IAS 2026 Application Form: Steps to Apply Online
Indian Administrative Services 2026 ( IAS )
The Union Public Service Commission will release the Civil Service (IAS) application form online on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The UPSC 2026 application form link will be activated with the notification. The Commission will release the UPSC IAS notification on January 14, 2026. The candidates will get around twenty days to fill the online application form. The UPSC will release the Civil Service application correction dates in the notification.
The last date to apply online for the UPSC IAS Exam will be February 3, 2026. The candidates will be required to pay the application fee as per their category. The Union Public Service Commission integrated the face detection facility in the application filling process. The Commission will also implement the face detection facility at the exam centres. The candidates requires the UPSC One Time Registration (OTR) to fill the application form. The candidates must confirm the UPSC eligibilty to appear in the exam.
- How to Register for IAS Exam 2026?
- UPSC IAS 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
- How to Fill IAS Form 2026?
- How to Pay IAS 2026 application fee?
- Image Specification for IAS Application 2026
- IAS Form 2026 FAQs
How to Register for IAS Exam 2026?
The UPSC IAS application form link will be activated with the notification. The UPSC IAS 2026 registration can be filled out anytime. The candidates can register for IAS exam in the following manner:
- Visit the official website of UPSC- upsconline.nic.in
- Click on the Exam Notifications tab.
- Click on Apply Online link.
- Click on the link available for Civil Services Part-I registration.
- Read the application form instructions carefully and click on Yes.
Fill in all basic information in the UPSC registration form:
| Name | Date of birth |
| Category | Gender |
| Email ID | Contact number |
| Permanent address | Marital status |
| Parents' names | Community |
| Educational Qualification | - |
Once all the details are filled in, click on Continue. Check all details in the online form carefully and click on Submit.
Commonly asked questions
The candidates need the UPSC registration number for fill the Civil Service application form. They are required to fill in the personal details in the registration form. The candidates need to upload their academic certificates on upsconline.nic.in.
The Union Public Service Commission introduced the One-Time Registration (OTR) process for all exams. The OTR is a common regisration for all the applications where the candidates fill out registration one time only and these personal details are re-used for the application.
The OTR is common to all exam application. The candidates can take the registration number anytime irrespective of any active application.
UPSC IAS 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of IAS 2026 exam
| Dates | Past Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| 22 Aug ' 25 - 31 Aug ' 25 | IAS Main 2025 Exam Date |
| 25 May ' 25 | IAS Prelims 2025 Exam Date |
| 13 May ' 25 - 25 May ' 25 | IAS Prelims Admit Card 2025 Issue Date |
How to Fill IAS Form 2026?
The candidates can fill out the IAS Form online in the following manner:
- Most of the details of the IAS application were auto-filled in the UPSC IAS application (through the UPSC registration form).
- Pay IAS application fee online (through SBI Net Banking/ debit card/ credit card) or offline (by cash through SBI bank challan) mode.
- Upload scanned images of photograph, signature and photo ID card as per the specifications mentioned below:
- Enter the following information in the Civil Services(IAS) online application form:
| Application fee payment details (except for fee-exempted candidates) | Selection of examination centre |
- Click on the 'I Agree' button after reading the declaration.
- On clicking the button, a page with a registration number will be generated. Note down the registration number or take a printout of the page.
Commonly asked questions
The Commission provided one week for the application correction from March 6 to 12, 2024. The UPSC released the IAS 2024 applications on February 14, 2024. The last date to apply for the exam was March 5, 2024.
The Union Public Service Commission provides only 20 days to fill the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) application form online. The UPSC IAS 2026 notification will be released on January 14 and the last date to fill the online applications will be February 3, 2026.
How to Pay IAS 2026 application fee?
Candidates can pay IAS Exam application fee in online or offline mode.
- Online mode: Candidates can make online payment of application fee via Visa/ Master/ RuPay credit/ debit card or internet banking of SBI.
- Offline mode: Candidates can make offline payment of application fee by paying cash at any branch of SBI. Regarding the same, the official website states, “Applicants who opt for ‘Pay by Cash’ mode should print the system generated pay-in-slip during part II registration and deposit the fee at the counter of SBI Branch on the next working day only.” Candidates must note that the ‘Pay by Cash’ mode will be deactivated one day before the application process closes. However, candidates who have generated their pay-in-slip before the process is deactivated can make the payment at any SBI branch during banking hours on the closing date.
IAS Application Fee
| Category | Preliminary Exam Fee | Mains Exam Fee |
|---|---|---|
| General/ OBC |
INR 100 |
INR 200 |
| Females/ SC/ ST/ Persons with Benchmark Disability |
Nil |
Nil |
Fill IAS Exam Part-II Application Form
To proceed for part-II registration, candidates need to click on the Click Here for Part II link present on the official website of UPSC. On clicking the link, a new page will open wherein candidates need to enter their registration ID as well as their date of birth and click on the Submit button. On clicking the button, Civil Services (IAS) Exam Part-II application form will appear on the screen. Candidates need to enter all asked details and click on the Submit button. It completes the IAS application online.
See Here: How to prepare for IAS exam?
Commonly asked questions
The Union Public Service Commission mention the IAS application fee in the official IAS notification. The Commission released the IAS 2024 notification online on February 14, 2024. The Commission mentioned the IAS 2024 application fee for all the categories in the official notification.
