UPSC 2026: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is about to release the official notification for UPSC CSE 2026 on 14 January 2026. The candidates who are going to register for this year’s examination need to fill the application form which needs some mandatory documents to be kept ready before approaching the application procedure. Here’s the list of mandatory documents that will be needed during the application process.
The Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026 will be held in the Month of May according to the official UPSC Examination Calendar 2026. The candidates need to fill the application form in order to appear for the exam. The application form will be released on 14 January 2026 by the Commission on its official website upsc.gov.in
During the application process, the candidates need to upload certain mandatory documents to complete registration. Candidates are advised to keep the mentioned documents handy before proceeding with the application procedure. As the notification will be released soon, the candidates must start collecting these documents to save time and avoid last minute issues.
Mandatory Documents for UPSC CSE 2026:
The application process will start soon with the release of the UPSC CSE 2026 Official Notification on 14 January 2026. The candidates can start gathering the required documents for application process till they wait for the opening of the application portal. These mandatory documents are:
- Valid ID proof
- Education certificates
- Passport Size Photograph and Signature
- Category certificate
- Proof of Date of Birth
1. Valid ID proof:
Candidate must upload Government issued ID proof which contains all the accurate information about the candidate. Candidate can use these ID proofs:
- Aadhar card
- Voter ID
- Passport
- Pan card
- Driving licence
2. Educational Certificates:
Candidates need to submit the proof of their educational qualification that they possess the minimum qualification to be eligible for the UPSC CSE 2026.
Candidates should have following certificates:
- Class 10th marksheet
- Class 12th marksheet
- Graduation certificate or provisional certificate
3. Recent Photograph and Signature:
Candidates need to upload their recent passport size photograph and signature. The instructions for photograph and signature are as follows:
- The photograph uploaded should not be more than 10 days old from the start of the online application process.
- Name of the candidate and date on which photograph taken should be clearly mentioned on the photograph.
- The candidate’s face should occupy 3/4th of the space in the photograph.
4. Category certificate:
If a candidate falls in reservation category then he/she should submit the category certificate in prescribed format as per the notification.
5. Proof of Date of Birth:
UPSC strictly verified age eligibility, so accurate DOB proof is essential. The candidate can upload any of the one documents:
- Class 10th matriculation certificate
- Birth certificate
- Passport
Keep following points in mind before the UPSC 2026 Notification:
- Prepare your documents in soft copies in prescribed format and save them as PDFs in a single folder.
- Check validity dates in case of category certificates. Make sure that validity of certificate falls in certain timeline mentioned in the UPSC 2026 notification.
- The candidates name should have no mismatch in the name spellings across all the documents as it can lead to rejection of the application.
- Go through the official notification once before filling the application form.
Hence keeping these mandatory documents handy will minimise your last minute stress and keep your focus on exam preparation where it matters the most.