UPSC Online Recruitment Application (ORA) — URN Registration Explained

Short Information

Every UPSC recruitment-by-selection application goes through the ORA portal, and the part that confuses people is the Universal Registration Number. The URN is created once in a lifetime and reused for every UPSC examination; the Application Number is separate and changes with each post. Three of the portal's four modules can be filled any time, so doing them in advance turns a deadline-day scramble into a ten-minute job.

Important Dates

Eligibility

• The portal has four modules. Three — account creation, Universal Registration and the Common Application Form — are common to every recruitment and can be completed at any time.
• The fourth module is post-specific and can only be filled while that advertisement is open.
• The URN is unique and stays constant for life. The Application Number is generated per post and changes each time, so keep both.
• You need one photo ID for the URN profile — Aadhaar, Voter ID, PAN, passport or driving licence. UPSC advises Aadhaar for smoother verification, and the same ID must be carried to the examination.
• The Common Application Form requires a live photograph captured through your camera, in addition to the photograph you upload.
• For the signature, sign three times one below the other on plain white paper in black ink, and upload that image.
• There is a one-time edit facility for the URN profile. Changes do not apply retrospectively — an application already submitted keeps the old details, and the new ones apply only to applications made after you re-lock the profile.
• An application cannot be withdrawn after submission, and for most advertisements no correction of any field is allowed afterwards. Check everything before you submit.

How to Apply

1. Go to upsconline.nic.in and create an account. Do this well before any deadline you care about.
2. Complete the Universal Registration module and note the URN it generates. This is the number you will use for years.
3. Fill the Common Application Form: personal details, qualifications, the live photograph and the three-signature image.
4. When an advertisement you want opens, log in and complete only the examination-specific module — fee, centre and post preferences.
5. Choose your examination centre early where allotment is first-apply-first-allot, as it is for several examinations. Most centres have a ceiling and freeze once full.
6. Preview everything, then submit. Keep a printout along with the URN and Application Number.
7. Watch the email address on your profile — UPSC states that interview schedules and certificate requirements go out by email only.

Important Links

Frequently Asked Questions