Want to find some information about your Voter ID Card (Nirvachan Card) about how the Voter registration process works? Look no further! This is where we answer almost all of the Frequently Asked Questions about Voter ID Card registration/status/correction/cancellation and pretty much everything related to it. Let’s just say, this is the ultimate Voter ID Card FAQs page and you are certainly on the right one if you have any concerns around Voter ID Card. All your queries, solved.

Question: How to Apply for a new Voter ID Card in India?

Answer: Applying for a Voter ID Card or Nirvachan Card can be a hassle if you’re not familiar with the process, but, here on www.VoterIDCard.org.in we hardly let any of our readers leave without familiarity with the easiest ways of applying for voter registration. So here are the 2 simplest methods which you can use to apply for a new voter id card.

Let’s first start with the process for offline registration for Voter ID Card in India

The Election Commission of India launched the present day photo Voter ID Card or EPIC, more than 20 years ago. The intentions of the ECI were clearly to curb the advent of illegitimate voters during during the days of voting. Since then, there has been no looking back with the ECI constantly working towards improving the ease with which eligible Indian citizens could apply for a Voter ID Card in the largest democracy on Earth.

As would be clear from the above attached infographic, applying offline for a Voter ID Card is really simple. If you do not wish to queue up at the local Electoral Registration Officer’s office then you can also download the Form No. 6 and take its print out which in turn could be filled in the same way. To download the form, you can visit the Election Commission of India website. Here is the direct Form 6 PDF download link. Please note that downloading the form and filling its print out is not the same as Online application for voter registration. Not to mention that it may take more time for your application to be assessed if you apply offline by filling the Form No. 6 in physical form for inclusion of your name in the voters’ list of your constituency. So, what is the quicker way for Voter ID Registration?

Process for online Voter ID Card application / online Voter Registration

For all your grievances and concerns about Voter ID or its registration process, you may visit any two of the following two key websites. The first one is the official Election Commission of India website. i.e. www.eci.nic.in and the other could be your own state’s Chief Election Officer’s website. VoterIDCard.org.in has a dedicated section for each of the State CEOs which you can check over here.

For those who wish to apply online for voter id card registration on the Election Commission website, here is an important update. The Election Commission has launched the National Voters’ Service Portal. This portal is the one-stop website for all your Voter ID Card related tasks. Now, you don’t have to explore and spend time on www.eci.nic in to perform check your Voter ID status or to apply online for voter registration because ECI’s National Voters’ Service Portal www.nvsp.in is at your rescue. This has really made the online voter query resolution and Voter ID application process quite faster. So here is how to use NVSP for applying online for inclusion of your name in the voters’ list of your constituency and get the Voter ID Card corresponding to it.

The direct link for online Voter ID Card registration is available at http://nvsp.in/forms/form6.html – this link gives you direct access to the online Form No. 6 which could be filled on your computer screen itself. Follow the visual guide above to avoid complicated information on online registration.

Question: How to check the Voter ID Card application status (or Voter ID status as it is sometimes called)?

Answer: If you have correctly followed the Voter ID card registration (Nirvachan Card) guide mentioned above, then you’re certainly on the right path of getting your name entered in the Electoral Roll of your constituency. There is generally a bit of a lag between the submission of your application and the BLO’s Voter ID verification visit to your residence. Therefore, it is advisable to keep a check on the voter id card application status. Do note that you would need the unique application ID to check status of application through form no. 6 or any other form which you filled.

As an alternative, you can either contact your BLO or visit the ERO office yourself in order to get status information about the application filled or check the status online. There is also a provision of checking Voter ID card status through SMS in some of the states. So let us now look at the various methods to keep yourself updated with the status of your Voter ID Card application.

How to check Voter ID Card status online

To apply for your voter id card online, you can now directly visit the National Voters’ Service Portal. The URL you need to type in your browser is www.nvsp.in However, checking the status of your Voter ID application is a more localized process. Therefore, to check your voter id card status online, you have to visit your own State’s CEO Website. Once you reach the website, click on an icon that says something like, ‘Know the status of your application for enrollment’ [The way it is on CEO Delhi website]. Then as soon as you enter your application id and some additional details (if required) you would be shown the status of your application.

Check Voter ID Card Status Via SMS

Delhi voters have an option to check the status of their Form No. 6 application by typing F6ID<space>< Application Id > and sending it to 7738299899. Some other State CEOs also allow for the provision of checking status of Voter ID Card application, the details could be found on the official CEO websites of different States.

Question: How Voter ID Card Verification Takes Place?

