UIDAI

Unique Identification Authority of India

Govt. of India (GoI), 3rd Floor, Tower II,
Jeevan Bharati Building, Connaught Circus,
New Delhi 110001

AADHAAR AUTHENTICATION
API SPECIFICATION - VERSION 2.0 (REVISION 1)
FEBRUARY 2017
Version 2.0 (Rev 1) Aadhaar Authentication API

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 TARGET AUDIENCE AND PRE-REQUISITES ................................................................................. 3
1.2 TERMINOLOGY ......................................................................................................................... 4
1.3 LEGAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................. 4
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THIS DOCUMENT................................................................................................. 4
2. UNDERSTANDING AADHAAR AUTHENTICATION ................................................................... 5
2.1 AADHAAR NUMBER................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 AADHAAR AUTHENTICATION AT A GLANCE ................................................................................. 5
2.3 AADHAAR AUTHENTICATION USAGE .......................................................................................... 6
2.4 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 6
3. AADHAAR AUTHENTICATION API ............................................................................................. 7
3.1 AUTHENTICATION FLOW ........................................................................................................... 7
3.2 API PROTOCOL ........................................................................................................................ 8
3.2.1 Element Details ................................................................................................................. 9
3.3 AUTHENTICATION API: INPUT DATA FORMAT ........................................................................... 10
3.3.1 Element Details ............................................................................................................... 11
3.4 AUTHENTICATION API: RESPONSE DATA FORMAT.................................................................... 23
3.4.1 Element Details ............................................................................................................... 23
4. API AND DATA SECURITY ........................................................................................................ 31
4.1 AUTHENTICATION DATA SECURITY .......................................................................................... 31
4.2 USING BINARY FORMAT FOR PID BLOCK .................................................................................. 32
4.3 AUTHENTICATION AUDITS ....................................................................................................... 32
5. APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................... 33
5.1 CHANGES IN VERSION 2.0 FROM VERSION 1.6 ................................................................................. 33

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Version 2.0 (Rev 1) Aadhaar Authentication API

1. Introduction

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been created, with the mandate
of providing a Unique Identity (Aadhaar) to all Indian residents. The UIDAI provides
online authentication to verify the identity claim of the Aadhaar holder.

Aadhaar “authentication” means the process wherein Aadhaar Number, along with other
attributes, including biometrics, are submitted to the Central Identities Data Repository
(CIDR) for its verification on the basis of information or data or documents available with
it. UIDAI provides an online service to support this process. Aadhaar authentication
service only responds with a “yes/no” and no personal identity information is returned
as part of the response.

1.1 Target Audience and Pre-Requisites

This is a technical document and is targeted at software professionals working in
technology domain and interested in incorporating Aadhaar authentication into their
applications.

Before reading this document, readers are highly encouraged to read the following
documents to understand the overall system:
1. UIDAI Strategy Overview -
http://uidai.gov.in/UID_PDF/Front_Page_Articles/Documents/Strategy_Overvei
w-001.pdf
2. The Demographic Data Standards and verification procedure Committee Report -
http://uidai.gov.in/UID_PDF/Committees/UID_DDSVP_Committee_Report_v1.0.
pdf
3. The Biometrics Standards Committee Report -
http://uidai.gov.in/UID_PDF/Committees/Biometrics_Standards_Committee_rep
ort.pdf

Readers must also read the following related documents for complete understanding.
1. Aadhaar Best Finger Detection API -
http://uidai.gov.in/images/FrontPageUpdates/aadhaar_bfd_api_2_0.pdf
2. Aadhaar OTP Request API -
http://uidai.gov.in/images/resource/aadhaar_otp_request_api_1_6.pdf
3. Aadhaar Registered Devices Specification -
http://uidai.gov.in/images/resource/aadhaar_registered_devices_2_0_1.pdf

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1.2 Terminology

Authentication User Agency (AUA) and Sub-AUA: An organization or an entity using

Aadhaar authentication as part of its applications to provide services to Aadhaar holders.
Examples include Government Departments, Banks, and other public or private
organizations. All AUAs (Authentication User Agencies) must be registered within
Aadhaar authentication server to perform secure authentication. Sub-AUA is an an entity
having a business relationship with AUA offering specific services in a particular domain.

Authentication Service Agency (ASA): An organization or an entity providing

connectivity using private secure network to UIDAI’s data centres for transmitting
authentication requests from various AUAs.

Authentication Factors: Aadhaar authentication supports authentication using multiple

factors. These factors include demographic data, biometric data, PIN, OTP, possession of
mobile, or combinations thereof. Adding multiple factors increases the strength of
authentication. Applications using Aadhaar authentication need to choose appropriate
authentication factors based on risk level of the transaction. AUAs can add their own
factors to strengthen authentication.

1.3 Legal Framework

The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services)
Act 20161 was published in gazette notification on March 26, 2016. The Act is to provide
for, as a good governance, efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of subsidies,
benefits and services to Aadhaar number holders. A gazette notification was issued by
Central Government on 12th July 2016 to establish UIDAI as an Authority2 and
operationalize certain provisions of Aadhaar Act 2016. Authentication regulations are
also published under this Act. These documents specify legal framework for
authentication usage, AUA/ASA engagements, audits, and other details. Detailed partner
documents are also published. These documents are available at http://uidai.gov.in/.

1.4 Objective of this document

This document provides Aadhaar Authentication API (Application Programming
Interface) specification. It contains details including API data format, protocol, and
security specifications.

For latest documents related to Aadhaar authentication, partner guidelines, other APIs,
and related documents, see http://authportal.uidai.gov.in

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2. Understanding Aadhaar Authentication

This chapter describes Aadhaar authentication, some of the envisioned usage scenarios,
and working details. Technical details follow in subsequent chapters.

2.1 Aadhaar Number

The Unique Identification (Aadhaar) Number gives individuals the means to clearly
establish their identity to public and private agencies across the country. Three key
characteristics of Aadhaar Number are:
1. Permanency (Aadhaar number remains same during lifetime of the person)
2. Uniqueness (one Aadhaar holder has one ID and no two Aadhaar holders have
same ID)
3. Global (same identifier can be used across applications and domains)

Aadhaar Number is provided during the initiation process called enrolment where
his/her demographic and biometric information are collected and uniqueness of the
provided data is established through a process called de-duplication. Post de-duplication,
an Aadhaar Number is issued and a letter is sent to Aadhaar holder informing the details.

2.2 Aadhaar Authentication at a Glance

Aadhaar authentication is the process wherein Aadhaar Number, along with other
attributes, including biometrics, are submitted online to the CIDR for its verification on
the basis of information or data or documents available with it.


 In all forms of authentication the Aadhaar Number needs to be submitted so that
authentication is reduced to a 1:1 match. In addition, Aadhaar authentication service
only responds with a “yes/no” and no Personal Identity Information (PII) is returned
as part of the response.

Aadhaar authentication provides several ways in which an Aadhaar holder can

authenticate themselves using the system. At a high level, authentication can be using
Demographics data and/or Biometric (FP/Iris/Face) data, and/or OTP. Face
authentication is currently not supported.

During the authentication transaction, the Aadhaar holder’s record is first selected using
the Aadhaar Number and then the demographic/biometric inputs are matched against
the stored data within CIDR which was provided by the Aadhaar holder during
enrolment/update process.

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2.3 Aadhaar Authentication Usage

Aadhaar authentication enables agencies to verify identity of Aadhaar holders using an
online and electronic means where the agency collects required information from the
Aadhaar holder along with Aadhaar Number and passes the same to UIDAI systems for
verification.

