Voter ID Download (e-EPIC)

What is an e-EPIC and who issues it?

The e-EPIC is the digital version of the Elector's Photo Identity Card, issued by the Election Commission of India. According to the Election Commission's e-EPIC FAQs, it is a secure portable document format (PDF) version of the EPIC that can be downloaded on a mobile phone or printed in self-printable form on a computer.

e-EPIC is deliberately described as being in addition to the PVC EPIC that the Commission continues to issue. Enrolment still produces a physical card despatched by speed post; the e-EPIC simply gives you an instant, verifiable copy the same day your application is approved.

Three things distinguish the e-EPIC from a photocopy or a phone photo of your card:

• The PDF is digitally signed by the Election Commission, so tampering breaks the signature.
• It carries a secure QR code encoding your electoral details, which an authorised verification app can read to confirm the card against the electoral database.
• It is generated live from the electoral roll, so it reflects your current approved entry rather than an older printed one.

The file is small, around 250 KB, and is issued in PDF format. You can keep it on your phone, upload it to your DigiLocker account, or print and self-laminate it.

Who can download an e-EPIC?

You can download an e-EPIC if:

• You are a general elector with a valid EPIC number already on the electoral roll. The e-EPIC facility is open to all general electors holding a valid EPIC number.
• You have recently applied and hold a Form 6 reference number, even if your EPIC number and physical card have not yet arrived. The reference number can be used in place of the EPIC number.
• You have either a mobile number registered in the electoral roll for OTP, or access to a camera-equipped device so you can complete face-liveness e-KYC.

You cannot download an e-EPIC if:

• You are not enrolled in the electoral roll at all. There is nothing to download until a Form 6 application has been approved: file Form 6 first.
• Your entry has been deleted from the roll, for instance after a Form 7 objection or a shifting of residence that removed the old entry.
• You are attempting to download another person's card. The verification is tied to the elector's own registered mobile number or their own live face check, and there is no route for a third party to pull someone else's e-EPIC.

Note also that e-KYC face verification compares a live capture against the photograph held in your EPIC data. If your roll photograph is very old, of poor quality, or was taken in childhood, the match may fail and you will need the offline route described below.

What do you need before downloading?

There is no fee, no form and no document upload in the download process itself. Everything you need is a number and a way to prove you are the person the number belongs to.

How to download your e-EPIC online

1. Open voters.eci.gov.in in a browser, or install the Voter Helpline app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
2. Register or log in with your mobile number. New users create an account with an OTP; returning users sign in the same way.
3. Select Download e-EPIC from the services menu.
4. Enter your EPIC number, or your Form 6 reference number if you registered recently; along with your state, then submit.
5. Verify the entry shown on screen against your own details, and choose your verification route:

• If your mobile number is registered in the electoral roll, request an OTP and enter the code sent to that number.
• If it is not registered, select e-KYC instead, pass the face liveness check by following the on-screen random movement prompts, and update your mobile number to complete the KYC.

6. Click Download e-EPIC. The PDF, around 250 KB, saves to your device.
7. Store it safely, keep a copy in DigiLocker, and print and self-laminate a copy if you want a card in your wallet.

How to find your EPIC number if you have lost the card

1. Open voters.eci.gov.in and choose Search in Electoral Roll.
2. Search by details, name, relative's name, date of birth or age, state, district and assembly constituency: or by mobile number if it is registered against your entry.
3. Read the EPIC number shown against your entry in the results.
4. Return to Download e-EPIC and use that number.

If the card itself is lost rather than merely misplaced, download the e-EPIC for immediate use and separately apply for a replacement PVC card through Form 8, attaching a copy of the FIR or police complaint for the lost card.

How long does an e-EPIC download take?

The download is immediate for a voter whose mobile number is already registered, typically two to five minutes end to end, including account login and OTP. The e-KYC route takes a few minutes longer because of the face-liveness capture and the mobile-number update.

The one case that is not instant is a failed e-KYC. There the fix is offline: visit your Electoral Registration Officer's office with a photo ID proof, get your mobile number updated in the roll, and then download normally. That adds a trip and usually a day or two.

Why an e-EPIC download fails, and how to fix it

• "Record not found" — the EPIC number was typed with the wrong characters, or the wrong state was selected. EPIC numbers mix letters and digits, so check for a 0 typed as O, or a 1 as I.
• No OTP received. The mobile number in the electoral roll is not the one you are using. Switch to the e-KYC route, or update the number through Form 8.
• Face liveness fails repeatedly: poor lighting, a mask or spectacles, or a very old roll photograph. Retry in bright, even light facing a window; if it still fails, go to the ERO office with a photo ID.
• Entry deleted from the roll: commonly after a shifting of residence removed your old entry. Check your status in Search in Electoral Roll and, if you are genuinely not enrolled anywhere, file Form 6 afresh.
• PDF will not open. The file is a standard PDF; use a current PDF reader. If the digital signature shows as unverified, that usually means the reader has not fetched the certificate chain, not that the document is fake.
• Details on the e-EPIC are wrong. The PDF reproduces what is in the roll, so the correction has to be made to the roll itself through Form 8, after which you download a fresh e-EPIC.

How to verify an e-EPIC is genuine

Anyone accepting an e-EPIC, a bank, a mobile operator or an employer; can verify it in two ways. First, the QR code can be scanned with an authorised verification application, which reads the encoded elector details. Second, the digital signature on the PDF can be checked in any standard PDF reader; a document altered after issue will show a broken signature.

