Secure QR, e-Aadhaar and the Aadhaar App: three ways to verify offline

A hotel can check a guest's Aadhaar in more than one offline way. They differ in what the guest must have and in what the verifier receives.

1. The Secure QR on a card or e-Aadhaar

Newer Aadhaar cards and the e-Aadhaar PDF carry a Secure QR code that UIDAI has digitally signed. The guest's own phone reads it and the signature is checked, so a changed or invented card fails. The guest needs the card or the PDF. Older cards may carry an unsigned QR, which cannot be proven genuine.

2. The e-Aadhaar document

The e-Aadhaar PDF downloaded from myAadhaar contains the same signed QR. A guest who has the file on their phone can choose it instead of photographing a card.

3. The Aadhaar App credential

The Aadhaar App produces a signed credential and checks the holder with a face check on the phone. The guest chooses what to share, and the 12-digit number is not passed to the verifier. This route needs the verifying business to be registered as an OVSE.

What the hotel receives in each case

• Name, and whether the guest is 18 or older (or the year of birth).
• The last four digits of the Aadhaar number, not the full number.
• The photograph from the document, so reception can compare it with the person at the desk.

If none of them works

A guest may not have the card, the PDF or the app, may not use Aadhaar, or may hold an older card. In CheckInKYC reception can then check the guest in with another ID, such as a passport, driving licence or voter ID, and record only its type and last characters.

This article explains public information in plain words, as of 18 October 2026. It is not legal advice and rules can change. CheckInKYC is operated by SWASTIK ENTERPRISES, a UIDAI-registered OVSE (No. OR11274063); nothing here says UIDAI endorses or certifies any hotel or product.