Aadhaar authentication service provides services to instantly verify the identity of the
Aadhaar holder against the available data in CIDR. Based on the needs of the service,
different identifiers could be used along with Aadhaar Number. These identifiers could
be combination of biometrics (such as fingerprints, iris impressions) and/or
demographic information (such as Name, Date of birth, Address) and/or a secret PIN or
OTP (One Time Pin).

Aadhaar Number along with certain demographic information such as name, date of
birth, etc. helps to provides for simple authentication needs. For example, when
MGNREGA beneficiary is enrolled and given a job card, Aadhaar holder could be
biometrically authenticated against Aadhaar system to verify his/her Aadhaar number
along with name, address.

For further details on usage of Aadhaar in various service delivery scenarios, refer to
“Aadhaar Enabled Service Delivery” White Paper published on UIDAI website -
http://uidai.gov.in/images/authDoc/whitepaper_aadhaarenabledservice_delivery.pdf

2.4 Conclusion
Aadhaar authentication provides a convenient mechanism for all Aadhaar holders to
establish their identity. It provides a platform for identity authentication and can be used
to deliver services effectively to Aadhaar holders across the country.

Rest of the document is technical in nature and is intended for software professionals
working with applications wanting to enable their applications to support Aadhaar
authentication.

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3. Aadhaar Authentication API

This chapter describes the API in detail including the authentication flow, communication
protocol, and data formats.

3.1 Authentication Flow

Following diagram explains various authentication scenarios and data flow.

1
Scenario in the diagram is a typical authentication flow and is a case of an operator
assisted transaction at a PoS terminal:
a) Aadhaar holder provides Aadhaar Number or AUA/Sub-AUA specific identifier,
necessary demographic and biometric details to terminal devices belonging to the
AUA/Sub-AUA (or merchant/operator appointed by AUA/Sub-AUA) to obtain a
service offered by the AUA/Sub-AUA.
b) Aadhaar authentication enabled application software that is installed on the
device packages these input parameters, encrypts, and sends it to AUA server over
either a mobile/broadband network using AUA specific protocol.
c) AUA server, after validation, adds necessary headers (AUA specific wrapper XML
with license key, signature, etc.), and passes the request through ASA server to
UIDAI CIDR.
d) Aadhaar authentication server returns a “yes/no” based on the match of the input
parameters.
e) Based on the response from the Aadhaar authentication server, AUA/Sub-AUA
conducts the transaction.

2
Scenario below depicts the Aadhaar holder conducting assisted/self-service
transactions with Aadhaar authentication on his/her mobile or on the Internet.
a) In this case, transaction data is captured on the mobile/Internet application
provided by AUA/Sub-AUA.
b) Aadhaar holder provides necessary demographic data long with OTP
(fingerprint/iris is also possible although not yet common on mobiles or PCs) in
addition to AUA specific attributes (account number, password, PIN, etc.).
c) Step c, d, and e are same as in scenario 1 above.

3
Scenario is a slight variant of 2nd scenario where AUA also plays the role of ASA and
4
has direct connectivity to UIDAI data centers. Scenario is how AUAs and application
developers can test Aadhaar authentication using the public URL.

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Figure 1: Aadhaar authentication flow under various scenarios

3.2 API Protocol

Aadhaar authentication service is exposed as stateless service over HTTPS. Usage of open
data format in XML and widely used protocol such as HTTP allows easy adoption and
deployment of Aadhaar authentication. To support strong end to end security and avoid
request tampering and man-in-the-middle attacks, it is essential that encryption of data
happens at the time of capture on the capture device.

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Following is the URL format for Aadhaar authentication service:

https://<host>/<ver>/<ac>/<uid[0]>/<uid[1]>/<asalk>

API input data should be sent to this URL as XML document using Content-Type
“application/xml” or “text/xml”.


For security reason data collected for Aadhaar authentication must not be stored
in the devices or log files. It’s essential for ASA and AUA to maintain audit records for
all the authentication request metadata along with the response.

As a best practice, for all secure communications the agencies should automatically
validate the SSL/TLS certificate and ensure it is validated against the revocation list
online.

3.2.1 Element Details

host – Aadhaar authentication server address. Actual production server address will be
provided to ASAs. Note that production servers can only be accessed through private
secure connection. ASA server should ensure that actual URL is configurable. (For
development and testing purposes, public URL “auth.uidai.gov.in” can be used.)

ver – Authentication API version (optional). If not provided, URL points to current
version. UIDAI may host multiple versions for supporting gradual migration. As of this
specification, default production version is “2.0”.

ac – A unique code for the AUA which is assigned by UIDAI. This is an alpha-numeric
string having maximum length 10. (A default value “public” is available for testing.)

uid[0] and uid[1] – First 2 digits of Aadhaar Number. Used for load-balancing.

asalk – A valid ASA license key. ASAs must send one of their valid license keys at the end
of the URL. It is important that license keys are maintained safely. When adding license
key to the URL, ensure it is “URL encoded” to handle special characters.

For all valid responses, HTTP response code 200 is used. All application error codes are
encapsulated in response XML element. In the case of connection and other server errors,
standard HTTP error response codes are used (4xx codes such as 403, 404, etc.). HTTP
automatic redirects also should be handled by ASA server.


 ASA server must send one of their valid license keys as part of the URL (see details
above). Authentication related APIs are enabled only for valid ASAs and only for their
registered static IP addresses coming through a secure private network.
.

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3.3 Authentication API: Input Data Format

Aadhaar authentication uses XML as the data format for input and output. To avoid
sending unnecessary data, do not pass any optional attribute or element unless its value
is different from default value. Any bad data or extra data will be rejected.

Following is the XML data format for authentication API:

<Auth uid="" rc="" tid="" ac="" sa="" ver="" txn="" lk="">

<Uses pi="" pa="" pfa="" bio="" bt="" pin="" otp=""/>
<Meta udc="" rdsId="" rdsVer="" dpId="" dc="" mi="" mc="" />
<Skey ci="">encrypted and encoded session key</Skey>
<Hmac>SHA-256 Hash of Pid block, encrypted and then encoded</Hmac>
<Data type="X|P">encrypted PID block</Data>
<Signature>Digital signature of AUA</Signature>
</Auth>

“Data” element contains “Pid” (Personal Identity Data) element which is a base-64
encoded encrypted block. Complete “Data” block should be encrypted at the time of
capture on the client. But, encoding (base-64) of “Data” block and packaging it with
enveloping XML under “Auth” element can either be done on the device or on the AUA
server based on the AUA needs. Device capability, protocol between devices and AUA
server, and data format used between devices and AUA server, etc. should be considered
for making that choice.

When using PID block in XML format (which is the default), following is the format for
“Pid” element:
<Pid ts="" ver="" wadh=””>
<Demo lang="">
<Pi ms="E|P" mv="" name="" lname="" lmv="" gender="M|F|T" dob=""
dobt="V|D|A" age="" phone="" email=""/>
<Pa ms="E" co="" house="" street="" lm="" loc=""
vtc="" subdist="" dist="" state="" country="" pc="" po=""/>
<Pfa ms="E|P" mv="" av="" lav="" lmv=""/>
</Demo>
<Bios dih="">
<Bio type="FMR|FIR|IIR|FID" posh="" bs="">encoded biometric</Bio>
</Bios>
<Pv otp="" pin=""/>
</Pid>

Instead of XML format, this version also allows PID block to be in binary format based on
Protocol Buffers standard ((http://code.google.com/p/protobuf/). Notice that “Auth”
XML must be in XML format. Binary format is only supported for PID block to enable
smaller packet sizes to be transmitted from devices. See Appendix for details.

