A digilocker is a thoughtfully launched initiative by the Government of India that leads to paperless and digital governance. To overcome the problems related to physical documentation, the government has made provision for digital documentation and e-signing. All your official documents used as valid identity and address proof can easily be stored in a digilocker via aadhaar authentication. Now no more worries of losing your original valid documents and attesting the same by a gazetted officer as a digilocker keeps all your documents safe in electronic format. 

You firstly need to create a digilocker account linked with your aadhaar to upload, store and e-sign all your documents such as Aadhaar, PAN, Passport, driving license, educational certificates, marriage certificate, insurance policy, etc. These documents can also be shared through the app when required. The QR code present on the document can also be used to check the authenticity of the document.

What is a DigiLocker?

A digital locker system that securely stores all your valid documents to minimize the ease of carrying physical documents. It is linked to a person’s aadhaar number that can securely store e-documents hence provides secure and easy access to all government-related documents anytime. A person can easily scan and upload documents like aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving license, educational certificates, marriage certificate, insurance policy, etc. to a digilocker and e-sign them instead of self-attestation. It is a cloud-based storage under the Digital India campaign that keeps all important documents in one place. 

How to Login/Sign Up for DigiLocker ?

• You simply need to visit the official website of digilocker.gov (https://digilocker.gov.in/)
• Create your new digilocker account by either entering your aadhaar number or mobile number
• Once your account has been created, you can use your username and password to login to your DigiLocker account next time. Alternatively, you can also use your Aadhaar number and OTP for login and authentication.

Two Options for Authentication: OTP and Fingerprint?

OTP Sign Up:  OTP can be used only if your mobile number is registered with UIDAI. On entering OTP and clicking on the “Validate” button, the user is taken to set the username/password page to complete the sign up. 

Fingerprint Sign Up: To use this option, you will have to put your thumb impression on the fingerprint device. If the fingerprint is valid, then the user is taken to set the username/password page to complete the sign up.

Note: An individual can only have one digilocker account linked with the aadhaar. 

How to Upload Documents in Digilocker?

Step 1: Once the registration process is completed, you can upload documents from inside your ‘Uploaded Documents’ section

Step 2: Click the upload icon to start uploading a document. In the file upload dialog box, locate the file from your local drive and select ‘open’ to complete the uploading.

Step 3: To assign a document type to your uploaded file, click ‘select doc type’. This will show a pop up with a drop-down selection of various document types.

Step 4:  Choose the appropriate document type and click ‘save’.

Step 5: You can also edit the name of the file using the edit icon next to the filename.

Note: On successful upload, the document will be listed under the ‘Uploaded Documents’ section.

How to Get Documents Issued in DigiLocker?

You can not only upload but also get your documents issued by the relevant government authority such as the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Income Tax Department, CBSE, Indane, etc. via digilocker. In case you want to get your document issued, select the issuing agency and enter your details and the document will be issued and uploaded in your DigiLocker account.

Which Documents to be Issued in DigiLocker?

• Aadhaar card
• PAN Card
• Passport 
• Voter’s Card
• Driving License and RC 
• Educational Certificates
• Marriage Certificate 
• Insurance Policy
• Birth Certificate
• Income Certificate
• Death Certificate, etc.

Additional Documents and Certificates in DigiLocker?

Issuer	Document(s) Issued
New India Assurance Co. Ltd.	Insurance policy documents
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas(IOCL)	e-Subscription Voucher for LPG connections
BPCL	e-Subscription Voucher for LPG connections
HPCL	e-Subscription Voucher for LPG connections
eDistrict Uttar Pradesh	Birth, income, caste certificates, etc.
Greater Chennai Corporation	Birth and death certificates
Department of Food, Public Distribution & Consumer Affairs (PDS)	Jharkhand PDS Certificates
Food and Supplies Department	Ration cards for Haryana
NIELIT, New Delhi	NDLM Certificates
Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship	ITI Certificates
Directorate of Provident Fund (GPF), Ranchi	GPF Statement for Govt. Employees of Jharkhand
Department of Sainik Welfare, Govt. of Pondicherry	Dependency Certificates
National e-Governance Division	NeGD Training Certificates
e-District Delhi	Income, caste, marriage certificates, etc.

How to Do Digital Signing or e-signing of Documents in Digilocker?

With the help of digilocker you can e-sign any document and share it with the concerned authorities through email or post. Talking about e-sign, it is similar to self-attestation, in which the individual affirms that the document produced is not a duplicate or fake. Earlier, you had to get photocopies of original documents attested by a gazetted officer to use as a valid identity or address proof. But with digilocker, things have become easy, safe or rather authentic. 

Currently, e-signing can be done by e-KYC services of aadhaar which are enabled through OTP or fingerprint authentication. E-sign is extremely handy for self-attestation, income tax e-filing, bank account opening, vehicle registration, driving license renewal, admission in educational institutes, etc, and so on. 

Features and Benefits of DigiLocker

• Empowers the citizens digitally.
• Ensures easy availability of documents online.
• Reduces the use of physical documents and fake documents.
• Offers authenticity of the e-documents.
• Provides secured access to documents issued by the government.
• Reduces administrative costs of government departments and agencies.
• Provides fast access to documents anytime and from anywhere.
• Enables easy sharing of documents across departments and agencies.
• Ensures complete privacy of residents’ data.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q.How can I sign up for DigiLocker?

A.Signing up for DigiLocker is easy – all you need is your mobile or Aadhaar number. Your mobile/Aadhaar number will be authenticated by sending an OTP (one-time-password) followed by setting your security PIN for 2-Factor authentication. This will create your DigiLocker account.

Q.I want to link Aadhaar with my DigiLocker, but my mobile number is not updated in my Aadhaar. How can I get this done?

A.Firstly you need to link your mobile number with Aadhaar. And, for that  you can visit any nearest Aadhaar Kendra or you can do the same online at the official website of aadhaar. gov. Once your mobile number is linked with aadhaar, you can then start uploading the same document in your digilocker by scanning your original aadhaar.

Q.I have registered on DigiLocker and I want to change my username, is there any way to do so?

A.Username once created in DigiLocker cannot be changed currently.

Q.I have forgotten my DigiLocker username/password. What should I do?

A.You do not require username to login anymore. You can type your mobile number or Aadhaar instead of username and after providing the OTP, you will be able to login to your account.

Q.What are issued documents and what are uploaded documents?

A.Issued documents are e-documents issued by various government agencies in electronic format directly from the original data source and the URI (link) of these documents is available in the issued documents section of DigiLocker. Whereas uploaded documents are those documents that are uploaded directly by the DigiLocker user.

Q.What is the meaning of URI?

A.A URI is a Uniform Resource Identifier generated by the issuer department, which is mandatory for every e-document of the DigiLocker system. This unique URI can be resolved to a full URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to access the actual document in its appropriate repository.

Q.How can I upload documents to my DigiLocker account?

A.You can upload the documents by logging into your account. You simply need to visit ‘Uploaded Documents’ section under account and follow a few simple steps to upload the documents

Q.What type of files can be uploaded?

A.File types that can be uploaded are – PDF, JPEG and PNG.

Q.What is the maximum allowed storage space to upload the documents?

A. You will be allotted a storage space of 1 GB linked with your Aadhaar number.