Because the e-EPIC is generated live from the electoral roll, a third check is always available: search the same name and EPIC number in Search in Electoral Roll on voters.eci.gov.in and confirm the entry matches.

Help and grievance redressal

• Voter Helpline: 1950, prefixed with your area's STD code from a mobile.
• Voter Helpline mobile app on Android and iOS, which offers the same download and status services.
• Grievance module on voters.eci.gov.in for written complaints.
• Electoral Registration Officer's office in person, which is the required route when e-KYC fails and your mobile number must be updated.

Downloading your e-EPIC is free. The Election Commission charges nothing for the PDF, and enrolment itself is free with the physical card despatched free of cost by speed post. Several lookalike websites and app listings charge Rs 50 to Rs 300 for a "digital voter ID card download", and some ask for an OTP in order to harvest your account. Use only voters.eci.gov.in or the official Voter Helpline app, and never share an OTP with anyone, including a caller claiming to be from the Election Commission.

Who is eligible

Eligible for e-EPIC download

• General electors whose name is currently live on the electoral roll with a valid EPIC number.
• Recent applicants who have not yet received an EPIC number or physical card, provided they hold a Form 6 reference number.
• Electors whose registered mobile number matches the number recorded in the roll (OTP route).
• Electors whose mobile number is not in the roll but who can complete a live face-liveness capture on a camera-equipped device (e-KYC route).
• Family members sharing one household mobile number, each downloading their own e-EPIC separately after individual e-KYC.

Not eligible for e-EPIC download

• Anyone not yet enrolled on the electoral roll: a Form 6 application must be filed and approved first.
• Anyone whose entry was removed from the roll, for example after a Form 7 objection or a change of residence that deleted the old record.
• Anyone trying to download a card that is not their own; the process is tied to the individual's own mobile number or live face check, with no third-party route.
• Overseas electors and service voters registered under separate roll categories, who are outside the scope of the general-elector e-EPIC facility described here.

How to apply

The process is entirely online and free; there is no offline application route for the download itself.

1. Go to voters.eci.gov.in in a browser or open the Voter Helpline app (Android or iOS).
2. Create an account with your mobile number and OTP if you have not used the portal before, or log in if you have.
3. From the services list, select the e-EPIC download service specifically, not the general Form 6 registration service, which is a separate flow.
4. Enter your EPIC number and state; if you do not yet have an EPIC number, use the Form 6 reference number instead.
5. Pick a verification route based on what you have: OTP if your mobile number is already in the roll, or e-KYC with face liveness if it is not.
6. Confirm the elector details shown on screen match you before finishing verification; this is the only checkpoint before the file is issued.
7. Download the PDF once verification clears, and immediately save a second copy, for example in DigiLocker or by emailing it to yourself, so a lost phone does not mean starting over.

There is no fee at any step, no supporting document to upload, and no queue or waiting period once verification succeeds.

How to check your application status

The e-EPIC download itself does not create a pending "application", it either succeeds immediately or fails at the OTP or e-KYC step. Status tracking becomes relevant in two related situations:

• A Form 6 registration is still pending and you do not yet have an EPIC number. Log in to voters.eci.gov.in or the Voter Helpline app and use the Track Application Status option with your Form 6 reference number to see whether the entry has been approved. Only after approval does the e-EPIC download service accept that reference number.
• A correction filed through Form 8 has not yet reflected in your e-EPIC. The same Track Application Status option shows whether the correction is approved; the e-EPIC PDF pulls live from the roll, so download it again only after the status shows approved, otherwise you will get a fresh copy of the old, uncorrected data.

For either case, if the portal shows no movement for several weeks, call the Voter Helpline on 1950 (add your area STD code when dialling from a mobile) or raise it through the grievance module on voters.eci.gov.in, quoting the reference number. As a last resort, the Electoral Registration Officer's office for your constituency can check the physical file directly.

Common reasons for rejection

Strictly speaking the portal does not "reject" a download the way it rejects a form, verification simply fails to clear. The practical reasons and fixes are:

• EPIC number does not match any record. A single mismatched character, commonly a letter O read as the digit 0, or the wrong state selected, is enough to fail the lookup. Re-check the number against the physical card or use Search in Electoral Roll to confirm it before retrying.
• OTP never arrives. The number entered is not the number stored against your entry in the roll, even if it is your current, correct phone number. Switch to the e-KYC route rather than repeatedly requesting OTPs, then update the mobile number in the roll through Form 8 for next time.
• Face liveness check fails on e-KYC. Usually caused by poor or uneven lighting, a mask, tinted glasses, or a roll photograph that is decades old or from childhood, so there is little for the system to match against. Retry facing a window in daylight; if it keeps failing, the fix moves offline, at the ERO office with a photo ID proof.
• The entry has been deleted from the roll. This happens after a Form 7 objection against you was allowed, or after your name was removed during a roll revision for having shifted residence. Confirm this in Search in Electoral Roll, and if you are genuinely still resident and eligible, the fix is a fresh Form 6, not a retry of the download.
• Details on the downloaded e-EPIC are wrong, such as an old address or misspelt name. This is not a download failure, it is the roll data itself being outdated. Correct it through Form 8 first; downloading again before that correction is approved only reproduces the same error.