Unique Disability ID (UDID) / Swavlamban Card

What is the UDID or Swavlamban Card?

Unique Disability ID (UDID), printed as the Swavlamban Card, is a single national identity document for persons with disabilities issued by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. According to the DEPwD, the UDID project builds a national database of persons with disabilities and issues each registered person one card that works across states.

The card exists to end a specific problem: a person with a disability previously had to produce a fresh state-issued certificate each time they moved district or applied to a different department. UDID replaces that with one number, held in a central database, that any department can verify online.

Key objectives

• Create a single, verifiable national database of persons with disabilities across central, state, district and sub-district levels.
• Remove duplicate and forged disability certificates by making issue and verification digital.
• Cover all 21 disabilities recognised under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.
• Let the holder apply for renewal, correction and re-issue online rather than by repeat physical visits.

Main features

• The card is issued free of cost, there is no application fee.
• Registration, medical assessment routing, status tracking and card download all happen at swavlambancard.gov.in.
• Aadhaar is required for applicants, including children.
• An e-UDID card and e-disability certificate can be downloaded as soon as the card is generated, without waiting for the physical card.

Who is eligible for a UDID card?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian citizen with any of the 21 disabilities listed in the RPwD Act, 2016.
• You hold a disability certificate from a competent medical authority; or you do not hold one, in which case the UDID application itself routes you to the designated medical authority for assessment.
• You are of any age. UDID has no minimum or maximum age; parents and guardians apply on behalf of children.
• You have an Aadhaar number, which is required for the application.

You cannot apply, or your application will not proceed, if:

• You have no diagnosed condition falling within the 21 RPwD Act disabilities. A condition outside the schedule cannot be certified under this framework.
• You are not an Indian citizen; the UDID database covers Indian citizens.
• You refuse or do not attend the medical assessment when the designated authority calls you, without which the percentage cannot be recorded.
• You already hold a valid UDID card and are applying afresh instead of using the renewal or correction option; duplicate applications are rejected by design, since removing duplicates is a stated objective of the project.

The 40% benchmark matters separately. A person certified at 40% or more is a "person with benchmark disability" under the RPwD Act, and that status is what unlocks reservation in education and government jobs and most scheme benefits. Persons certified below 40% are still issued a UDID card recording their actual assessed percentage.

What documents are required for a UDID card?

How to apply for a UDID card online

1. Open the official portal at swavlambancard.gov.in and select Apply for Disability Certificate & UDID Card.
2. Register with your name, mobile number and Aadhaar number, and verify the OTP sent to your mobile.
3. Fill the personal details section, name, date of birth, gender, address, education, employment status and family details.
4. Fill the disability details section — type of disability from the 21 RPwD Act categories, cause, date of onset, and whether you already hold a disability certificate.
5. Upload the scanned photograph, signature or thumb impression, identity proof, address proof and, if held, the existing disability certificate.
6. Enter your employment and identity details, then submit the form and save the enrolment number shown on screen.
7. Attend the medical assessment when the designated medical authority or medical board calls you, if you did not upload an existing certificate.
8. Track progress under Track Your Application Status using the enrolment number, and download the e-UDID card from your dashboard once it is generated.

How to apply for a UDID card offline

1. Visit the District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC), the Chief Medical Officer's office or the designated government hospital in your district.
2. Collect and fill the UDID application form, attaching photocopies of Aadhaar, address proof, photograph and any existing disability certificate.
3. Submit the form so the district authority enters it into the UDID portal on your behalf.
4. Attend the medical assessment at the date and place the authority notifies.
5. Collect the enrolment number receipt, which you will need to track the application and download the e-UDID card later.

Disability assessment camps organised by District Welfare Officers are the other common offline route, particularly in rural blocks.

What is the UDID card used for?

UDID is an identity and verification document rather than a cash benefit. In practice the number and the recorded percentage are what departments check when you claim:

• Reservation in government jobs and higher education for persons with benchmark disability (40% or more).
• Disability pension and state disability allowance schemes, which use the UDID for verification.
• Concessions in rail and road travel and other transport concessions where the operator accepts UDID.
• Assistive devices under central and state schemes.
• Scholarships for students with disabilities administered by DEPwD and state departments.

The exact concession available depends on the scheme and the state; the UDID proves your disability status, it does not by itself create an entitlement.

How to check UDID application status

1. Go to swavlambancard.gov.in and open Track Your Application Status.
2. Enter your enrolment number, UDID number or request number, along with your date of birth.
3. Submit to see the current stage, pending at the District Disability Rehabilitation Officer, pending medical assessment, certificate generated, or card generated and dispatched.
4. Once the status shows the card is generated, log in and download the e-UDID card and e-disability certificate from the dashboard.

Common reasons UDID applications get delayed or rejected

• Waiting at medical assessment, the single most common cause; the designated authority must physically examine the applicant.
• Aadhaar detail mismatch in name, date of birth or gender between the form and the Aadhaar record.
• Unclear uploaded documents; blurred photographs or unreadable scanned certificates are returned for re-upload.
• Condition outside the 21 RPwD Act disabilities, which cannot be certified under this framework.
• Duplicate application where a valid UDID already exists for the same person.

Corrections are made through the update or renewal option in the applicant dashboard rather than by filing a fresh application.

Help and grievance redressal

• National disability helpline: 14456
• DEPwD, Antyodaya Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003 to 011-24365019
• District Disability Rehabilitation Centre or District Social Welfare Officer for delays in medical assessment and district-level verification.

Applying for a UDID card is free at every stage. No agent can charge a fee to register you, expedite the medical board or "issue" the card.