ICSI Extends Student Amnesty Scheme to August 31, 2026: Who Can Apply, Fees and Process
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The Institute of Company Secretaries of India has extended the opportunity under the ICSI Students Amnesty Scheme, 2025 up to August 31, 2026. The current official ICSI amnesty page prominently carries the extended deadline and provides separate application routes for Category 1 and Category 2 students.
The scheme is designed for specified students whose earlier CS registrations have expired, as well as certain students who registered afresh or re-registered under Syllabus 2022 and want to claim eligible paper exemptions from their earlier registration. For affected students, the extension is important because it provides a limited additional window to regularise their academic status instead of relying only on the normal continuation provisions after expiry of registration.
Who is covered under the scheme?
ICSI's official FAQ divides eligible applicants into two categories. Category 1 covers earlier students of the Intermediate or Executive Programme, or the Final or Professional Programme, whose registrations have expired and who are not eligible for registration de novo.
Category 2 covers specified existing students under Syllabus 2022 who registered afresh in the Executive Programme after expiry of an earlier registration because they were not eligible for registration de novo, as well as Professional Programme students who re-registered after expiry of their earlier registration. The benefit for this category is focused on claiming applicable exemptions based on papers previously passed or exempted.
What are the fees?
The official FAQ states a fee of ₹5,000 for Category 1 and ₹1,000 for Category 2. For Category 1, ICSI also lists a five-year registration validity, application of Syllabus 2022, corresponding exemptions as applicable in de-novo cases, and exemption from the Three-Day Orientation Programme. Study material is available separately on payment of the prescribed cost, while the pre-examination test must be completed after payment of the applicable test fee before examination enrolment.
For Category 2, the five-year registration validity continues from the date of fresh registration or re-registration. ICSI says additional exemptions may be available according to the revised mapping from earlier syllabuses, while other requirements such as the pre-examination test continue to apply where prescribed.
How should students apply?
Category 1 students are instructed to use the ICSI SMASH portal. After logging in, the official user manual directs students to Student Services, choose the Amnesty Scheme service and proceed with payment. A request ID and transaction ID are generated after successful submission, and a payment receipt is generated for a successful transaction.
Category 2 follows a different workflow. ICSI's step-by-step document directs eligible students seeking exemption benefits to submit the designated form with their complete 17-digit registration number. The Institute then reviews the request. After verification, an eligible student receives confirmation and a payment link for the ₹1,000 exemption fee, following which the student's profile is updated after successful processing.
One important point about the deadline
The detailed FAQ document still contains the scheme's original three-month period ending February 28, 2026. However, the current ICSI amnesty landing page now explicitly displays the extended opportunity till August 31, 2026. Students should therefore follow the live ICSI page for the current closing date and use the linked official manuals and FAQ for category-specific procedure and eligibility.
What students should do now
Eligible students should first identify whether they fall under Category 1 or Category 2, verify their registration history and exemption position, and complete the appropriate official process well before August 31. Because the two categories use different workflows, applicants should avoid using the wrong route and should retain their payment receipt or confirmation records after submission.
Useful official links
ICSI Students Amnesty Scheme 2025 - Frequently Asked Questions
Key takeaway
ICSI's live amnesty page has extended the student opportunity through August 31, 2026. Students with expired registrations or qualifying fresh-registration or re-registration cases should check their category and complete the relevant official process before the extended window closes.
