HomeCirculars › RBI/2011-12/314

Aadhaar Letter Accepted as Valid KYC Document for NBFCs (Circular dated December 26, 2011)

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/314 · issued 26 Dec 2011 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI, via circular dated December 26, 2011, allowed NBFCs to accept the UIDAI letter containing name, address, and Aadhaar number as an officially valid document for opening accounts, per PMLA rules. NBFCs must still verify the customer's current address separately.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A KYC & compliance officer in Indore is helping a farmer open a savings account. The farmer only has his Aadhaar letter, so the officer accepts it as a valid ID. But the officer also asks for a recent electricity bill to confirm the farmer's current address, as the rule requires.

What changed

The Government of India, via Notification No. 14/2010 dated December 16, 2010, amended PML Rules, 2005 to include the UIDAI letter as an officially valid document under Rule 2(1)(d). RBI directed NBFCs to accept this letter for account opening, aligning with the Master Circular on KYC/AML.

What it means for you

NBFCs can now use the Aadhaar letter as a primary KYC document, simplifying customer onboarding. However, they must still obtain separate proof of the customer's current address. This adds the Aadhaar letter to the list of OVDs, which already includes voter ID and NREGA job cards.

What you must do

Who it affects

All Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), Residuary Non-Banking Companies (RNBCs)

❓ Common questions

Can we open an account solely based on the Aadhaar letter?

Yes, the UIDAI letter is now an officially valid document for identity. But you must also obtain separate proof of the customer's current address as per existing KYC norms.

Does this notification change address verification requirements?

