Documents Required for an e-Shram Card

Last reviewed: 12 September 2026.

• Aadhaar number: identity and e-KYC, and personal details auto-fill from it
• Aadhaar-linked mobile number: for the OTP at registration

The e-Shram FAQ is explicit that these two are the essential documents, and adds one fallback: if you do not have an Aadhaar-linked mobile number, visit the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC) or State Seva Kendra and register through biometric authentication instead.

Beyond the documents, it helps to know what the register actually is. The portal describes e-Shram as a centralised database of unorganised workers seeded with Aadhaar, maintained so that social security and welfare benefits can be delivered through one verified identity, and so that those benefits stay portable for migrant and construction workers at their working places.

• Bank account number + IFSC: captured on the form so that social security benefits from the Central or State government reach your account directly. It is not an identity document, and no deduction is made from the account after registration.
• Aadhaar-bank linkage: useful for DBT eligibility under future schemes
• Family member details: for nominee designation under PMSBY
• Skill and occupation details: self-declared from pick lists. No proof is needed for your occupation or educational qualification.

• FREE: registration on e-Shram is free. Workers are not required to pay any charge to any registering entity.
• Who can register: any unorganised worker aged 16 or above. An unorganised worker is a home-based, self-employed or wage worker in the unorganised sector who is not a member of ESIC or EPFO. The unorganised sector means units employing fewer than 10 workers.
• No income criteria, but the worker should not be an income-tax payee.
• No documents beyond Aadhaar are required to register.
• PMSBY auto-enrolled: registered workers are enrolled in Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and the first-year premium is borne by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The cover is Rs. 2 lakh for accidental death or total permanent disability and Rs. 1 lakh for permanent partial disability. Through e-Shram this cover applies to workers aged 18 to 59.
• Renewing PMSBY: after the free first year, you must give consent and allow auto-debit before each successive insurance cycle, which runs 1 June to 31 May. Consent and the auto-debit are what keep the cover running into the next cycle.
• UAN (12-digit) issued on registration: a permanent Universal Account Number that never changes.
• Periodic validation: the registered data is validated periodically against ESIC, EPFO and income-tax records. Keep your record truthful and current, because eligibility itself rests on not being an ESIC or EPFO member and not being an income-tax payee.
• Portability by design: because the database is Aadhaar-seeded, a benefit linked to your UAN can follow you to your place of work. This is the stated purpose for migrant and construction workers.
• The card never expires and needs no renewal. Keep mobile, bank and address details updated, which you can do yourself on the portal or via a CSC.
• Helpdesk 14434 or 1800-889-6811, 9 AM to 6 PM daily including Sundays. Grievances go to gms.eshram.gov.in.

Online at eshram.gov.in (Self-Registration) OR any Common Service Centre (CSC) FREE.

→ Official source: https://eshram.gov.in/faqs

If you have Aadhaar but no Aadhaar-linked mobile, register at a CSC or State Seva Kendra with biometric authentication. If registration fails or PMSBY enrolment is missing, first raise a grievance on gms.eshram.gov.in or call 14434. If the matter still stalls, file RTI to the State Labour Department for application status, insurance enrolment, and the reason for any deactivation. Quote your UAN in every grievance or application so the department can locate your record at once.

→ Use our 🪄 AI RTI Drafter to generate a free §6(1) application asking for the rejection reason in 60 seconds.

Unorganised workers aged 16 or above who are not members of ESIC or EPFO and not income-tax payers. PMSBY cover through e-Shram applies from age 18 to 59.

Not in the first year. The Ministry of Labour and Employment bears the first-year premium for workers registered on e-Shram. To continue beyond that, you give consent and allow auto-debit before each cycle year of 1 June to 31 May. For the general public the premium is Rs. 20 a year.

A 16-year-old can register on e-Shram but is not eligible for PMSBY through it, which requires ages 18 to 59. Workers above 59 still get the UAN card and other benefits, but not this insurance route.

No. There are no income criteria, but an income-tax payee is not treated as an unorganised worker for this portal.

The e-Shram FAQ describes automatic enrolment only for PMSBY. For life cover, PMJJBY offers Rs. 2 lakh cover at a premium of Rs. 436 a year, which you join through your bank.

No. The card never expires and the UAN is permanent. Keep your mobile, bank and address details updated on the portal.

Login on the portal and use Update profile using Aadhaar under the Already registered menu, then set the new number as your registered number. If you do not have an Aadhaar-linked mobile number, visit the nearest CSC or State Seva Kendra, which can update it with biometric authentication.

Mobile number, address, occupation, qualification and skills. All of these are updatable on the portal after login, or through a CSC. Review them before claiming any benefit that depends on your occupation or district.

The portal periodically checks registered data against those three departmental records. If you later take up EPFO-covered employment you move outside the unorganised-worker definition, so an outdated record can hold up a benefit claim. Update the particulars when your situation changes.

On the death of a worker, the nominee or a family member files the claim with documents on the e-Shram portal or at a CSC, and may also approach the bank. For other problems, raise a grievance at gms.eshram.gov.in or call the helpdesk on 14434.

1. Gather mandatory documents above before applying — saves a re-visit
2. Apply via official portal (link above) — no agent needed
3. Track status: see our status-check guides
4. If rejected for “documents inadequate”: request specific deficiency under §4(1)(d) RTI Act
5. For state-specific guidance: see state portals directory

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• e-Shram portal, official FAQs (documents, eligibility, PMSBY, helpdesk, grievance routes), eshram.gov.in/faqs
• PIB, Ministry of Finance press note on PMSBY, 8 May 2025 (premium Rs 20, cycle 1 June to 31 May, ages 18 to 70), NoteId 154426
• PIB, launch of social security schemes (PMSBY cover Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh), PRID 1526183
• PIB, June 2025 background note on the social security net (PMJJBY premium Rs 436), PIB document PDF