Replacing an L0 fingerprint scanner with L1: a buying and migration checklist

Why you need to replace it

UIDAI's letter of 16 April 2025 set the sunset of L0 fingerprint registered devices at 30 June 2025, or the Public Device Certificate validity, whichever is earlier. An L0 scanner — for example the Mantra MFS100, the plain Morpho MSO 1300 E3 or the plain Startek FM220U — is no longer the device to rely on for Aadhaar authentication, and no driver or "converter" changes its level. Our L0 vs L1 explainer covers the background. This guide is about what to buy and how to switch with the least downtime.

Step 1: Shortlist only models on UIDAI's current L1 list

UIDAI publishes a *List of UIDAI Certified Biometric Authentication Fingerprint L1 Registered Devices* (linked below). The version we read on 30 October 2026 had eleven models, each with a PDC validity date — the date until which the STQC-issued Public Device Certificate is valid:

• Smart Chip (IDEMIA/Morpho) MSO1300E3 L1 — 13.08.2027
• Access Computech FM220UL1 — 14.03.2028
• Mantra MFS110 — 02.10.2028
• Access Computech AST300 — 28.08.2026
• Precision Biometric PB1000 — 28.08.2026
• Mantra MARC 11 — 13.06.2027
• Linkwell Telesystems V400 — 20.08.2027
• Linkwell Telesystems V600 — 12.06.2028
• Aqtronics AFS100 — 17.09.2028
• Evolute Fintech EFINNBFPSL1 — 17.09.2028
• Mantra MFS210 — 12.10.2028

Two of these dates (AST300 and PB1000) had already passed when we checked. That doesn't prove the devices stopped working — the maker may have renewed the certificate — but it is exactly the kind of thing to ask the seller in writing before you pay. UIDAI's note on the list says you can ask the vendor for a copy of the STQC-issued certificate. Always open the live PDF on uidai.gov.in rather than relying on a copy someone forwarded.

Step 2: Match the scanner to your application and PC

• Application support: your CSC, AePS, bank or eKYC application has to integrate that brand's RD service. Ask your application provider which L1 models they support. IDEMIA, for example, publishes an APP-RD compatibility list on rdserviceonline.com, and its FAQ says a device bought there works in an application only if the provider has integrated the IDEMIA L1 RD service.
• Operating system: UIDAI's list shows the platforms each model is certified for (Windows, Android, Linux and so on). Check yours is listed.
• Windows version: IDEMIA supports Windows 10 and later (32- and 64-bit); Mantra lists Windows 10 and above for the MFS110; Access Computech offers separate 32-bit and 64-bit drivers.

Step 3: Understand what the first year includes

The device price and the RD subscription are separate things. Mantra's MFS110 and MARC11 product pages say a one-year RD service subscription is included and renewal is chargeable; the MFS210 page doesn't state its terms. Access Computech and IDEMIA sell renewals per device on their own sites. Ask the seller how long the included subscription runs and from which date, and keep the invoice — you'll need the serial number for every renewal. Current renewal prices are in our RD validity and renewal guide.

Step 4: Startek owners — transfer the remaining validity

Access Computech offers a Transfer validity form that moves the subscription from an old L0 device to a new L1 device. Its conditions, as listed on the form:

• the old L0 device must have more than 2 months of validity left;
• ACPL's records must show the old serial as L0 and the new one as a dispatched L1 device;
• neither device may be blocked, and the new L1 must not already have a lifetime plan;
• you upload a photo of each serial label (JPG or PNG, up to 100 KB).

ACPL's renewal page also says clients with active RD services on L0 devices will have their validity moved to the upgraded L1 device.

Step 5: Switch over in the right order

1. Uninstall the old L0 RD service and driver from Settings → Apps, then restart.
2. Download the new model's driver and RD service only from the maker's site — Mantra, Morpho or Startek.
3. Install the driver first, then the RD service, each with Run as administrator.
4. Connect the scanner with internet on, let it register, and test capture in the maker's tool.
5. Do this a day before you need it: Mantra's error sheet notes a newly registered device can take 5 to 24 hours to reflect on UIDAI's servers.

Red flags when buying

• "L0 to L1 conversion software" or "upgrade keys" — UIDAI's list names hardware models; software can't change the model.
• A seller who can't tell you the exact model printed on the label, or quotes a model not on UIDAI's list.
• Downloads from Google Drive or WhatsApp instead of the maker's site.