No. The notification reiterates that NBFCs must satisfy themselves about the current address of the customer by obtaining required proof, even when using Aadhaar.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/314 DNBS(PD).CC. No 251 /03.10.42 /2011-12 December 26 , 2011 All Non Banking Financial Companies / Residuary Non Banking Companies Dear Sir, Know Your Customer Norms – Letter issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) containing details of name, address and Aadhaar number Please find enclosed a copy of Government of India Notification No. 14/2010/F.No. 6/2/2007-ES dated December 16, 2010 which recognises the letter issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) containing details of name, address and Aadhaar number, as an officially valid document as contained in Rule 2(1)(d) of the PML Rules, 2005. 2. It has been decided to accept the letter issued by the (UIDAI) as an officially valid document for opening of accounts. Attention is also invited to Annex VI para 3 of Master Circular No 231 dated July 1, 2011 on KYC/AML/PMLA dealing with customer identification. It is reiterated that while opening accounts based on Aadhaar also, NBFCs must satisfy themselves about the current address of the customer by obtaining required proof of the same as per extant instructions. 3. All NBFCs may please confirm compliance to these instructions to Regional Offices of DNBS under whose jurisdiction they are registered. Yours sincerely, (Dr. Tuli Roy) Deputy General Manager Encl: As above Government of India Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) Notification New Delhi, the 16 th December, 2010 GSR (E) – In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) read with clauses (h) (i), (j) and (k) of sub-section (2) of Section 73 of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003), the Central Government hereby makes the following amendments to the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records of the Nature and Value of Transactions, the Procedure and Manner of Maintaining and Time for Furnishing Information and Verification and Maintenance of Records of the Identity of the Clients of the Banking Companies, Financial Institutions and Intermediaries) Rules, 2005, namely:- 1. (1) These rules may be called the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records of the Nature and Value of Transactions, the Procedure and Manner of Maintaining and Time for Furnishing Information and Verification and Maintenance of Records of the Identity of the Clients of the Banking Companies, Financial Institutions and Intermediaries) Third Amendment Rules, 2010. (2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. 2. In the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records of the Nature and Value of Transactions, the Procedure and Manner of Maintaining and Time for Furnishing Information and Verification and Maintenance of Records of the Identity of the Clients of the Banking Companies, Financial Institutions and Intermediaries) Rules, 2005, - (a) in rule 2,- (i) after clause (b), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:- “(bb) “Designated Officer” means any officer or a class of officers authorized by a banking company, either by name or by designation, for the purpose of opening small accounts”. (ii) in clause (d), for the words “the Election Commission of India or any other document as may be required by the banking company or financial institution or intermediary”, the words “Election Commission of India, job card issued by NREGA duly signed by an officer of the State Government, the letter issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India containing details of name, address and Aadhaar number or any other document as notified by the Central Government in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India or any other document as may be required by the banking companies, or financial institution or intermediary” shall be substituted; (iii) after clause (fa), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:- “(fb) “small account” means a savings account in a banking company where- i) the aggregate of all credits in a financial year does not exceed rupees one lakh, (ii) the aggregate of all withdrawals and transfers in a month does not exceed rupees ten thousand, and; (iii) the balance at any point of time does not exceed rupees fifty thousand”. (b) In rule 9, after sub-rule (2), the following sub-rule shall be inserted, namely:- “(2A) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (2), an individual who desires to open a small account in a banking company may be allowed to open such an account on production of a self-attested photograph and affixation of signature or thumb print, as the case may be, on the form for opening the account. Provided that – (i) the designated officer of the banking company, while opening the small account, certifies under his signature that the person opening the account has affixed his signature or thumb print, as the case may be, in his presence; (ii) a small account shall be opened only at Core Banking Solution linked banking company branches or in a branch where it is possible to manually monitor and ensure that foreign remittances are not credited to a small account and that the stipulated limits on monthly and annual aggregate of transactions and balance in such accounts are not breached, before a transaction is allowed to take place; (iii) a small account shall remain operational initially for a period of twelve months, and thereafter for a further period of twelve months if the holder of such an account provides evidence before the banking company of having applied for any of the officially valid documents within twelve months of the opening of the said account, with the entire relaxation provisions to be reviewed in respect of the said account after twenty four months. (iv) a small account shall be monitored and when there is suspicion of money laundering or financing of terrorism or other high risk scenarios, the identity of client shall be established through the production of officially valid documents, as referred to in sub rule ( 2) of rule 9"; and (v) foreign remittance shall not be allowed to be credited into a small account unless the identity of the client is fully established through the production of officially valid documents, as referred to in sub-rule (2) of rule 9.” (Notification No.14/2010/F.No.6/2/2007-ES) (S.R. Meena) Under Secretary Note: The principal rules were published in Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part-II, Section 3, Sib-Section (i) vide number G.S.R.444 (E), dated the 1st July, 2005 and subsequently amended by number G.S.R.717 (E), dated the 13th December, 2005, number G.S.R. 389(E), dated the 24th May, 2007, number G.S.R. 816(E), dated the 12th November, 2009, number G.S.R.76 (E), dated the 12th February, 2010 and number G.S.R. 508(E), dated the 16th June, 2010.
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/314 · issued 26 Dec 2011. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related
Who does what — compliance checklist
🏦 Branch Manager
  • Update internal KYC policies to accept the UIDAI letter as an officially valid document for account opening.
📜 Compliance
  • Ensure that for Aadhaar-based accounts, you still collect and verify proof of the customer's current address as per existing instructions.
  • Confirm compliance with these instructions to your respective Regional Office of DNBS.
  • Train staff on the new document acceptance and address verification requirements.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Branch Manager at a bank this circular applies to (All Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), Residuary Non-Banking Companies (RNBCs)), your first concrete step on “Aadhaar Letter Accepted as Valid KYC Document for NBFCs (Circular dated December 26, 2011)” is: “Update internal KYC policies to accept the UIDAI letter as an officially valid document for account opening.” (RBI issued this 26 Dec 2011).

  1. Circular: RBI/2011-12/314 -- Aadhaar Letter Accepted as Valid KYC Document for NBFCs (Circular dated December 26, 2011)
  2. Issued: 26 Dec 2011
  3. Action required: Update internal KYC policies to accept the UIDAI letter as an officially valid document for account opening.
  4. Action required: Ensure that for Aadhaar-based accounts, you still collect and verify proof of the customer's current address as per existing instructions.
  5. Action required: Confirm compliance with these instructions to your respective Regional Office of DNBS.
  6. Action required: Train staff on the new document acceptance and address verification requirements.
  7. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  8. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  9. Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.

💬 Banker Discussion

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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=6890&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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