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3.3.1 Element Details

Element: Auth (mandatory)

 Root element of the input XML for authentication service.

Attributes:
 uid – (mandatory) Aadhaar Number of the person being authenticated.
 rc – (mandatory) Aadhaar holder consent to do the Aadhaar based authentication
using OTP or Biometrics. Only allowed value is “Y”. Without explicit informed
consent of the Aadhaar holder AUA/Sub-AUA application should not call this API.
 tid – (mandatory) For Registered devices, value should be passed as “registered”.
When not using biometric authentication, value of this attribute must be “”.
 ac – (mandatory) A unique code for the AUA which is assigned by UIDAI during
AUA registration process. This is an alpha-numeric string having maximum length
10. (A Default value “public” is available which is ONLY for testing.)
 sa – (mandatory) A unique “Sub-AUA” code. AUAs are expected to manage these
codes within their system and ensure uniqueness within their system.
o This allows auditing and business intelligence to be provided at SA level. If
AUA and SA are same agency, use value of “ac” for this attribute.
o This is an alpha-numeric string having maximum length 10.
 ver – (mandatory) version of the API. Currently only valid value is “2.0”.
 txn – (mandatory) AUA specific transaction identifier. AUA can choose to pass this
as part of input. This is returned as part of response as is. This is very useful for
linking transactions full round trip across systems.
o This is an alpha-numeric string of maximum length 50. Only supported
characters are A-Z, a-z, 0-9, period, comma, hyphen, backward & forward
slash, left & right parenthesis, and colon. No other characters are
supported.
o It is highly recommended that AUAs use this attribute for correlating
requests with responses for auditing and verification.
o In case of OTP Authentication using Request OTP API call this value of
txn MUST be same as the txn value used for Request OTP API call. This
is to ensure OTP cannot be intercepted and used by other applications.
o This MUST NOT start with “U*:” where “*” can be one or more alpha-
numeric characters. All namespaces starting with “U” is reserved for
various APIs offered by UIDAI.
 lk – (mandatory) A valid “License Key” assigned to the AUA. Administration portal
of UIDAI will provide a mechanism for AUA administrator to generate license keys
and use it within the authentication.
o These license keys have expiry built into them and AUA administrator need
to ensure that they generate new license keys before current ones expires
through self-service portal.
o This is an alpha-numeric string of length up to 64 characters.

Element: Uses (mandatory)

 This element specifies the authentication factors used by the request. When an
authentication factor is specified in this element, that specific attribute must be

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present in the encrypted data block. This is particularly useful in situations where
the AUA does not fully control the terminal device, but wishes to maintain a certain
level of control on the authentication transaction.

Attributes:
 pi – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then at least one
attribute of element “Pi” (part of “Demo” element) should be used in
authentication. If value is “n”, “Pi” element is not mandated.
 pa – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then at least one
attribute of element “Pa” (part of “Demo” element) should be used in
authentication. If value is “n", “Pa” element is not mandated.
 pfa – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then element “Pfa”
(part of “Demo” element) should be used in authentication. If value is “n”, “Pfa”
element is not mandated.
 bio – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then at least one
biometric element “Bio” (part of “Bios” element) should be used in authentication.
If value is “n”, “Bio” element is not mandated.
 bt – (mandatory only if “bio” attribute has value “y”) provide a comma separated
list of biometrics used. Valid values that can be used in this comma separated list
are “FMR”, “FIR”, “IIR” and “FID”. If “FMR” is part of the list, then at least one
“Bio” element with type FMR should be used. Similarly, if “FIR” or “IIR” or “FID”
are part of the list, then at least one “Bio” element with those types must be used.
 pin – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then PIN should be
used in authentication. Otherwise, “pin” is not mandated.
 otp – (mandatory) Valid values are “y” or “n”. If the value is “y” then OTP should
be used in authentication. Otherwise, “otp” is not mandated.

Element: Meta (Mandatory)

This element specifies metadata related to the device. Except for udc, all other
attributes are valid only for biometric authentication.

Attributes:
 udc – (mandatory) Unique Host Device Code. This is a unique code for the host
device assigned within the AUA domain. This is an alpha-numeric string of
maximum length 20.
o This allows better reporting and tracking of devices as well as help resolve
issues at the device level.
o It is highly recommended that AUAs define a unique codification scheme
for all their devices.
 dpId – (mandatory for bio auth) Unique code assigned to registered device
provider. Returned by RD Service when using biometric authentication.
 rdsId – (mandatory for bio auth) Unique ID of the certified registered device
service. Returned by RD Service when using biometric authentication.
 rdsVer – (mandatory for bio auth) Registered devices service version. Returned
by RD Service when using biometric authentication.
 dc – (mandatory for bio auth) Unique Registered Device Code. Returned by RD
Service when using biometric authentication.

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 mi – (mandatory for bio auth) Registered device model ID. Returned by RD Service
when using biometric authentication.
 mc – (mandatory for bio auth) This attribute holds registered device public key
certificate. This is signed with device provider key. Returned by RD Service when
using biometric authentication.

Element: Skey (mandatory)

 Value of this element is base-64 encoded value of encrypted 256-bit AES session
key. Session key must be dynamically generated for every transaction
(session key must not be reused) and must not be stored anywhere except
in memory. See next chapter for encryption details.

Attributes:
 ci – (mandatory) Public key certificate identifier using which “skey” was
encrypted. UIDAI may have multiple public keys in field at the same time. Value of
this attribute is the certificate expiration date in the format “YYYYMMDD”. Expiry
date of the certificate can be obtained from the certificate itself.

Element: Data (mandatory)

 Contains the encrypted “Pid” element in base-64 format. See “Pid” element
definition later.

Attributes:
 type – (optional) Type of the PID block format. It can have two values – “X” for
XML and “P” for Protobuf binary format. Default value is assumed to be “X”.

Element: Hmac (mandatory)

 Devices which is constructing the “Pid” element must perform the following to
provide the Hmac value:
o If Pid type is “X” (XML), then:
 After forming Pid XML, compute SHA-256 hash of Pid XML string
 Then encrypt using session key
 Then encode using base-64 encoding (as described earlier, encoding
can be done on the AUA server when forming final Auth XML)
o If Pid type is “P” (Protobuf), then:
 After forming Protobuf byte array for Pid, compute SHA-256 hash of
Pid protobuf bytes.
 Then encrypt using session key
 Then encode using base-64 encoding (as described earlier, encoding
can be done on the AUA server when forming final Auth XML)

Authentication server performs the following processing on each authentication

request:
1. Decode and Decrypt the Pid from Data element. Based on type attribute of the
“Data” element, the value of Data is either interpreted as XML or Protobuf
bytes.

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2. Re-compute the SHA-256 Hash of Pid.

3. Decode and decrypt the value of Hmac element.
4. Compare the re-computed SHA-256 hash with Hmac value received in
authentication request.
a. If both values match, then, integrity of authentication request is
preserved and server will proceed with further processing of the
request.
b. If values do not match, reject the authentication request with error code
representing “HMAC Validation failed”.

