e-Shram Card: Registration, Download, UAN, and Benefits Explained

The e-Shram card is a free identity card issued to unorganised sector workers who register on the Ministry of Labour and Employment’s e-Shram portal. It carries a permanent 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) and links the worker to central social security and welfare schemes through a single registration.

Since the portal launched on 26 August 2021, registrations have reached 31.89 crore, according to a PIB backgrounder published in August 2026. Women make up 54.28% of registrants. For construction workers, domestic workers, street vendors, farm labour and delivery partners, the card is often their first formal labour record.

This guide covers who can register, how to get and download the card, what benefits it connects you to, and why businesses onboarding these workers should not treat it as a KYC document.

What the e-Shram Card and UAN Are

e-Shram is a national database of unorganised workers, seeded with Aadhaar. When a worker registers, the portal generates a UAN, which the e-Shram FAQs describe as a 12-digit number uniquely assigned to each unorganised worker. It stays the same for life.

The card itself is a downloadable document showing the UAN, name, photograph, and basic details. Per the official FAQs, it never expires and needs no renewal. Details can be updated on the portal or at a Common Service Centre (CSC), while the photograph syncs from Aadhaar.

A frequent confusion: the e-Shram UAN is not the EPFO UAN used for provident fund accounts. They are separate numbers in separate systems.

Who Is Eligible for an e-Shram Card

According to the e-Shram FAQs, you can register if you:

• Are aged 16 to 59 years.
• Work in the unorganised sector, including home-based, self-employed, and wage workers.
• Are not a member of EPFO or ESIC.
• Are not an income tax payer.

There is no income threshold, and registration is free. The FAQs state that workers are not required to pay any charges to any registering entity, so anyone demanding a fee is acting improperly.

How to Register on e-Shram

You need only two things: an Aadhaar number and the mobile number linked to that Aadhaar.

1. Visit the official e-Shram portal: Go to eshram.gov.in and choose self-registration.
2. Verify your mobile number: Enter your Aadhaar-linked mobile number and verify it using the OTP.
3. Authenticate your Aadhaar: Complete authentication using your Aadhaar number.
4. Fill in personal details: Provide your personal details, address, education, occupation, and skills.
5. Add bank account details: Enter your bank account details for receiving scheme benefits.
6. Submit the application: Submit and verify your details. Your Universal Account Number (UAN) will be generated.

If your mobile number is not linked to Aadhaar: The FAQs direct you to a Common Service Centre (CSC) or State Seva Kendra, where you can register through biometric authentication.

Registration is open 24×7, and the portal supports 22 languages, a feature added in 2025, according to the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

How to Download the e-Shram Card

1. Visit eshram.gov.in and log in with your registered mobile number and OTP.
2. Open your profile and select the option to download the UAN card.
3. Save the PDF and print it if needed.

If you have lost your UAN, logging in with your Aadhaar-linked mobile number retrieves it. Treat the card like any identity document and do not share it with unofficial agents.

e-Shram Card Verification

Businesses should not assume they can confirm a UAN against the e-Shram database. The data is held by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and access is governed by government rules. This matters for onboarding, discussed below.

e-Shram Card Benefits

The card is a gateway rather than a cash benefit. Since the One-Stop-Solution was launched on 21 October 2024, the portal has integrated 15 central schemes, per the PIB backgrounder. Key ones:

Registration does not by itself pay out benefits. It makes the worker visible to schemes and to state welfare boards, and speeds up targeting during emergencies.

Gig and Platform Workers Under the Code on Social Security

The Code on Social Security, 2020 came into effect on 21 November 2025 along with the other labour codes (EY alert). It formally recognises gig and platform workers and provides for aggregator-funded social security.

On 1 June 2026, the Ministry of Labour and Employment directed aggregators to complete onboarding, API integration, and electronic sharing of worker data on e-Shram by 21 June 2026, under Rule 48(2) of the Social Security Rules, 2026, as reported by SCC Online. The Ministry warned that non-compliance could attract penalties under Section 133 of the Code.

Per PIB, about 11.5 lakh platform workers were registered by August 2026. For delivery, ride-hailing and home-services platforms, e-Shram is now a compliance workflow rather than a worker welfare add-on.

Onboarding Blue-Collar and Gig Workers at Scale

Employers, staffing firms, gig platforms, microfinance institutions and NBFCs lending to informal workers often meet applicants whose only labour document is an e-Shram card. It is tempting to accept it as identity proof. For regulated KYC, that is a mistake.

The e-Shram Card Is Not an RBI OVD

RBI's KYC rules define officially valid documents (OVDs) as the passport, driving licence, proof of possession of Aadhaar, voter ID card, NREGA job card signed by a state officer, and the National Population Register letter. The e-Shram card is not on that list. Our guide covers the full framework, and the guide covers lender-specific requirements.

What to Verify Instead

• Identity: Aadhaar-route KYC (offline XML or DigiLocker) with consent, or PAN where the worker has one.
• Presence: Against the Aadhaar or DigiLocker photo, which matters for remote onboarding.
• Name consistency: name match across Aadhaar, PAN and bank records, since spellings in informal-sector records vary widely.
• Payout account: To confirm wages or loan disbursals go to the worker's own account.

The e-Shram UAN can still be recorded as a labour-welfare reference, particularly for aggregators with Code obligations. It should sit beside verified KYC, not replace it.

Illustrative Scenario

A staffing firm (illustrative) onboards 2,000 warehouse workers before a festive peak. Collecting e-Shram card photos gives it no verifiable identity. Running Aadhaar-route KYC with face match, name match, and bank account verification in one mobile flow lets it pay wages to confirmed accounts from day one.

Where BeFiSc fits: IDProof lets employers, staffing firms, gig platforms and MFIs run bulk worker onboarding with Aadhaar-route and DigiLocker KYC , PAN verification, face match with liveness, name match and bank account verification through one API. IDProof does not query e-Shram or validate UANs. BeFiSc handles 20M+ API calls a month at 99.99% uptime. Book a bulk onboarding demo.

Key Takeaways

• The e-Shram card is a free, non-expiring card with a 12-digit UAN for unorganised workers aged 16 to 59 who are not EPFO or ESIC members or income tax payers.
• Registration needs Aadhaar and an Aadhaar-linked mobile number; CSCs offer biometric registration.
• The card links workers to 15 integrated schemes, including PMSBY, PMJJBY and PM-SYM, but benefits require separate enrolment.
• Aggregators were directed to onboard and integrate with e-Shram by 21 June 2026 under the Code on Social Security.
• The e-Shram card is not an RBI officially valid document; verify identity, face, name and bank account instead.

Conclusion

With nearly 32 crore, RBI-officially, the e-Shram card is the widest formal record India has of its informal workforce. For workers, registering is free, quick, and a prerequisite for several schemes.

For businesses, the card is useful context and, for aggregators, a compliance obligation. It is not proof of identity. Building onboarding on verified Aadhaar-route KYC, face match and bank checks keeps worker programmes fast and defensible as the Code’s social security framework matures.