Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme Documents Required: Complete Checklist

What documents do you need for an ECHS 64 KB smart card?

An ECHS 64 KB smart card application needs six core documents: the PPO (or family PPO), discharge book or service documents, the MRO proving the one-time contribution, Aadhaar of the member and every dependent, passport-size photographs, and dependency plus income proof for each non-spouse dependent. This checklist explains what each proves and the mistakes that stall enrolment. The Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) pillar covers the one-time contribution slabs and who is eligible.

The complete ECHS document checklist

Gather these before you open the online application on echs.sourceinfosys.com, because uploads are part of the same session.

1. PPO (Pension Payment Order), proves you draw pension from Defence Estimates. Family pensioners submit the family PPO. This is the anchor document; without it the application cannot establish entitlement.
2. Discharge book or service documents, establish ex-serviceman status and, crucially, your rank, which fixes the contribution slab (Rs 30,000, Rs 67,000 or Rs 1,20,000).
3. MRO (Military Receivable Order); proof of payment of the one-time contribution. It must be uploaded with the online form. War widows, pre-1996 retirees and battle casualties are exempt from contribution and skip this.
4. Aadhaar of the member and every dependent, used for biometric enrolment at the polyclinic and for annual validation of dependents.
5. Passport-size photographs of the member and every dependent. These are printed on the 64 KB smart card.
6. Dependency and income proof for parents, sisters, brothers and daughters, income from all sources must be below Rs 9,000 a month excluding DA for the dependent categories where that test applies.

Conditional documents

• Disability, war-injury or battle-casualty documents, required only if you are claiming exemption from the contribution as a disability pensioner, war widow or battle casualty.
• PAN card — not mandatory, but frequently asked for during the online application, so keep it ready.

What each document proves

The ECHS file answers three questions, and each document maps to one of them. Are you entitled?, the PPO and discharge book. Have you paid the correct amount?. The MRO, read against the rank shown in your service documents. Who is on the card?; Aadhaar, photographs and the dependency/income proofs for each person you add. When any one of the three is weak, that is where the polyclinic will send the file back.

Format and upload rules

• Scan documents clearly; a blurred PPO or MRO number is a common reason for a query.
• Match names exactly across the PPO, Aadhaar and bank records. A spelling mismatch between the PPO and Aadhaar of a dependent frequently holds up that dependent's validation.
• Bring originals to the polyclinic for the biometric and photograph capture step, the online upload does not replace the in-person verification.

Documents that are separate from the smart card charge

The one-time contribution (the MRO) and the smart card printing charge are two different payments. Per echs.gov.in, a fresh 64 KB card costs Rs 172.50 to print, a replacement for an older 16 KB or 32 KB card Rs 129.38, and a lost-card replacement Rs 51.75. Keep the printing-charge receipt; it is not the same as the MRO.

Common document mistakes

• Uploading the MRO but not the discharge book, leaving the rank slab unverified.
• Adding a parent or sister without income proof, so that dependent is dropped from the card even though the member is enrolled.
• Missing Aadhaar for one dependent, which blocks that person's biometric capture while the rest of the family proceeds.
• Using an old 16 KB or 32 KB card as identity proof, these are no longer valid.

FAQ

Do I need to submit documents again for annual validation? Dependents must complete annual validation to stay active on the card; keep Aadhaar and dependency proof current.

Can I add a dependent later? Yes. A fresh dependency and income proof plus Aadhaar for that person is required at the time of addition, followed by biometric capture at the polyclinic.

Is a lawyer or agent needed to assemble these? No. ECHS states no agent is required; the only payments are the rank-based contribution and the published printing charges.

For contribution slabs, exemptions and the full enrolment walkthrough, see the ECHS pillar guide.