Element: Signature (mandatory)

 The request XML should be digitally signed for message integrity and non-
repudiation purposes.
 Digital signing should always be performed by the entity that creates the final
request XML
o AUA can digitally sign after forming the API input XML. This is almost
always the case. In such cases, AUA ensures the message security and
integrity between AUA servers and its client applications.
o ASA can digitally sign the request XML if it is a domain-specific aggregator
and forms the request XML on behalf of the AUA. In such cases, ASA and
AUA ensure the message security and integrity between their servers.
 Procuring digital signature certificates:
o It should be procured from a valid certification authority as per Indian IT
Act (see http://www.cca.gov.in/cca/?q=licensed_ca.html)
o Digital certificates have two parts:
 X.509 certificate representing public key.
 Private Key which is used for digital signing. Private Key should be
stored securely and is the responsibility of the owner of the
certificate to ensure that it is not compromised.
o It should be a class II or class III certificate.
o X.509 certificate contains information about the owner of the certificate; in
this case it will be details of the person and the organization to which
he/she belongs. UIDAI server checks to ensure that certificate belongs to
the ASA or AUA organization. Hence, it is mandatory that “O” attribute of
“Subject” in the X.509 certificate matches the name of the organization.
 Digital signing of request XML
o XML digital signature algorithm as recommended by W3C.
o Signature should include key info element that contains X.509 certificate
details. This is needed for UIDAI server to validate the signer.
 Verification of digital signature by UIDAI servers. UIDAI server validates the
signature in the following sequence:
o Checks if the signature element is present. If not, it throws an error.
o If signature element is present, then it validates if the certificate is issued
by one of the valid certification authority. If not valid, throws error.
o If it is a valid certificate, then it validates whether the “O” attribute in the
X.509 certificate’s subject matches the AUA organization name. If yes,
proceeds with API logic.

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o If it does not match AUA organization name, it checks configuration to see

if ASA is allowed to sign on behalf of that AUA. If not, throws error.
o If ASA is allowed to sign on behalf of that AUA, it checks whether the “O”
element of the certificate matches with the organization name of the ASA.
If not, throws error.
o If it matches, it proceeds with API logic.
o In future, UIDAI may choose to conduct additional validations against white
listed certificates within UIDAI database.

Element: Pid (mandatory)

Attributes:
 ts – (mandatory) Timestamp at the time of capture of authentication input. This is
in format “YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss” (derived from ISO 8601). Time zone should
not be specified and is automatically defaulted to IST (UTC +5.30). Since
timestamp plays a critical role, it is highly recommended that devices are
time synchronized with a time server.


AUAs can buffer authentication requests and send it to Aadhaar authentication
server to support occasional lack of network connectivity on the field. Maximum time
up to which requests can be queued (buffered) will be defined by UIDAI policy.
Currently, this will be configured to 24 hours and may be changed as per policy. All
requests with “ts” value older than this limit will be rejected.

 ver – (mandatory) version of the “Pid” element. Currently only valid value is “2.0”
Notice that this is NOT same as Authentication API version. Pid version 1.0 is only
for Authentication API versions 1.x.
 wadh – (optional) “Wrapper API data hash”. SHOULD BE empty for all regular
authentication transactions. ONLY to be used for specific transaction types such
as eKYC and Update APIs. See those API documents for detail. This is a hash value
passed by those wrapper APIs for PID binding. No other authentication call should
pass any value in this attribute and must be left empty.

Element: Demo (optional)

 Contains child elements “Pi”, “Pa” and “Pfa”, all of which are optional.
 All demographic data fields as per KYR specifications.

Attributes:
 lang – (optional) “Indian Language Code” in the case of using Indian language data
for demographic match (see lname, lav attributes). This must be a valid language
code from the following table

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Language Language code

Assamese 01
Bengali 02
Gujarati 05
Hindi 06
Kannada 07
Malayalam 11
Manipuri 12
Marathi 13
Oriya 15
Punjabi 16
Tamil 20
Telugu 21
Urdu 22

NOTE: Indian language matching of name and address allows data to be matched in any
of the above languages using a fuzzy matching logic. In the case of address where multiple
fields are provided as a single string (using “lav” attribute), it is recommended to separate
each field (house, street, locality, vtc, district, etc) by comma.

Element: Pi (Optional)
 This element captures attributes related to “Personal Identity”

Attributes:
 ms – (optional) “Matching Strategy” for “name” attribute. Valid values are “E”
(Exact match) and “P” (Partial match). This is used only for “name” attribute.
Defaulted to “E”.
 mv – (optional) “Match value” for “name” attribute. Valid values are the integers
in the range 1 – 100 (inclusive). Default value is “100”. ”mv” attribute value MUST
be specified when matching strategy (“ms” attribute) is “P”.

It represents the percentage of full words from the name stored in Aadhaar
database that must be specified in the “name” attribute for the match to be
considered successful. See examples below as part of “name” attribute description.

 name – (optional) Name of the Aadhaar holder in English. Maximum length is 60.

NOTE: If “ms” and/or “mv” are provided, but, “name” attribute is not provided or
empty value is provided, no name matching will be performed.

When using matching strategy “Exact” (ms=”E”), the name attribute is compared
for exact match with the name stored in Aadhaar database. Though comparison
is case insensitive, all the words of the name must be specified in the exact same
order as provided by the Aadhaar holder during Aadhaar enrolment.

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When using matching strategy “Partial” (ms=”P”), the name attribute is compared
for partial match with the name stored in Aadhaar database based the following
rules:

1. Words from the name can appear in any order in the “name” attribute.
For example: If Aadhaar holder’s name is stored as “Anil Kumar Singh” in
Aadhaar database, then, any of the inputs - “Kumar Anil Singh”, “Anil Singh
Kumar”, “Singh Kumar Anil” or any other combinations – will result in
successful match.

2. Usage of specific titles is allowed in the “name” attribute. These are ignored
for matching purposes. Supported titles are “Mr”, “Mrs”, “Dr”, and “Ms”. No
other titles are currently supported.
For example: If Aadhaar holder’s name is stored as “Anita Agarwal” in
Aadhaar database, then, any of the inputs – “Dr. Anita Agarwal”, “Ms. Anita
Agarwal” or “Mrs Anita Agarwal” - will result in successful match,

3. Following special characters, if present in the “name” attribute, are

ignored during matching:
a. Period - (.)
b. Comma (,)
c. Hyphen (-)
d. Asterisk (*)
e. Opening and closing braces - ‘(‘ and ‘)’
f. Opening and closing square brackets – ‘[‘ and ‘]’
g. Apostrophes – `
h. Single quotes – ‘
i. Double quotes – “
j. Forward slash - /
k. Backward slash - \
l. Hash - #
m. Leading, trailing, and more than 1 contiguous spaces are
removed before matching
For example: If Aadhaar holder’s name is stored as “Anita Agarwal” in
Aadhaar database, then, “Agarwal, Anita” will result in successful match.

4. Input should not contain any additional words or initials that are not
present in Aadhaar database. This will result in unsuccessful match and
authentication failure.
For example: If Aadhaar holder’s name is stored as “Anita Agarwal” in
Aadhaar database, then, “Anita Kumari Agarwal” or “Anita Kumari” or
“Anita K Agarwal” will result in unsuccessful matches as the words
“Kumari”, “K” are not present in the Aadhaar database.

5. When used with “mv” value other than 100, then, inputs can have some
words omitted or initials can be used in place a full word. The match is
considered successful as long as input contains minimum number of
matching full words as determined by the value of “mv”.

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For example: Let us say that Aadhaar holder’s name is stored as “Anil
Kumar Singh” in Aadhaar database, and “mv” value is specified as 60
percent. It means at least 60% of total words must be matched. In the case
of “Anil Kumar Singh”, 60% of 3 (total words in name) is 1.8, rounded up to
2. Thus, any of the following inputs will result in successful match:
a. “Anil Singh” – matches because of minimum 2 full words
b. “Singh, Kumar Anil” – matches because of minimum 2 full words in
any order and comma (,) is ignored.
c. “Anil K Singh” – matches because of minimum 2 full words in any
order and “K” is an initial of “Kumar”.