Answer: Voter ID Card verification is carried out by the local BLOs of the Constituencies in question. The BLO would visit the applicant’s residence for verification of his/her identity and documents after the application is successfully accepted by the ERO. In case of online application for Voter ID Card, it is not mandatory to upload identity and address proof documents because the same could be handed over to the BLO when he visits the applicant’s place for verification. He would also bring along the printed version of the Form No. 6 which you must have filled online, in order to obtain your signature on it.

However, in case of offline application, it is mandatory to attach the said documents and hence, the BLO wouldn’t again require you to hand him over the identity proof documents. In this case, the main motive of the officer is to verify whether the applicant actually lives on the address which he/she mentioned in the Form No. 6 for inclusion of name in the voters’ list.

Question: How to Check Name in the Voters’ List/Electoral Roll of my Constituency?

Answer: Once the BLO is satisfied with your identity and documents, he would allow your application for Voter ID Card to be taken to the next and the final stage. A successfully completed verification visit by the officer means that your name would soon show up in the voters’ list of your constituency and hence you would soon receive your voter identity card. You must, therefore, need to check whether your name has been included in the electoral roll or not.

Check Your Name in the Voters’ List Online

how to check name in the voters' list — Click this icon on NVSP.IN to check your name in the voters’ list

Head to National Voters’ Service Portal and click on the icon with the following caption, ‘Search your Name in Electoral Roll’. Clicking it would take you to the Electoral Search website of Election Commission of India. Using this web-site you can:

Search your name in National Voters’ List by entering basic details.
Locate your designated polling station on the map.
Print out the voter information slip.
Apply for Inclusion of name, Modification, Deletion and change of address in electoral roll
Know BLO and ERO
Know District Election Officials and officials in Chief Election Office.

On the landing website, you can choose the option of searching your name by EPIC No., when you click on the said tab, you just have to select the name of your State from the drop-down list and enter your Voter ID Card number. After entering the said details, just click Search. The results would present you the details of entry to the electoral roll of.

Offline Method for Checking Name in the Voter List

When you’re off the grid i.e. without an internet connection, you can visit the ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) of your area to check out the voters’ list and know whether or not your name is entered into it. However, this could be a bit time-consuming process. Therefore, we suggest you to tell your friends/relatives with internet to check your State’s CEO website to send you the details of the SMS service for checking Voter ID details entered in the voters’ list. If you’re reading this blog and know of someone who is without an internet connection, please make sure that you yourself check the CEO website and let them know about the SMS service so that they also can easily check their name in the voters’ list, without visiting the Electoral Registration Officer’s office.

For example, CEO Delhi has an SMS facility through which you can check your name and details in the Electoral Roll. Just Type EPIC<space><Voter Id No> & send to 7738299899 or 1950

Question: How to Get a Duplicate Voter ID Card which I have Mistakenly Damaged/Misplaced?

Answer: A Nirvachan Card or Voting ID Card is a very prestigious identity document because, at the micro level, the fate of Democracy rests on the voters and in turn on the voter id cards. Therefore, you must take utmost care of your card and keep it in secured premises. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, some people could unknowingly damage or misplace their voter id cards. Therefore, here is how a voter could apply for a duplicate voter identity card: –

File an FIR at your nearest police station.
Make sure that you retain a copy of that FIR.
Obtain the Form No. 002 from your local ERO or take out a print by downloading it from the Election Commission of India website.
Fill the Form No. 002 for Duplicate Voter ID Card issuance and attach the copy of the FIR along with the identity proof documents(discussed in the next question).
You would have to submit the completed form the same way you submitted your application Form No. 6 for inclusion of name to the voters’ list.

To find a detailed information about applying for a duplicate voter id card, CLICK HERE.

Question: What are the Documents Required for Applying for a Voter ID Card, Correction of card or any other Application related to it?

Answer: When you apply for your Voter ID Card Online, you may not need to upload the electronic PDF versions of the important proof documents. These documents can be handed over to the BLO who visits your residence for voter id card verification. While applying offline for your voter id card, you have to mandatorily attach the required documents with the filled application form. Which all documents are required? Here is the list: –

Proof of Residence, is required to authenticate your actual and ordinary address. Examples of address proofs – Electricity/Water Bill, Statement issued by Bank, Pan Card(along with the envelope it was received by you in) etc.
Proof of Age, is required to authenticate the Date of Birth you wrote/typed on the Form No. 6. Examples – Class 10th CBSE (or other recognised boards) passing certificate, birth certificate issued by the civic agency of your state or any other legitimate document signifying the voter’s age.
2 passport size photographs, which have been clicked recently. This photograph would appear on the Elector’s Photo Identity Card.

