ICSI Extends Student Amnesty Scheme Again to October 31; ₹5,000 and ₹1,000 Routes Continue for Eligible CS Students
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The Institute of Company Secretaries of India has given eligible students another two months to use its Student Amnesty Scheme, with the Institute's live amnesty page now stating that the opportunity is available up to October 31, 2026. The fresh extension is important because the same official page had previously displayed August 31, 2026 as the extended closing date, making the new October date a materially new window for students who had not completed the process by the end of August.
The scheme is aimed at specified former or existing Company Secretary students whose earlier registrations expired and who need a route to rejoin or preserve eligible paper exemptions under Syllabus 2022. ICSI continues to divide applicants into two categories, with different fees and application procedures.
Who can use the amnesty window
ICSI's official FAQ says 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. For this category, the scheme offers a route back into the CS course under the latest Syllabus 2022.
Category 2 covers specified students who are already under Syllabus 2022 after a fresh registration or re-registration following expiry of an earlier registration. At Executive level, this includes students who registered afresh after expiry because they were not eligible for Registration De-novo. At Professional level, it includes students who re-registered after expiry of their earlier registration. The principal benefit for this category is the ability to claim eligible subject exemptions based on papers passed or exemptions held under the earlier registration, subject to ICSI's mapping rules.
Fees remain ₹5,000 and ₹1,000 for the two categories
The current ICSI material states a fee of ₹5,000 for Category 1 and ₹1,000 for Category 2. The scheme graphic also states that Category 1 receives five years of registration validity, is exempt from TDOP, and can continue the CS course without losing previous benefits including applicable paper-wise exemptions or module or group-pass benefits.
For Category 1, ICSI says the latest Syllabus 2022 applies. 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 the student can become eligible for examination enrolment. The FAQ separately states that Category 1 students need to remit a ₹1,000 pre-test fee and complete the pre-examination requirement.
For Category 2, the five-year validity continues from the date of the fresh registration or re-registration. The Institute's FAQ says additional exemptions can be available according to the revised mapping from earlier syllabuses. The mapping tables in the FAQ cover Executive and Professional Programme papers and should be checked carefully before a student assumes that an older pass or exemption automatically carries forward.
Application route differs by category
Category 1 students are directed to the ICSI SMASH portal. ICSI's user manual tells students to log in, open Module > Student Services > Apply For Amnesty Scheme, select the Amnesty Scheme service and proceed to payment. A request ID and transaction ID are generated after successful submission, and a payment receipt is generated for a successful payment.
Category 2 students follow a separate process for claiming exemption benefits. ICSI instructs them to submit the designated online form with their complete 17-digit registration number. The Institute then verifies the request. An eligible student receives a confirmation email and payment link, after which the ₹1,000 exemption fee is paid. Once payment is verified, the exemption benefit is processed and the student's profile is updated in SMASH.
Why the October 31 date should be followed over the older FAQ date
Students may notice that the detailed FAQ still contains the scheme's original opening and closing period from December 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026. That historical wording has not been fully refreshed inside the FAQ document. However, the live ICSI amnesty landing page now specifically displays “Extended Opportunity Available Up till 31st October 2026”, and the current scheme graphic likewise states that the last date has been extended up to October 31, 2026.
For deadline purposes, students should therefore rely on the current live ICSI announcement while using the FAQ and manuals for eligibility, fee and procedural details. Because ICSI also states that no applications will be entertained after the closure date, applicants should not treat the additional window as a reason to wait until the final days.
What eligible CS students should do now
- Identify the correct category first. Category 1 and Category 2 have different eligibility tests and different application routes.
- Check the earlier registration history. The exemption benefit depends on the student's prior syllabus, papers passed and applicable ICSI mapping.
- Use the official route. Category 1 should use the SMASH workflow, while Category 2 students seeking exemption benefits should follow the designated form-and-approval process linked by ICSI.
- Complete pre-exam requirements where applicable. Amnesty does not remove every examination-enrolment condition.
- Retain payment and approval records. Students should keep the payment receipt, confirmation email and any updated SMASH profile evidence for their records.
The key development is the deadline itself: ICSI has moved the live Student Amnesty Scheme opportunity beyond the earlier August 31 cutoff and now gives eligible students until October 31, 2026. Students with expired registrations or qualifying fresh-registration or re-registration cases should use the extra time to verify their category and exemption mapping, complete the correct online workflow and retain proof of successful processing rather than assuming the extension automatically preserves their eligibility.
Useful official links
Key takeaway
A fresh extension beyond the previously covered August 31 deadline creates a new time-sensitive search need among affected CS students.