Following input will result in unsuccessful match:

a. “Anil” – does not match because number of words is less than
specified minimum.
b. “Anil K S” – does not match as initials are not counted as full words
and hence, number of matching full words is less than specified
minimum.
c. “Anil P Singh” – does not match as “P” is not an initial of any of the
words stored in database.
d. “Anil S Singh” – does not match as after matching full words “Anil”
and “Singh”, “S” does not match as initial of “Kumar”.

 lname – (optional) Aadhaar holder’s name in Indian language. This is a Unicode

String in the language specified by the “lang” attribute of “Demo” element. Notice
that this is a phonetic matching against the data stored in CIDR.

NOTE: If this attribute is provided, “lang” attribute must be specified for “Demo”
element.

 lmv – (optional) Local Language Match Value to adjust phonetic match threshold.
This is a value between 1 and 100 (both inclusive).
 gender – (optional) Valid values are “M” for male, “F” for female, and “T” for
transgender.
 dob – (optional) Date of Birth in “YYYY-MM-DD” format. If only year needs to be
authenticated, then use format “YYYY”.
 dobt – (optional) Date of Birth Type as indicated in Aadhaar system. This attribute
can have only 3 values – “V” (for Verified), “D” (for Declared), and “A”
(Approximate). When the Aadhaar holder is enrolled, DoB may be recorded along
with any of these types.
 age – (optional) In certain use cases such as checking whether a Aadhaar holder
can be considered a senior citizen or an adult (age above or equal to 18 years), it
may be desired that only age of a Aadhaar holder can be verified using Aadhaar
Authentication instead of verifying against complete data of birth. When “age”
attribute is specified, authentication will pass if Aadhaar holder’s age is “equal to
or greater than” the input age. Else, it will fail with appropriate authentication
error code.
 phone – (optional) Registered mobile phone number of the Aadhaar holder.

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 email – (optional) Registered email address of the Aadhaar holder. This is case-
insensitive match removing trailing and leading spaces.

Element: Pa (Optional)
 This element captures attributes related to “Personal Address”. These are address
fields as provided by the Aadhaar holder during enrolment or later updates. Only
attributes that are sent as part of input will be compared.
 This element should not be used when using “Pfa” element as “Pa” and “Pfa” are
mutually exclusive.

Attributes:
All attributes are compared case insensitive after leading and trailing spaces are
trimmed and all the occurrences of consecutive spaces are replaced with single space.
 ms – (optional) “Matching Strategy” for address attributes. Only the value “E”
(Exact match) is supported. This is used only when at least one address attribute
is specified.
 co – (optional) “Care of” person’s name.
 house – (optional) House identifier.
 street – (optional) Street name.
 lm – (optional) Landmark if any.
 loc – (optional) Locality if any.
 vtc – (optional) Name of village or town or city.
 subdist – (optional) Sub-District name.
 dist – (optional) District name.
 state – (optional) State name.
 country – (optional) Country name.
 pc – (optional) Postal pin code.
 po – (optional) Post Office name.

Element: Pfa (Optional)

 This element captures attributes related to “Personal Full Address”. It
corresponds to the address of the Aadhaar holder as present in enrolment receipt
or Aadhaar letter.
 This element should not be used when using “Pa” element as “Pa” and “Pfa” are
mutually exclusive.

Attributes:
 ms – (optional) “Matching Strategy” for address attributes. Valid values are “E”
(Exact match) and “P” (Partial match).
 mv – (optional) Valid values are integers in the range 1 -100 (inclusive). Default
value is “100”. It is used only when matching strategy (ms attribute) is “P” (Partial
match).

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It represents the percentage of full words from the address stored in Aadhaar
database that must be specified in the “av” attribute for the match to be considered
successful,
 av – (optional) Aadhaar holder’s full address specified as a single string value.

Normalization:
“av” value and the Aadhaar holder’s address stored in Aadhaar database, both are
normalized using following rules before comparison.

1. Following characters/phrases are ignored:

a. Period - (.)
b. Comma (,)
c. Hyphen (-)
d. Asterisk (*)
e. Opening and closing braces - ‘(‘ and ‘)’
f. Opening and closing square brackets – ‘[‘ and ‘]’
g. Apostrophes – `
h. Single quotes – ‘
i. Double quotes – “
j. Forward slash - /
k. Backward slash - \
l. Hash - #
m. Care of labels – C/O, S/O, D/O, W/O, H/O
n. Other labels - “No.”
2. Leading and trailing spaces are trimmed and all the occurrences of multiple
consecutive spaces are replaced with single space.

When using matching strategy “Exact” (ms=”E”), the normalized “av” attribute is
compared for exact match with the normalized Aadhaar holder’s address stored
in Aadhaar database.

When using matching strategy “Partial” (ms=”P”), the normalized “av” attribute is
compared for partial match with the normalized Aadhaar holder’s address stored
in Aadhaar database. Following are the rules of partial match:

1. Words can appear in any order.

2. Following additional normalizations are applied to both the “av” value and
address stored in Aadhaar database:
a. Commonly used words are replaced with their shortened version:
I. “apartment” => “apt”
II. “street” => “st”
III. “road” => “rd”
IV. “main” => “mn”
V. “cross” => “crs”
VI. “sector” => “sec”
VII. “opposite” => “opp”
VIII. “market” => “mkt”
b. Suffixes typically used with numbers such as – st, nd, rd, th - are removed.

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3. Example: 21st is converted to 21, 44th is converted to 44, etc. When used with
“mv” value other than 100, some of the words can be omitted in the input.
Match is considered successful if minimum number of full words that must
match, as determined by the “mv” value, are present in the input.

Examples:
Scenario: Matching strategy “P”, mv=”60” (60%)

Given following value as Aadhaar holder’s address stored in database,

c/o A K Singh, Apartment #12, Lake view colony, Main street, Near
Swimming pool, Rajajinagar, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560055

Following will be the normalized address.

a k singh apt 12 lake view colony main st near swimming pool rajajinagar
bangalore karnataka 560055

Following are examples of matching and their result:

1. “s/o A K singh, Lake view colony, apt #12, main st, Karnataka - 560055”
will be normalized to “a k singh lake view colony apt 12 main st
karnataka 560055” – which results in successful match as 12 words are
matched (more than 11 which is rounded 60% of total words 17).
2. “s/o A K singh, Lake view colony Bangalore 560055” will be normalized
to “a k singh lake view colony Bangalore 560055” – which results in
unsuccessful match since only 8 words are matched where as a
minimum of 11 was requested (60% match value).

 lav – (optional) Aadhaar holder’s Address in Indian language. This is similar to

“av” attribute described above except that this is represented in an Indian
language. This will be matched against address data available in the CIDR
database. If this attribute is provided, “lang” attribute must be specified for
“Demo” element.
 lmv – (optional) Local Language Match Value to adjust phonetic match threshold.
This is a value between 1 and 100 (both inclusive).

Element: Bios – (optional)

This element can have one or many “Bio” elements carrying biometric records to be
matched.

Attributes:
 dih – (mandatory) “Device Info Hash”. This will be calculated by Registered
Device (RD) service as part of PID block capture when using biometrics.

Element: Bio (optional)

 If XML data format is used for PID block, this element contains single base 64
encoded biometric record. This is typically in plain ISO data format.
 In the case of registered devices, this contains encrypted FMR/FIR/IIR/FID record
(see “Using Registered Devices” section later in the document).

