New Aadhaar cards and PDF versions of the identity document have started including a more explicit and prominent disclaimer that they are “a proof of identity, not of citizenship or date of birth,” signalling to government departments and other organisations to not use it for those purposes. Aadhaar has never been proof of citizenship — foreign nationals are eligible to obtain one if they have been living in India for half a year — but different government departments accept it for purposes reserved for citizens or adults.
For instance, the Election Commission of India explicitly accepts Aadhaar as a proof of date of birth for enrolling people to vote. These new clarifications, prominently printed in the identity document, may challenge such allowances. The IDs also include a warning that authenticating them offline needs to be done by scanning the QR code on the reverse side of the document, or by using an XML file issued to residents by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which administers Aadhaar.