IAS 2026 Application Form (Postponed): Steps to Apply Online
Indian Administrative Services 2026 ( IAS )
The Union Public Service Commission has postponed the Civil Service (IAS) exam 2026 applications. The Commission will soon release the revised dates for the UPSC IAS notification and application form. The Commission will also revise the last date for the Civil Service (IAS) applications. Earlier it was February 3, 2026. The UPSC 2026 application form link will be activated with the notification. The Commission will release the UPSC IAS notification soon at upsc.gov.in. 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 notified soon. 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 provides one week for the UPSC IAS application correction. The UPSC will notify such dates in the officoal notification only. The last date to apply for the exam is revised now and will be notified soon at upsc.gov.in.
The Union Public Service Commission provides only 20 days to fill the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) application form online. The UPSC IAS 2026 notification has been postponed and will be released soon at upsc.gov.in.The last date to fill the online applications will also be revised from 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 notify the IAS application fee in the Civil Service notification.
The Commission will 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 second week of January now but this year it is postponed.
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 Commission will notify the image specification in the official notification which is expected soon. The candidates will be required to follow the instructions given by the Commission and recently, the Commission has issued the face detection guidelines in the application process.
The Union Public Service Commission will release the image specification in the official notification of any of its exam. The Commission mentions 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
The UPSC IAS Notification 2026 has been postponed due to administrative reasons. The Commission released a notice on its official website - upsc.gov.in regarding this. The Commission will also revise the last date for UPSC applications.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission will release the IAS Prelims Answer Key 2026 in May 2027. The Commission releases the official answer key after the declaration of final result.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the IAS prelims exam on May 24, 2026. The Commission will release the IAS prelims result 2026 in the first week of June.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The Cadre Controlling Authority for Indian Foreign Service is the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It is recruited through the Civil Service Exam.
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a week ago
The Cadre Controlling Authority for Indian Police Service is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It comes directly under the supervision of Home Minister of India.
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission will notify the UPSC Civil Service vacancies in the official notification. The number of vacancies for IAS is 180 and for IPS it is 150. Rest of the vacancies are notified for the Central Civil Services.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission mention the age limit in the official notification. The upper age limit for the General Categoary candidates is 32 years. The Commission provides age relaxation to certain reserved categories.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
No, the Indian Foriegn Service is a Central Civil Service. It is organised and controlled by the Ministry of External Affairs. It is recruited through the UPSC Civil Service Exam conducted annually.
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission will release the Civil Service (IAS) notification 2026 on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The Commission will mention the number of vacancies (tentative) in the notification. The Commission is releasing over one thousand vacancies in the recent years.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 weeks 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
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