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Attributes:
 type – (mandatory) This attribute specifies type of the biometric. Valid values are
“FMR” (Finger Minutiae), “FIR” (Finger Image), and “IIR” (Iris Image).
o FMR - The biometric data is of type “Fingerprint Minutiae Record”. This
data is in ISO minutiae format with no proprietary extensions allowed.
o FIR - The biometric data is of type “Fingerprint Image Record”. The data is
a fingerprint image packaged in ISO 19794-4 format, which could contain
a lossy compressed image of type Jpeg2000.
o IIR - The biometric data is of type “Iris Image Record”. The data is an iris
image packaged in ISO 19794-6 format, which could contain a lossy
compressed image having type Jpeg2000.
o FID - The biometric data is of type “Face Image Data”. The data is face image
packaged in ISO 19794-5 format, which could contain a lossy compressed
image having type Jpeg2000.
 bs – (mandatory for registered device) For registered device, Base-64 encoded
signed biometric hash of the bio record. AUA application should call the registered
device capture function to obtain the bio record as well as the signature string (bs).
 posh – (mandatory) In general, it is highly recommended that applications pass
“UNKNOWN” unless it clearly knows which finger was used. Valid values are:

LEFT_IRIS
RIGHT_IRIS
LEFT_INDEX
LEFT_LITTLE
LEFT_MIDDLE
LEFT_RING
LEFT_THUMB
RIGHT_INDEX
RIGHT_LITTLE
RIGHT_MIDDLE
RIGHT_RING
RIGHT_THUMB
FACE
UNKNOWN

Element: Pv (optional)
 This element (“Pin Value”) allows support for additional factors “pin” and “otp”.

Attributes:
 pin – (optional) Actual value of PIN as set by Aadhaar holder. This is an alpha
numeric value. This option is NOT available for AUAs and is restricted to
internal UIDAI usage only.
 otp – (optional) This One Time Pin (OTP) value should be obtained from the
Aadhaar holder.
o To obtain OTP, following two ways can be used:
 By the Aadhaar holder her/himself using UIDAI portal, by sending
an inbound SMS from registered phone, by calling IVR from
registered phone, or by using UIDAI provided mobile app running

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on registered phone (TOTP). Some of these options may not be

enabled at this time.
 By programmatically initiating the request from the AUA/sub-AUA
application in which authentication is used. Whichever application
needing to validate OTP can thus initiate OTP request on behalf of
the Aadhaar holder via Request OTP API.

3.4 Authentication API: Response Data Format

Authentication API does not provide any identity data as part of the response. All it does
is to match given input and respond with a “yes/no”. Response XML is as follows:

<AuthRes ret=”y|n” code=”” txn=”” err=”” ts=”” actn=”” info=””>

<Signature xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
<SignedInfo>
<CanonicalizationMethod
Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/REC-xml-c14n-20010315" />
<SignatureMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#rsa-
sha256" />
<Reference URI="">
<Transforms>
<Transform
Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#enveloped-
signature" />
</Transforms>
<DigestMethod
Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#sha256"/>
<DigestValue></DigestValue>
</Reference>
</SignedInfo>
<SignatureValue></SignatureValue>
</Signature>
</AuthRes>

Agencies that use the authentication response need a mechanism to validate the
authenticity of the authentication response for non-repudiation purposes. In order to
enable verification and audit, authentication response will be digitally signed by UIDAI
and the signature will be part of the response. AUAs are expected to preserve the entire
response XML for non-repudiation purposes.

3.4.1 Element Details

Element: AuthRes

Attributes:
 ret – this is the main authentication response. It is either “y” or “n”.
 code – unique alphanumeric “authentication response” code having maximum
length 40. If the input is “not” processed due to errors such as decryption, wrong
hmac value, etc., a value of “NA” will be returned. But, due to some transmission
errors or changes in deployments, if code is returned as “NA”, AUAs may retry the
transaction and if it continues to fail, may report to UIDAI technical support.

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 txn – Authenticator specific transaction identifier. This is exactly the same value
that is sent within the request.
 ts – Timestamp when the response is generated. This is of type XSD dateTime.
 actn – This attribute may or may not exist in response. This attribute, alpha-
numeric of max length 5, provides specific action codes (published from time to
time) meant to be shown to Aadhaar holder or operator. Refer to latest action
codes at https://www.developer.uidai.gov.in/site/node/39
o One possible use is to provide feedback to Aadhaar holder for improving
authentication outcomes and required data update notifications.
o This attribute MUST be sent to front-end application by ASA/KSA and
AUA/KUA to ensure action and corresponding message is displayed
to Aadhaar holder or operator.
 info – This attribute provides meta information on the details included in auth.
This can be up to 128 characters and is composed of the following parts:

Version 3.0 structure of “info” (latest):

<Version>{SHA-256 of Aadhaar Number, SHA-256 of Demo element,

Encoded Usage Data, pid_version, timestamp, fmrcount,
fircount, iircount, fidcount, auth_api_ver, SHA-256 of ASA
code, SHA-256 of AUA code, SHA-256 of SUB AUA code, lang, pi-
ms, pi-mv, pi-lmv, pa-ms, pa-mv, pa-lmv, pfa-ms, pfa-mv, pfa-
lmv, tid, rdsId, rdsVer, dpId, mi, rdLevel, wadh}

 “Version” – is the version of the info structure, “03”

 “SHA-256 of Aadhaar Number” – is the SHA-256 hash value of Aadhaar
Number provided as part of input
 “SHA-256 of Demo Element” –
o When Pid block is of type “X” (XML), then, it is the SHA-256 hash
value of the substring representing Demo element in the Pid XML
string.
o When Pid block is of type “P” (Protobuf), then, it is the SHA-256
hash of the Protobuf value (byte array) of the Demo element.
 “Encoded Usage Data” - is 48 bit representation in HEX format of the
various attribute usage of this authentication request. Hexadecimal
digits within the “Encoded Usage Data” should be interpreted based on
below rules:

1st hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3-0: Version number of encoding. It will be hexadecimal “1” (binary:
0001) for encoding specified in this document.

2nd hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Was “Pi->name” attribute used?
Bit 2: Was “Pi->lname” attribute used?
Bit 1: Was “Pi->gender” attribute used?
Bit 0: Was “Pi->dob” attribute used?

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3rd hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Was “Pi->phone” attribute used?
Bit 2: Was “Pi->email” attribute used?
Bit 1: Was “Pi->age” attribute used?
Bit 0: Was “Pa->co” attribute used?

4th hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Was “Pa->house” attribute used?
Bit 2: Was “Pa->street” attribute used?
Bit 1: Was “Pa->lm” attribute used?
Bit 0: Was “Pa->loc” attribute used?

5th hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Was “Pa->vtc” attribute used?
Bit 2: Was “Pa->dist” attribute used?
Bit 1: Was “Pa->state” attribute used?
Bit 0: Was “Pa->pc” attribute used?

6th hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Was “Pfa->av” attribute used?
Bit 2: Was “Pfa->lav” attribute used?
Bit 1: Was “FMR” used for biometric auth?
Bit 0: Was “FIR” used for biometric auth?

7th hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Was “IIR” used for biometric auth?
Bit 2: Was “FID” used for biometric auth?
Bit 1: Was “Pv->pin” attribute used?
Bit 0: Was “Pv->otp” attribute used?

8th hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Was “Pa->po” attribute used?
Bit 2: Was “Pa->subdist” attribute used?
Bit 1: Was “Pi->dobt” attribute used?
Bit 0: Was “SSK” used?

