NRO (Non-Resident Ordinary) accounts are bank accounts that are used by non-resident Indians (NRIs) to manage their income earned in India. In India, the government has made it mandatory to link various financial accounts, such as bank accounts and PAN (Permanent Account Number) with Aadhaar, a 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Indian government to every resident of India.

The government has also made it mandatory to link Aadhaar with NRO accounts as per the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2019, issued by the Ministry of Finance. According to this rule, all individuals are required to link their Aadhaar numbers with their NRO accounts by December 31, 2019.

Linking an NRO account with Aadhaar is important for a number of reasons. It helps to keep track of an individual’s financial transactions and ensures compliance with tax laws. Additionally, it also helps to prevent money laundering and other financial crimes.

However, there are some exceptions for NRIs and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) who are not residents in India, they can submit a PAN card in lieu of an Aadhaar card.

It is important to note that if an NRO account is not linked with Aadhaar, the account may be frozen or become non-operational. Therefore, if you are an NRI with an NRO account, it is important to link it with your Aadhaar card as soon as possible, or in case you are an NRI or PIO, ensure to provide a PAN card instead of an Aadhaar card as per the government’s guidelines.