Voter identification cards are issued by the government to people above the age of 18 years. Voter identification cards are issued as it validates the identity of the people and the right to vote. When the voter identification card is issued to the person, then the person can exercise his/her votes for their entire life. A person can request a duplicate voter ID card if their identification card is stolen, misplaced, torn, or for any other valid reasons.

A brief history of duplicate voter ID card

The voter identification card was suggested by TN Seshan when he was in the position of chief election commissioner. The voter identification card is valid throughout the person’s life. The voter ID card gives you the authority to exercise your votes in state, local, or federal elections.
A great step was taken by the election commission to begin laminating the voter identification cards from the year 2015 to avoid the circumstances such as tearing and damage.

A person can request a duplicate voter ID card if you have misplaced your identification card. You can request a duplicate voter ID only under certain situations. A person is also allowed to travel to Nepal and Bhutan only if you own a valid voter identification card.

Under the circumstances where you have lost your voter identification card, you will be issued a new voter identification card. And this card will be authentic and genuine as it would be issued by ECI (Election Commission of India). This duplicate voter ID card will be accepted as a KYC document and will be used for exercising your votes.

Some key things to remember about duplicate voter ID card

The duplicate voter ID card is issued by the Indian Election Commission.
The duplicate voter ID card is issued to all Indian citizens when they are above the age of 18 years
The duplicate voter ID card is issued to a person under the circumstances where you have lost your voter identification card.
The official website for requesting voter ID cards is https://eci.gov.in/

Procedure to Apply for Duplicate Voter Id Card Online

The process to apply for a duplicate voter ID card online is listed below:

The first step is to visit the official website of the Indian election commission.
Then it will take you to the home page of the website.
The next step is to download the form EPIC-002 and get its printout.
In the next step, you are required to fill out some basic details which include details such as name, relative’s name, residential address, locality, etc.
In the next step, you are required to attach the documents which include the photocopy of FIR, aadhaar card, etc.
After completing all the above-mentioned steps you will issued with a reference number that you need to keep safely for future reference.
After some time you will receive a notification regarding your new card and after that, you can get a duplicate voter ID card from your local electoral office. This step only takes place after reviewing your application and your application is valid.

Learn how to apply for duplicate voter id cards offline

The process to apply for a duplicate voter ID card offline is listed below:

The first and foremost step is to visit the nearest local election office.
The next step is to collect form EPIC-002 from the concerned officials.
The next step is to out the form completely carefully.
In the next step, you have to attach all the required documents that are required by them. The documents that need to be submitted include a copy of the FIR. For your identity proof you need to submit a copy of your passport, PAN card, driving license, or a ration card. For your address proof, you need to submit your electricity bill, gas bill, telephone bill, passport, etc
In the next step, you will be issued a reference number after you have submitted all the required documents. This reference number can be used in the future for checking your application progress.
In the next step, you will be issued a duplicate voter Id card, only if all of your documents are fully verified.
In the next step, you will get a notification to collect your duplicate voter’s ID card and you can collect this voter identification card personally from the electoral office.

Conditions for requesting a duplicate voter identification card

The duplicate voter ID cards can only be issued under the following conditions mentioned below

Voter Id card is stolen.
Voter ID card is lost or misplaced.
If your voter ID card is not able to process at the voting booth as it was damaged.

The documents required for applying for a duplicate voter ID card

The various documents that are required for applying for a duplicate voter ID card

Address proof
Identity proof
FIR copy
Passport size photographs
Completely filled out Application Form No EPIC-002

Steps to track the application status of duplicate voter identification card

You can easily track the status of your application for a duplicate voter identification card. Below mentioned are the steps you can easily follow.

The first step is to visit https://www.nvsp.in/
Then it will take you to the home page of the website.
The next step is to click on “track application status”.
A new page will appear.
Now you need to enter your state and your reference number.
The last step is to just click on the “track status button” and voila you will be able to track your application.