9th hexadecimal digit::

Bit 3: Was “Pi->name” attribute matched?
Bit 2: Was “Pi->lname” attribute matched?
Bit 1: Was “Pi->gender” attribute matched?
Bit 0: Was “Pi->dob” attribute matched?

10th hexadecimal digit::

Bit 3: Was “Pi->phone” attribute matched?
Bit 2: Was “Pi->email” attribute matched?
Bit 1: Was “Pi->age” attribute matched?

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Bit 0: Was “Pa->co” attribute matched?

11th hexadecimal digit::

Bit 3: Was “Pa->house” attribute matched?
Bit 2: Was “Pa->street” attribute matched?
Bit 1: Was “Pa->lm” attribute matched?
Bit 0: Was “Pa->loc” attribute matched?

12th hexadecimal digit::

Bit 3: Was “Pa->vtc” attribute matched?
Bit 2: Was “Pa->dist” attribute matched?
Bit 1: Was “Pa->state” attribute matched?
Bit 0: Was “Pa->pc” attribute matched?

13th hexadecimal digit::

Bit 3: Was “Pfa->av” attribute matched?
Bit 2: Was “Pfa->lav” attribute matched?
Bit 1: Was “FMR/FIR” matched for biometric auth?
Bit 0: Was “IIR” matched for biometric auth?

14th hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Was “Pa->po” matched for biometric auth?
Bit 2: Was “Pa->subdist” attribute matched?
Bit 1: Was “Pi->dobt” attribute matched?
Bit 0: Was “Registered” device used?

15th hexadecimal digit:

Bit 3: Currently unused. Will have value 0
Bit 2: Currently unused. Will have value 0
Bit 1: Currently unused. Will have value 0
Bit 0: Was “FID” matched for biometric auth?

 pid_version – Version string of the PID block which was part of input
 timestamp – PID “ts” string which was part of input
 fmrcount – Total number of FMR records which was part of input
 fircount – Total number of FIR records which was part of input
 iircount – Total number of IIR records which was part of input
 fidcount – Total number of FID records which was part of input
 auth_api_ver – Version string of auth XML which was part of input
 SHA-256 of ASA code – Hash value of the ASA code
 SHA-256 of AUA code – hash value of the AUA code
 SHA-256 of SUB-AUA code – Hash value of “sc” attribute of input
 lang – same as “lang” attribute of input. If input did not have it, this will
contain value “NA”.
 pi-ms – Match strategy used. Same as “ms” attribute of “Pi” element. If
input did not have it, this will contain value “NA”.

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 pi-mv – Match value used. Same as “mv” attribute of “Pi” element. If input
did not have it, this will contain value “NA”.
 pi-lmv – Local language match value used. Same as “lmv” attribute of “Pi”
element. If input did not have it, this will contain value “NA”.
 pa-ms – Match strategy used. Same as “ms” attribute of “Pa” element. If
input did not have it, this will contain value “NA”.
 pa-lmv – Local language match value used. Same as “lmv” attribute of
“Pa” element. If input did not have it, this will contain value “NA”.
 pfa-ms – Match strategy used. Same as “ms” attribute of “Pfa” element. If
input did not have it, this will contain value “NA”.
 pfa-mv – Match value used. Same as “mv” attribute of “Pfa” element. If
input did not have it, this will contain value “NA”.
 pfa-lmv – Local language match value used. Same as “lmv” attribute of
“Pfa” element. If input did not have it, this will contain value “NA”.
 tid – P if public device, R if Registered device, NA if no device is used.
 rdsId – Registered Device Service ID. If registered devices is not used,
this will be NA.
 rdsVer – Registered Device Service version. If registered devices is not
used, this will be NA.
 dpId – Registered Device Provider ID. If registered devices is not used,
this will be NA.
 mi – Registered Device Provider Model ID. If registered devices is not
used, this will be NA.
 SHA-256 of dc – Unique code of the device (dc) in SHA-256 form.
 SHA-256 of udc – AUA specific host code in SHA-256 form.
 rdLevel – Registered Devices Certification Level (L0 or L1). If registered
devices is not used, this will be NA.
 wadh – Wrapper API data hash. If not available, this will be NA.

Example structure given below:

03{f676e1becb2e308770ac5212acbbc7d93ba5693d828714a5136b
6e1a9f438fc3,f25073ce9d46b0f720d00f32d8979c4efdab534686
8ffac90f4412d02710f7ef,0100002020000000,2.0,20160603104
809,1,0,0,0,2.0,1f5368b4cf6d7429033a47b8c7963329945c2bd
f2690fa3685945b15d3cda2e0,96cae35ce8a9b0244178bf28e4966
c2ce1b8385723a96a6b838858cdd6ca0a1e,,NA,P,50,NA,E,NA,NA
,NA,NA,NA,NA,NA,NA,NA,NA,af76e1ffcb2e308770ac5212acbbc7
d93ba5693d828714a5136b6e1a9f438fc3,NA,NA}

 err – Failure error code. If authentication fails (“ret” attribute value is “n”), this
attribute provides any of the following codes (for latest updates on error codes,
see https://developer.uidai.gov.in/site/api_err):
o “100” – “Pi” (basic) attributes of demographic data did not match.
o “200” – “Pa” (address) attributes of demographic data did not match.
o “300” – Biometric data did not match.
o “310” – Duplicate fingers used.
o “311” – Duplicate Irises used.

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o “312” – FMR and FIR cannot be used in same transaction.

o “313” – Single FIR record contains more than one finger.
o “314” – Number of FMR/FIR should not exceed 10.
o “315” – Number of IIR should not exceed 2.
o “316” – Number of FID should not exceed 1.
o “330” – Biometrics locked by Aadhaar holder.
o “400” – Invalid OTP value.
o “402” – “txn” value did not match with “txn” value used in Request OTP API.
o “500” – Invalid encryption of session key.
o “501” – Invalid certificate identifier in “ci” attribute of “Skey”.
o “502” – Invalid encryption of PID.
o “503” – Invalid encryption of Hmac.
o “504” – Session key re-initiation required due to expiry or key out of sync.
o “505” – Synchronized Key usage not allowed for the AUA.
o “510” – Invalid Auth XML format.
o “511” – Invalid PID XML format.
o “512” – Invalid Aadhaar holder consent in “rc” attribute of “Auth”.
o “520” – Invalid “tid” value.
o “521” – Invalid “dc” code under Meta tag.
o “524” – Invalid “mi” code under Meta tag.
o “527” – Invalid “mc” code under Meta tag.
o “530” – Invalid authenticator code.
o “540” – Invalid Auth XML version.
o “541” – Invalid PID XML version.
o “542” – AUA not authorized for ASA. This error will be returned if AUA and
ASA do not have linking in the portal.
o “543” – Sub-AUA not associated with “AUA”. This error will be returned if
Sub-AUA specified in “sa” attribute is not added as “Sub-AUA” in portal.
o “550” – Invalid “Uses” element attributes.
o “551” – Invalid “tid” value.
o “553” – Registered devices currently not supported. This feature is being
implemented in a phased manner.
o “554” – Public devices are not allowed to be used.
o “555” – rdsId is invalid and not part of certification registry.
o “556” – rdsVer is invalid and not part of certification registry.
o “557” – dpId is invalid and not part of certification registry.
o “558” – Invalid dih
o “559” – Device Certificat has expired
o “560” – DP Master Certificate has expired
o “561” – Request expired (“Pid->ts” value is older than N hours where N is
a configured threshold in authentication server).
o “562” – Timestamp value is future time (value specified “Pid->ts” is ahead
of authentication server time beyond acceptable threshold).
o “563” – Duplicate request (this error occurs when exactly same
authentication request was re-sent by AUA).
o “564” – HMAC Validation failed.
o “565” – AUA license has expired.
o “566” – Invalid non-decryptable license key.

