In a major digital shift, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made it mandatory to use the UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app for generating and activating Universal Account Numbers (UAN) starting August 1, 2025. This new move is designed to streamline the process using Aadhaar-based Face Authentication Technology (FAT), making onboarding more secure and efficient.
Key Changes Implemented
According to the official circular, all new UAN allotments will now only be processed through the UMANG app using FAT. This eliminates the need for physical documents and minimizes errors in record keeping.
Who Must Use the UMANG App?
From now on, any employee who wishes to:
- Generate a new UAN
- Activate an existing UAN
- Update their EPFO records via biometric authentication
must complete the process only through the UMANG app.
Additionally, to enable facial recognition, users must also download the Aadhaar Face RD app.
Who is Exempt?
This requirement does not apply to:
- Employees from Nepal or Bhutan
- International workers
Their UANs can continue to be generated by their respective employers, without the need for biometric authentication via the app.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
To successfully generate or activate a UAN using the new system, an employee must have:
- A smartphone
- The UMANG app
- The Aadhaar Face RD app
- An Aadhaar-linked mobile number
This shift marks another step in India’s push for digital governance and is expected to benefit crores of employees by offering a simpler, paperless, and more secure UAN onboarding process.