Question: What are the Important Voter ID Card Application Forms?

Answer: Although there are several forms available on the Election Commission of India website, but, those that could be utilized by the voters are limited. Here is the list of ECI Forms that the voters can use to get some important voter registration related tasks done.

Form No. 6 – For inclusion of your name in the voters’ list
Form No. 6A – For inclusion of NRI Voters in the voters’ list
Form No. 7 – For objecting to an entry to the voters’ list
Form No. 8A – For transposition of entry in the electoral roll(change of address withing the same constituency).
Form No. 8 – For correction of Voter Identity Card

Download the PDF form here: – http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/forms_Voters.aspx

Question: How to Download Voter ID Card?

Answer: – A voter could not simply download voter id card from the internet. The voter card is sent to the recipient voter after completed application and verification by the BLO. It is sent by the Govt. postal service. However, with the remarks made by the Honb’le CEC of India, which indicate towards a possibility of online voting in India, it seems that downloadable voter id cards may not be a far-fetched reality and we might as well be able to download them in the near future. The fact that another govt. identity document viz. the Aadhar Card could be downloaded over the internet, shows us that the same implementation for voter identity cards may also not be a far away.

Click Here to read more about voter id card download.

Question: How to Change Name/Address on Voter ID Card?

Answer: The need to change name/address on your Voter ID Card could arise in a number of circumstances. For example, if you have the wrong spelling of your name on the EPIC, wrongly mentioned address, age or D.O.B, then your card qualifies for correction of details which could be done by filling the Form No. 8. This form is available for download and could also be filled online. However, if you want your Voter ID Card to have another address (in the same constituency) to which you have recently shifted then you would have to fill the Form No. 8A. The procedure of filling both of these forms is similar to the procedure of filling the Form No. 6. Appropriate documents and passport size photographs are also required.

Question: How to Change Your Assembly Constituency?

Answer: An Assembly Constituency is preset for a given address. Hence, no one could change its Assembly Constituency. However, if you shift to another address that lies in a different Assembly Constituency altogether then you must change the address and the AC on your voter id card and in the voters’ list details. When you shift to another Assembly Constituency, you can change the voter card address only be re-filling the Form No. 6 from that new Constituency. This time round, you would also have to provide all the information about your previous registration (EPIC No., old address, etc.) in the last section of Form No. 6. You would also have to attach the photocopy of your old address voter id card (both the sides).

Question: Can I change my polling booth within the same Assembly Constituency?

Answer: No, changing the polling station/booth that has been allotted to you, is not possible. However, the CEO of your State and the Election Commission of India try their level best to allot the polling station that are nearby the voters’ residences. Therefore, only in rare circumstances, a need to change to change polling booths would arise.

Question: How can students staying in hostels or messes in other states/cities cast their votes?

Answer: For students living away from their native places, in hostels or messes, voter registration is still possible in the Constituency they’re staying for studies. This means that you can cast your vote if you’re eligible to be a voter, even if you do not live in your native Constituency. To register as a voter in your hostel/mess’ Constituency, you would have to fill the Form No. 6 again, but, this time you would have to attach a declaration that declares that you reside temporarily in the said establishment and are enrolled in bonafide educational institution. The declaration must also be duly attested by the head of the institution you’re enrolled in. To know more about this procedure, CLICK HERE.

Question: – How married women can have their name / address changed? How can they enroll their name in the voter list of their new address (that is, assembly constituency)?

Answer: Newly married women in India typically have to change their residence to the one where the family of their better halves reside. Therefore, some women may want to get this change in surname and address to reflect in their voter id cards and also in their voters’ list details. For this reason, the new married women are advised to fill the Form No. 6 again from the new Constituency and make sure that while filling this form again, the changed surname and the new address are mentioned. They would also be obligated to fill in the older registration details while filling the Form No. 6.

Question: How Voter ID Card Registration could be done via Special Voter Registration drives? Is there a specific schedule for it?

Answer: Special Voter ID Card Registration drives are organized by the collective effort of the Election Commission of India and the State CEOs, just before the Elections. The motive behind these drives is to clean (let’s just say tidy up) the voters’ lists of all the constituencies in such a way that only genuine entries find their place in them. During such drives, the BLOs and other concerned officials are available at the polling stations. This means that the aspiring voters need not visit the ERO office in order to submit their application forms as these could directly be submitted at the designated polling stations. This process ensures that those who wish to register as voters and are eligible to do so, are included in the voters’ lists of their constituencies in the quickest possible time.