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o “567” – Invalid input (this error occurs when unsupported characters were
found in Indian language values, “lname” or “lav”).
o “568” – Unsupported Language.
o “569” – Digital signature verification failed (means that authentication
request XML was modified after it was signed).
o “570” – Invalid key info in digital signature (this means that certificate used
for signing the authentication request is not valid – it is either expired, or
does not belong to the AUA or is not created by a well-known Certification
Authority).
o “571” – PIN requires reset.
o “572” – Invalid biometric position.
o “573” – Pi usage not allowed as per license.
o “574”– Pa usage not allowed as per license.
o “575”– Pfa usage not allowed as per license.
o “576” - FMR usage not allowed as per license.
o “577” – FIR usage not allowed as per license.
o “578” – IIR usage not allowed as per license.
o “579” – OTP usage not allowed as per license.
o “580” – PIN usage not allowed as per license.
o “581” – Fuzzy matching usage not allowed as per license.
o “582” – Local language usage not allowed as per license.
o “586” – FID usage not allowed as per license. This feature is being
implemented in a phased manner.
o “587” – Name space not allowed.
o “588” – Registered device not allowed as per license.
o “590” – Public device not allowed as per license.
o “710” – Missing “Pi” data as specified in “Uses”.
o “720” – Missing “Pa” data as specified in “Uses”.
o “721” – Missing “Pfa” data as specified in “Uses”.
o “730” – Missing PIN data as specified in “Uses”.
o “740” – Missing OTP data as specified in “Uses”.
o “800” – Invalid biometric data.
o “810” – Missing biometric data as specified in “Uses”.
o “811” – Missing biometric data in CIDR for the given Aadhaar number.
o “812” – Aadhaar holder has not done “Best Finger Detection”. Application
should initiate BFD to help Aadhaar holder identify their best fingers.
o “820” – Missing or empty value for “bt” attribute in “Uses” element.
o “821” – Invalid value in the “bt” attribute of “Uses” element.
o “822” – Invalid value in the “bs” attribute of “Bio” element within “Pid”.
o “901” – No authentication data found in the request (this corresponds to a
scenario wherein none of the auth data – Demo, Pv, or Bios – is present).
o “902” – Invalid “dob” value in the “Pi” element (this corresponds to a
scenarios wherein “dob” attribute is not of the format “YYYY” or “YYYY-
MM-DD”, or the age is not in valid range).
o “910” – Invalid “mv” value in the “Pi” element.
o “911” – Invalid “mv” value in the “Pfa” element.
o “912” – Invalid “ms” value.
o “913” – Both “Pa” and “Pfa” are present in the authentication request (Pa
and Pfa are mutually exclusive).

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Version 2.0 (Rev 1) Aadhaar Authentication API

o “930 to 939” – Technical error that are internal to authentication server.

o “940” – Unauthorized ASA channel.
o “941” – Unspecified ASA channel.
o “950” – OTP store related technical error.
o “951” – Biometric lock related technical error.
o “980” – Unsupported option.
o “995” – Aadhaar suspended by competent authority.
o “996” – Aadhaar cancelled (Aadhaar is no in authenticable status).
o “997” – Aadhaar suspended (Aadhaar is not in authenticatable status).
o “998” – Invalid Aadhaar Number.
o “999” – Unknown error.

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4. API and Data Security

Broadly, Aadhaar authentication requests can be originated from either a “Registered” or

a “Public” device. See registered Devices Specification for details of how they differ in
working with biometric input.

4.1 Authentication Data Security

UIDAI provides a reference implementation of authentication client library for packaging
and encrypting authentication data block in Java programming language. UIDAI may also
provide other language implementations as necessary. Developers will be able to
download these libraries along with UIDAI public key. Development community is
encouraged to develop other programming language bindings and submit to UIDAI.

PID block data should be encrypted with a dynamic session key using AES-256
symmetric algorithm (AES/GCM/NoPadding). Session key, in turn, is encrypted with
2048-bit UIDAI public key using asymmetric algorithm (RSA/ECB/PKCS1Padding).
Reference implementation demonstrates this in detail. Session key must not be stored
anywhere except in memory and should not be reused across transactions. Only re-use
of session key that is allowed is its use as seed key when using synchronized session key
scheme. To increase assurance multi-factor authentication using one-time pin (OTP)
could also be used in conjunction with biometrics. See OTP API Specification for details
on requesting OTP.

GCM encryption - The GCM encryption is performed as follows:

1. IV or nonce for GCM encryption must be used for encryption. Last 12 bytes of the
ts (String formated date) is used as the IV or nonce. Refer ts attribute in the PID
element.
2. AAD should also be used for GCM. Last 16 bytes of the ts (String formatted date) is
used as the AAD.
3. Now encrypt and append the authentication tag to the end of the cipher text.
4. Now the ts is appended to the final encrypted pid and then its base64encoded.

The encryption flow when using biometrics is as defined below:

1. Aadhaar Number, demographic, and biometric details as required by the

application are entered into the application along with other factors such as OTP
if it is used.
2. AUA/Sub-AUA application calls the registered Device service to obtain encrypted
PID block and other device info.
3. AUA application sends the encrypted PID block along with HMAC, Skey, Meta
attributes, etc. data to AUA server.
4. AUA server forms the final authentication XML input for API including license key,
digitally signs the XML, and sends the data to Aadhaar authentication server
through an ASA network.

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5. Aadhaar authentication server validates input, decrypts data, validates decrypted

data, does the matching, creates audit, and responds with a “yes/no” as part of the
digitally signed response XML.

4.2 Using Binary format for PID block

Protocol Buffers are a way of encoding structured data in an efficient yet extensible
format. Google uses Protocol Buffers for almost all of its internal RPC protocols and file
formats. It provides a flexible, efficient, automated mechanism for serializing structured
data. See https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/overview for details.

This version of the API supports PID block to be sent to AUA server in protobuf format as
an alternate to default XML format. This allows compact binary representation of the
device data and avoids extra encoding required for XML format. If this scheme is used,
device applications are expected to form the PID block in protobuf format using the
“.proto” file for PID block. Final “.proto” files for this version are available at
https://developer.uidai.gov.in/site/downloads

4.3 Authentication Audits

Aadhaar authentication will record all the authentication requests and their responses
for audit purposes. See Aadhaar regulations to see audit retention policy of UIDAI.

All authentication responses are digitally signed by UIDAI and AUA’s are recommended
to validate the response integrity the keep track of these for audit purposes. In addition,
attributes “ts”, “info” within the API response can be used to verify if it the request was
indeed for a particular Aadhaar number, if the request indeed had a biometric factor,
when was the authentication done, etc. Such self-verifiability of the authentication
response allows 3rd party applications to trust and electronically verify the digitally
signed response quite similar to that of an offline trust establishment against a gazetted
officer signed paper.

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5. Appendix

5.1 Changes in Version 2.0 from Version 1.6

New (2.0)
Aadhaar holder consent for authentication
Txn attribute naming convention clarified further
Only supports registered devices. Public devices are no more supported and need to be
upgraded. See Registered Devices Spec 2.0 for more details.
PID session key encryption changed to AES/GCM
SSK scheme removed with introduction to registered devices.
Added “wadh” and “dhi” attributes within PID block for data integrity checks.
Meta element has additional attributes to support registered devices
Country added in “pa” element within PID block
Info attribute of the response enhanced for version 2.0 to 3.0
“actn” attributed added in the response
Additional error codes added

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