table-B of Annexure -1 of the JD SOP under reference,” stated an EPFO circular from January 16, 2024,” EPFO said in the circular.
Earlier, UIDAI noted that several organisations, such as EPFO, have been considering Aadhaar as a valid document for verifying the date of birth. However, UIDAI has made it clear that although Aadhaar serves as a distinctive identification proof, it is not considered as a valid proof of date of birth as per the Aadhaar Act, 2016.
The circular further stated that the removal of Aadhaar was related to Table-B of Annexure-1 of the Joint Declaration SOP that was issued earlier. The decision was approved by the Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC).
UIDAI’s circular, which cited the Aadhaar Act of 2016 and the regulations that oversee the enrolment and update procedures, made it clear that Aadhaar is not a valid proof of date of birth. The office memorandum issued on December 20, 2018, explicitly stated this detail. Recent court judgments, like one from the Bombay High Court, have further cleared that Aadhaar cannot be accepted as evidence of birth.
What proofs are valid for EPFO
1. Birth Certificate issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths
2. Marksheet issued by any recognised Government Board or University
3. School Leaving Certificate (SLC)/ School Transfer Certificate (TC)/ SSC certificate containing Name and Date of Birth
4. Certificate based on the service records
5. PAN card
6. Central/ State Pension Payment Order
7. Domicile Certificate issued by the Government
In the absence of proof of date of birth as above, medical certificate issued by Civil Surgeon after examining the member medically and supported with an affidavit on oath by the member duly authenticated by a Competent Court.
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