There is no specific schedule for such drives which usually take place a few weeks in advance of an announced Election. Therefore, the voters and those who wish to become voters, must make sure to keep a constant check on their States’ CEO websites, in order to know the dates of such Special Voter Registration Drives. Alternatively you can visit VoterIDCard.org.in for latest news about your State Electoral office.

Question: I did not get my Voters’ Slip, can I still Cast my Vote?

Answer: That’s a nice question. The Booth Level Officers of an area are the ones who are required to distribute the voter slips to all the voters. Sometimes, the duty of sharing voter slips is shared by some political parties which can promote their agenda by sending out fliers along with the distribution of voter slips. Since all the voters’ must be distributed their voter slips without fail, sometimes State CEOs announce that these shall be mandatory for the voters to carry to polling booth in order to be allowed to cast their votes. However, sometimes some of the voters may be left out due to human errors and, as a result, some voters may have to reach polling stations without their voter slips. This is not the end of the road, the voters can still collect their voter slips from the stalls set up by different participating political parties. If by some technical or human error, your voters’ slip was not printed then you may ask the polling officer to allow you to cast your vote if and only if you are able to prove your identity and you have your name listed in the Electoral Roll.

Question: How to find your assembly constituency?

Answer: To find your Assembly Constituency, you can simply visit the National Voters’ Service Portal. On the website, you would find an icon which has the caption, ‘Know your AC and PC’. Clicking this icon would take you to ‘www.Electoralsearch.in’, where you can click on ‘Search by EPIC no.’ and enter the EPIC no. proceeded by the selection of your State’s name from the drop-down list, then click ‘enter’ to see the results. You can find Assembly Constituency from your State’s CEO website too.

how to know your assembly constituency — Click this icon on NVSP.in to know your AC

Question: How to find the nearest polling booth?

Answer: Again, the NVSP website would help you locate the nearest polling station. Please note that each voter has a designated polling booth where his name is entered into the voters’ list. The details of this polling booth are mentioned on the voters’ slips. If however, you wish to get the directions to your prescribed polling station, you can easily get them on the official Election Commission of India website. Just visit eci.nic.in and click on the link saying, ‘Know your polling station and BLO details’. On the landing page, you have to enter details like State/UT, District, UT and Polling Station (if you already know the location but just want to get the direction). All these details are entered on a page with embedded Google Maps so that you can locate and get directions to your polling station, as soon as you click ‘Search’ after entering the required details.

Question: What is the URL of my State’s CEO Website?

Answer: Here are the links to most of the Indian States’ CEO websites-

Goa– http://ceogoa.nic.in
Arunachal Pradesh-http://ceoarunachal.nic.in/
Assam– http://ceoassam.nic.in/
Bihar– http://ceobihar.nic.in/
Andhra Pradesh– www.ceoandhra.nic.in/
Gujarat– http://ceogujarat.nic.in/
Haryana– http://ceoharyana.nic.in/
Himachal Pradesh– http://ceohimachal.nic.in/
Jammu and Kashmir– http://ceojk.nic.in/
Maharashtra– http://ceomaharashtra.nic.in/
Kerala– http://www.ceo.kerala.gov.in/home.html
Madhya Pradesh- http://ceomadhyapradesh.nic.in/
Karnataka– http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/
Manipur– http://ceomanipur.nic.in/
Meghalaya– http://ceomeghalaya.nic.in/
Mizoram– http://ceomeghalaya.nic.in/
Nagaland– http://ceonagaland.nic.in/
Odisha– http://ceoorissa.nic.in/
Uttar Pradesh– http://ceouttarpradesh.nic.in/
Rajasthan– http://ceorajasthan.nic.in/index.aspx
Sikkim– http://ceosikkim.nic.in/
Puducherry– http://ceopondicherry.nic.in/
Tripura– http://ceotripura.nic.in/
Punjab– http://ceopunjab.nic.in/
West Bengal– http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/
Chhattisgarh– http://ceochhattisgarh.nic.in/
Jharkhand– http://ceojharkhand.nic.in/
Uttarakhand– http://gov.ua.nic.in/ceouttranchal
Andaman and Nicobar Island– http://as1.and.nic.in/newelection/index.php
Chandigarh– http://ceochandigarh.nic.in/
Dadra and Nagar Haveli– http://ceodnh.nic.in/
Daman and Diu– http://ceodaman.nic.in/default.asp
NCT of Delhi– http://ceodelhi.gov.in/
Lakshadweep-http://ceolakshadweep.gov.in/
Tamil Nadu– http://www.elections.tn.gov.in/

Let us know in the comments if you have any concerns around Voter ID Card (Nirvachan Card) or casting your vote. Our team is here to help you out.