Indian expatriates, living in the UAE will soon be required to obtain the Indian national identity card known as the 'Aadhaar card', according to a senior Indian official.
The 12- digit individual identification number, with life-time validity, will soon be made mandatory for Indian nationals residing in the UAE, who, for now, will have to personally apply to government offices to get the Aadhaar card.
However, officials at the Indian Embassy in the UAE said that when cards are made mandatory, changes may allow Indian nationals to apply from abroad, the Gulf News reported.
T P Seetharam, Indian Ambassador to the UAE said that a suggestion to make provision for Indian nationals (NRIs) to apply for card in UAE was made during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January this year.
He said that while the suggestions have been forwarded to the concerned department in India, so far a decision was not yet taken following which, NRIs in UAE will need to apply for the card in India.