Registering as a voter in India costs nothing. You fill Form 6, the Application Form for New Voters, on the Election Commission’s Voter Service Portal at voters.eci.gov.in, attach one proof of age and one proof of ordinary residence, and submit. The form is addressed to the Electoral Registration Officer of your Assembly or Parliamentary constituency, who verifies it before your name goes on the roll and your Elector Photo Identity Card is issued.
What you need before you start
You must be an Indian citizen, at least 18 years old on the qualifying date, and ordinarily resident in the constituency. Keep one accepted proof of age: a birth certificate from the competent local body, Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence, a Class X or XII certificate, or an Indian passport. Keep one accepted proof of ordinary residence: a water, electricity or gas bill for that address for at least a year, Aadhaar, a bank or post office passbook, a passport, revenue department land records, a registered rent lease deed if you are a tenant, or a registered sale deed if you own the house. The proof may stand in the name of the applicant, a parent or a spouse. Finally, get a recent passport size colour photograph of 4.5 cm by 3.5 cm with a white background.
Step by step
- Confirm your eligibility on age, citizenship and ordinary residence.
- Create an account on voters.eci.gov.in, or use the Voter Helpline app.
- Open Form 6 and address it to the Electoral Registration Officer of your constituency.
- Fill it in English or your state’s official language, with your full postal address and PIN code.
- Upload the 4.5 cm by 3.5 cm white background photograph.
- Attach a self attested copy of one proof of age and one proof of ordinary residence.
- Submit and note the reference number.
- Track the application on the portal and cooperate with the Booth Level Officer’s field visit.
Fees and timelines
There is no fee at any stage. The application is processed by the Electoral Registration Officer, and field verification by the Booth Level Officer is a normal part of it. Once your name is included in the electoral roll, the EPIC is despatched to your registered address. Applying well before an election announcement gives the office room to verify without pressure.
What to do if it goes wrong
If you do not have any of the listed documents, you may still apply with an alternative document, but you will have to appear before the Electoral Registration Officer in person for verification. The rules also provide for field verification in place of documents for homeless citizens who are otherwise eligible, so lack of paperwork is not an absolute bar.
If your application is rejected, the order should tell you why, and the usual reasons are an unreadable photograph, an address proof that does not match the address claimed, or a name spelled differently across documents. Fix the specific defect and reapply rather than starting over with different papers. If your name is missing from the roll even after approval, use the Search in Electoral Roll option on the portal and then raise a complaint with your Electoral Registration Officer. Form 8 is the form for corrections and for shifting to a new address, and Form 7 is for objecting to an entry.