The Commission mention the following application fee in the following manner:
| Category | Preliminary Exam Fee | Mains Exam Fee |
|---|---|---|
General/ OBC | INR 100 | INR 200 |
Females/ SC/ ST/ Persons with Benchmark Disability | Nil | Nil |
The candidates can apply for the IAS exam within twenty days of the Civil Service Exam notification. Union Public Service Commission releases the official notification in the first week of February every year.
Image Specification for IAS Application 2026
The candidates should read the UPSC CSE notification to get the dimensions for the scanned images for the IAS application 2026. The specification for the images (to be uploaded) is summarised below:
| Document | Dimensions | Format, Size & Bit Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Minimum: 350 pixels (Width) X 350 pixels (Height) Maximum: 1000 pixels (Width) X 1000 pixels (Height) |
Format: JPG Size: 20 KB - 300 KB Bit Depth: 24 |
| Signature | Minimum: 350 pixels (Width) X 350 pixels (Height) Maximum: 1000 pixels (Width) X 1000 pixels (Height) |
Format: JPG Size: 20 KB - 300 KB Bit Depth: 24 |
| Photo ID card | NA | Format: PDF Size: 20 KB - 300 KB Bit Depth: NA |
The photograph, uploaded by the candidate should not be more than 10 days old from the start of the online application process (i.e. the application commencement date).
Commonly asked questions
The Union Public Service Commission changed the image specification for the UPSC IAS 2024 application form. The Commission mentioned such changes in the IAS 2024 notification released online on February 14, 2024. The candidates will be required to follow three conditions for the photograph:
1. The photograph, uploaded by the candidate should not be more than 10 days old from the start of the online application process (i.e. the application commencement date).
2. Ensure that the name of the candidate and the date on which the photograph was taken are mentioned on the photograph.
3. The candidate’s face should occupy 3/4th of the space in the photograph.
The Union Public Service Commission is expected to release the image specification in the official notification of any of its exam. The IAS exam 2024 notification was released online on February 14, 2024. The last date to fill out the IAS applications was March 6, 2024.
The Commission mentioned the following image specification as below:
| Document | Dimensions | Format, Size & Bit Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Minimum: 350 pixels (Width) X 350 pixels (Height) Maximum: 1000 pixels (Width) X 1000 pixels (Height) | Format: JPG Size: 20 KB - 300 KB Bit Depth: 24 |
| Signature | Minimum: 350 pixels (Width) X 350 pixels (Height) Maximum: 1000 pixels (Width) X 1000 pixels (Height) | Format: JPG Size: 20 KB - 300 KB Bit Depth: 24 |
| Photo ID card | NA | Format: PDF Size: 20 KB - 300 KB Bit Depth: NA |
IAS Form 2026 FAQs
The candidates can see here important questions related to IAS application form.
Commonly asked questions
The candidates should note that the minimum qualification to apply for the UPSC Civil Service (IAS ) exam is a Graduate degree in any discipline. There is no way to apply for the UPSC IAS exam after 12.
The candidates can start preparing for the UPSC CSE(IAS) exam after class 12 to score better when they appear in the Civil Service Exam. The preparation will help them in clearing the IAS Exam.
There is no specific degree that best suits the IAS exam. Five compulsory papers are common to all candidates. Besides this, the candidates need to appear in two papers on one optional subject. The list of the subjects is given in the IAS Syllabus section of the UPSC notification. The candidates can opt for any optional subject irrespective of their subject in their graduation. Moreover, the UPPSC has done away with the optional subject in the main exam may be UPSC will also follow suit and remove the optional subject from the IAS main exam.
IAS Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
Yes, the UPSC IAS previous year question papers are very important because they provide a clear picture of the exam. The UPSC IAS PYQs hints about the most frequently asked topics in the exam. It also provides the tentative weightage of the sections in the UPSC IAS syllabus.
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 weeks ago
The candidates can cover the IAS prelims syllabus if in six months if they are appearing for it for the first time. In case, the candidate has cleared the prelims earlier, he or she can prepare it in three months.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
The Union Public Service Commission will notify the UPSC IAS Syllabus 2026 in its official notification. The Commission will release the Civil Service 2026 notification on January 14, 2026.
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 weeks ago
The UPSC IAS Prelims and Main exam syllabus is different. The candidates can say that the Prelims syllabus is a subset of the main because it is very vast and extesive.
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 4 weeks ago
No, the Commission do not mention any Minimum Qualifying Marks for the General Studies Paper 1. But there is a criteria of Minimum 33 % for the General Studies Paper 2 (Aptitude) paper.
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 4 weeks ago
The IAS Prelims exam is conducted offline in the pen and paper mode. There is no sectional cutoff in the IAS prelims exam because the number of questions from a section is not fixed and they vary year to year.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 4 weeks ago
The Union Public Service Commission conduct the Civil Service (IAS) main (written) exam offline in pen and paper mode. This exam is a descriptive type exam where the candidates are required to breach this cutoff score to get a call for the interview phase.
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 4 weeks ago
The IAS prelims cutoff means the minimum marks required to clear the prelims exam in the category of the candidate. The Union Public Service Commission conduct the IAS prelims exam to filter the candidates and limit the numbers for the main (written) exam. The Commission conduct the prelims in offli
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
No, the number of IAS vacancies is fixed to 180. Every year, the Commission recommend 180 candidates for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS). In case of any change, the Commission will notify.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
The Union Public Service Commission is expected to conduct the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) interviews till March/April 2026. The Commission is expected to release the UPSC CSE (IAS) Final Result in April 2026.
A
Beginner-Level 5
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