Aadhaar app turns mandatory for property registration in Maharashtra as Nagaland accepts it as ID proof

Anyone buying or selling property in Maharashtra now has to prove who they are on a phone. Since Wednesday, 4 November, the state’s stamps and registration department has made Aadhaar authentication through the Aadhaar app compulsory for every individual named in a property registration. The app is run by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

The check has been built into iSARITA 1.9, the software used at sub-registrar offices, and sits beside the fingerprint and iris scans already in use. One change matters more than the rest: the department has scrapped the rule that let a witness, known as an identifier, vouch for someone who failed the Aadhaar check. Every party to a deal must now clear it on their own.

What to do before visiting the office

Officials have asked people to install the app and finish setting it up before they reach the sub-registrar’s counter. It works on phones running Android 9.0 and up and on iOS 16 and up, and it needs a live internet connection. Setting up involves verifying the SIM, scanning the face and creating a six-digit PIN for logging in, and the app must be allowed to use the camera. Abhay Mohite, Deputy Inspector General of Registration (IT), said a video walking citizens through the steps was being shared on the department’s social media handle. Anyone whose Aadhaar biometrics are locked must unlock them in the app at the registration counter, and the holder has to turn up in person carrying the phone linked to their Aadhaar.

Nagaland treats app credentials as ID

A day earlier, on Tuesday, 3 November, Nagaland’s Home Department told every government department, district office and implementing agency in the state to treat Aadhaar Verifiable Credentials coming from the app as proof of identity. The order cites a UIDAI circular dated 30 April 2026. A holder can choose to share full or partial details, and the full 12-digit number stays hidden from the agency doing the check. The state said these credentials stand on a par with e-Aadhaar, m-Aadhaar and the printed Aadhaar letter, with legal backing in the Information Technology Act, 2000.