Indian Citizenship Documents Explained: Passport, Aadhaar & Voter ID Clarification for Expats

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What Does NOT Prove Indian Citizenship

Aadhaar Card — Identity Only
Aadhaar is legally defined as proof of identity and residence, not nationality. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issues Aadhaar under the Aadhaar Act of 2016 to establish identity using biometric data. 

Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 itself explicitly states that Aadhaar cannot act as proof of domicile or citizenship. 

In a landmark 2025 ruling on the Bihar electoral rolls case, a Supreme Court bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi ruled on August 12, 2025: "The use of Aadhaar while filing claims and objections would strictly be as proof of identity and not as evidence of Indian citizenship." 

Crucially, any individual who has resided in India for 182 days or more in the preceding 12 months is eligible for Aadhaar — a threshold that applies to foreign nationals too, not just citizens.