What is DigiLocker and how to use it

With the digital revolution gaining momentum, the need for hard paper, whether it be bills, government IDs or anything else, has started to take a back seat. In line with this digital shift, even India’s Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) under the Digital India programme launched the flagship initiative DigiLocker in 2015, which aims at ‘Digital Empowerment’ of citizens by providing access to authentic digital documents in their digital document wallet.

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In simpler terms, DigiLocker is a platform that allows you to securely store and share your digital documents issued by government agencies. Think of it as a digital vault for your important documents, accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. This guide will explore what DigiLocker is and how to use it to benefit from this secure and convenient service.

What is DigiLocker?

In a nutshell, DigiLocker is a secure cloud-based platform that allows you to store and access digital versions of your important documents, including driver’s licenses, vehicle registration certificates, academic mark sheets etc.

This eliminates the need to carry physical IDs like your driver’s license or Aadhaar Card and reduces the risk of losing the originals. Additionally, these documents are accepted nationwide for KYC verification, airport security checks, and many other purposes.

However, DigiLocker goes beyond just storing documents and government IDs. The Ministry of Electronics and IT, through amendments to the Information Technology Act in February 2017, has recognised documents issued and shared via DigiLocker as legally equivalent to their physical counterparts. 

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As per this Rule, “Issuers may start issuing and Requesters may start accepting digitally (or electronically) signed certificates or documents shared from subscribers’ Digital Locker accounts at par with the physical documents in accordance with the provisions of the Act and rules made thereunder. When such certificate or document mentioned in sub-rule (1) has been issued or pushed in the Digital Locker System by an issuer and subsequently accessed or accepted by a requester through the URI, it shall be deemed to have been shared by the issuer directly in electronic form.”

How to use DigiLocker?

There are two main ways to use DigiLocker: through the official DigiLocker website or the smartphone application.

Website or mobile app: You can access DigiLocker via the official website www.digilocker.gov.in or download the app for your Android or iPhones from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store respectively.

Create an account:

1. Open the website or app and click “Sign Up.”

2. Enter your basic details: full name (matching Aadhaar), Aadhaar-linked mobile number, date of birth, and email address.

3. Create a strong 6-digit PIN for secure access.

4. Double-check your information and click “Submit.”

5. Enter the verification OTP sent to your phone and click “Submit” again.

Username and activation: Choose a username and click “Submit” to complete the account setup.

Uploading documents:

With your DigiLocker ready, follow these steps to upload documents:

1. Upload documents icon: After logging in, locate the “Upload Documents” icon and click it.

2. Select files: After clicking the “Upload” icon, choose the desired files from your device storage.

3. Upload complete: Once selected, your files will be uploaded to DigiLocker and accessible for use.

And that’s how you can use DigiLocker to upload and store your documents and government IDs. In short, DigiLocker is a secure government initiative that acts as your one-stop shop for secure digital copies of your government IDs and certificates.