Online application and fee (after that, late fee)
5 November 2026, 11:50 p.m. Late fee through 9 November 2026
Last checked 19 October 2026
Official sources
What is confirmed
| Item | Rule | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Application window | 7 October 2026 to 5 November 2026, up to 11:50 p.m. Fee must succeed by the same time. | Confirmed |
| Late fee | 6 November 2026 to 9 November 2026, up to 11:50 p.m., with a late fee of Rs 500. Payment with late fee by 9 November 2026, 11:50 p.m. | Confirmed |
| Correction window | 10 November 2026 to 12 November 2026, up to 11:50 p.m. Online only. | Confirmed |
| Exam | 19, 22 and 27 December 2026. Computer-based test, 180 minutes. | Confirmed |
| Live photograph | Captured while you fill the form, from a webcam or by scanning the on-screen QR code with a phone. Light background, proper light, 80% of the face including ears, no mask. | Confirmed |
| Scanned photograph | Recent colour passport photo, JPG or JPEG, 10 kb to 200 kb, 80% of the face including ears, no mask, white background. | Confirmed |
| Signature | JPG or JPEG, clearly legible, 10 kb to 50 kb. | Confirmed |
| Disability / UDID certificate | PDF, 50 kb to 300 kb, where it applies. | Confirmed |
| Identity proof, if not using Aadhaar or DigiLocker | JPG or JPEG, 10 kb to 200 kb. | Confirmed |
| Result-awaited attestation and category certificate | PDF only, 50 kb to 300 kb, where the annexure applies. | Confirmed |
Two photographs, not one
The December 2026 bulletin says you upload a live photograph at the time of filling the form and also a scanned passport photograph. A file that is the right KB does not replace the live capture. If the laptop has no camera, the bulletin says to scan the QR code on the screen with a phone.
The scanned photo is a colour JPG between 10 kb and 200 kb, with 80% of the face visible including the ears, no mask, on a white background. The signature is a separate JPG between 10 kb and 50 kb. The bulletin writes “kb”. This site’s compressor treats a maximum of 200 KB as 200,000 bytes, which is the stricter reading.
Minimum and maximum are both real
A signature or photo under 10 kb is too small, and a photo over 200 kb is too big. Padding a JPG up to 10 kb does not change the picture. Compressing an oversized JPG makes it smaller. A PDF certificate has to land between 50 kb and 300 kb: shrinking a one-page scan all the way to 50 KB can fail the minimum. This site can compress a PDF that is over 300 KB. It does not pad a PDF upward. If a certificate PDF is under 50 kb, scan it again at a clearer size instead of adding blank pages you were not asked for.
Dates after you submit
The correction window in the bulletin is 10 to 12 November 2026, up to 11:50 p.m. City intimation and admit cards were listed as “to be announced”. Recheck csirnet.nta.nic.in if you are applying near the late-fee days.
Tools that match these limits
- Increase photo size in KB — JPG under the 10 kb floor
- Compress image — Photo over 200 kb, or a signature over 50 kb
- Compress PDF to 300KB — Certificate PDF over the 300 kb maximum
- Compress PDF to 50KB — Only when you still need to get under a cap — do not use it to go under the 50 kb minimum