To fill out the EWS certificate form, you don’t complete Annexure-I yourself in the way you’d fill out a bank application. Annexure-I is the certificate template that a Tehsildar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or equivalent revenue officer completes and signs after verifying your eligibility. Your job is to bring the right supporting documents, sign a self-declaration about your family’s income and assets, and provide the personal details the officer will enter on the form. Here is what goes on that form, what you need to gather beforehand, and how the process runs end to end.
What Annexure-I Actually Is
Annexure-I is the standard certificate format prescribed by the Department of Personnel and Training’s Office Memorandum No. 36039/1/2019-Estt (Res).1Department of Personnel & Training. Office Memorandum No. 36039/1/2019-Estt (Res) – Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections It runs to roughly one page. The issuing authority fills it in and stamps it once your documents check out; you cannot self-certify yourself as EWS.
The form captures these details:2Indian Council of Medical Research. EWS Certificate Application Form – Annexure I
- Your full name with the correct prefix (Shri, Smt., or Kumari)
- Relation: son, daughter, or wife of
- Permanent address: village or street, post office, district, state or union territory, and PIN code
- Caste, confirming it is not on the Central List for SC, ST, or OBC
- A declaration that your family’s gross annual income is below Rs. 8 lakh for the relevant financial year
- Confirmation that family property holdings do not exceed the prescribed limits
- A recent passport-sized photograph, attested by the issuing authority
- Certificate number, date of issue, and the financial year the certificate covers
When you approach the office, you’ll typically be asked to write these details into a local application form or self-declaration in the format your state prescribes. The officer transfers verified information onto Annexure-I after verification is done.
Eligibility You Are Certifying
Before gathering documents, confirm you actually qualify. The form asks you to declare two things: income and assets.
On income, your family’s gross annual income from all sources — salary, agriculture, business, and profession combined — must be below Rs. 8 lakh for the financial year before you apply.1Department of Personnel & Training. Office Memorandum No. 36039/1/2019-Estt (Res) – Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections “Family” here means you, your parents, your siblings under eighteen, and your spouse and children under eighteen. Personal income alone doesn’t decide it.
On assets, owning any of the following disqualifies you no matter how little your family earns:
- Agricultural land of 5 acres or more
- A residential flat of 1,000 square feet or more
- A residential plot of 100 square yards or more in a notified municipality
- A residential plot of 200 square yards or more outside a notified municipality
Property the family owns across different locations gets clubbed together for these tests. Two small plots in different notified municipalities are added up against the 100-square-yard limit.1Department of Personnel & Training. Office Memorandum No. 36039/1/2019-Estt (Res) – Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections The reservation is only for people who do not already fall under SC, ST, or OBC categories.
Documents to Bring
The DoPT format does not fix a national checklist of supporting documents. Individual states set their own requirements, but most jurisdictions ask for some combination of:
- Identity proof such as Aadhaar, voter ID (EPIC), or a citizenship certificate
- Income proof: Income Tax Returns for recent years where applicable, or an income certificate from a competent authority
- A residential or domicile certificate for your state
- Property records: certified copies of land records, registered deeds, or revenue records covering what the family owns
- Caste verification from a local authority — a Gram Panchayat Pradhan or Municipal Councillor — confirming you’re not in the SC, ST, or OBC Central List
- A signed self-declaration on family income, assets, and caste in the state’s prescribed format
- Two recent passport-sized photographs
Some states additionally ask for PAN cards of the applicant and earning family members, and birth certificates or school records for age verification. Check your state revenue department portal or the Tehsildar office for the exact list before your visit. Missing paperwork is the single most common cause of a wasted trip.
Where to Submit the Application
In practice, most applicants go to the local Tehsildar office or the Sub-Divisional Magistrate. The DoPT Office Memorandum also authorizes District Magistrates, Additional District Magistrates, Collectors, Deputy Commissioners, Chief Presidency Magistrates, and any revenue officer not below the rank of Tehsildar to issue the certificate.1Department of Personnel & Training. Office Memorandum No. 36039/1/2019-Estt (Res) – Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections
Several states now run online portals through their revenue or welfare departments where you register, fill in the application, upload scanned documents, and track status digitally. Processing fees, where charged, are nominal and vary by state.
After you file, the issuing authority sends a field officer to verify what you declared. This may include a check of your residence or the property in question. The officer’s report comes back to the issuing authority, who signs and stamps the certificate. Turnaround typically runs two to four weeks and depends on how quickly verification wraps up. Incomplete paperwork or mismatches between what you declared and what records show are the usual reasons for delay.
One Year of Validity, No Renewal
The certificate is valid only for the financial year printed on its face.2Indian Council of Medical Research. EWS Certificate Application Form – Annexure I There is no renewal mechanism. If you need EWS status for the next year — for a fresh exam cycle, admission, or recruitment — you repeat the whole process with updated income and property documents. Old certificates cannot be extended or backdated, and submitting one from the wrong financial year is a routine reason applications are rejected outright. If you know a deadline is coming, apply well ahead of it so verification has time to run.
A Note on False Declarations
The declarations on Annexure-I are made to a government authority. Concealing property, understating income, or claiming EWS status while already belonging to SC, ST, or OBC categories can lead to cancellation of the certificate and revocation of any admission or appointment obtained through it. False statements can also draw criminal prosecution under Indian Penal Code provisions on forgery and fraudulent misrepresentation. Institutions and recruiters do conduct post-admission and post-appointment verification, and candidates have lost seats and jobs years later when discrepancies surfaced.