Stamp paper online: how to buy, pay duty and download an e-stamp

What is stamp paper online?

Stamp paper online is the electronic way to pay stamp duty on a document. Instead of buying a printed paper from a licensed vendor, you pay the duty through an approved portal or bank and receive an e-stamp certificate. The certificate carries a unique number, the party names, the document type and the duty paid.

Why states moved to e-stamping

Physical stamp paper was easy to forge and often ran short in smaller denominations. An electronic certificate is recorded at the moment of payment, so anyone can check later that the duty was really paid and for which document.

What the certificate looks like

An e-stamp is usually a printed sheet with a coloured border, the state’s name, a certificate number (UIN), the issue date, the article or document type, the first and second party, and the amount. You type or print your document text below it or on attached sheets.

How does e-stamping work behind the scenes?

E-stamping uses a central record. Stock Holding Corporation of India (SHCIL) acts as the Central Record Keeping Agency for the states that adopted its system. It registers users, keeps the account of every certificate and runs the verification service that offices use.

Authorised Collection Centres

SHCIL appoints Authorised Collection Centres (ACCs), such as scheduled banks and post offices, to issue certificates at the counter. You fill a short form, pay, and the centre prints the certificate from the central system.

Where the money goes

The duty you pay is the state’s revenue. SHCIL and the banks only collect it and keep the record. That is why rules on rates, refunds and lost certificates come from the state Stamp Act, not from SHCIL.

Which states issue e-stamp certificates through SHCIL?

Many states and union territories use SHCIL, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Some others run their own systems: Haryana uses e-GRAS and Maharashtra uses GRAS. The list changes, so open the state drop-down on the SHCIL portal first.

States not on the list

If your state is not in the drop-down, it either runs its own portal or still sells physical paper. Search the state’s Inspector General of Registration or stamps department site for the current method.

How do you buy stamp paper online step by step?

To buy e-stamp paper online, choose the state, the document article and the duty, fill the party details, pay, and then download or collect the certificate. The whole thing takes about ten minutes when you know the document type and the exact duty your state charges for it.

1. Pick your state. Open the SHCIL portal or your state’s own stamp duty portal and choose the state whose law applies.
2. Choose the article. Select the document type, such as affidavit, agreement, indemnity bond or power of attorney.
3. Enter the parties. Type the first and second party names exactly as they will appear in the document.
4. Pay the duty. Pay the stamp duty using the modes the portal offers, such as net banking or NEFT.
5. Download or collect. Download the certificate where allowed, or collect it from the centre, and verify the UIN.

Before you start

Keep the document type, both party names, the purpose and the duty amount ready. If you are unsure of the article, ask the office that will receive the document. Picking the wrong article is the most common reason for a fresh purchase.

Who should be the first party

The first party is usually the person executing the document, for example the person signing an affidavit or the seller in a sale agreement. Many offices reject a stamp bought in an unrelated person’s name.

What is stamp duty payment and who sets the rate?

A stamp duty payment is the tax paid to the state when a document such as an agreement, bond, affidavit or conveyance is executed. Each state sets its rates in its own Stamp Act schedule, so the same document can carry a different duty in Delhi, Haryana or Maharashtra.

Fixed and value-based duty

Some documents carry a fixed duty, such as most affidavits and simple agreements. Others are charged as a percentage of value, such as property conveyances and some loan documents. This page does not list rates because they change by state and by notification.

Where to check the rate

Use your state’s stamps and registration department site or ask the sub-registrar’s office. For property, the department usually publishes a duty calculator or circle rate list.

How do you pay stamp duty online?

You pay stamp duty online on the portal your state uses: SHCIL in most e-stamping states, e-GRAS in Haryana and GRAS in Maharashtra. Each portal takes the state, the document type and the parties, and then sends you to a bank payment gateway. The receipt or certificate becomes your proof.

Payment modes

Portals and ACCs accept net banking, NEFT and RTGS, and some take cards or UPI. At a counter, cash gives the certificate at once, while cheques and transfers give it only after the money is realised.

Paying for property registration

For a property deed, duty is often paid through the state portal while booking the sub-registrar appointment. The registration office then checks the payment and locks the stamp against your deed so it cannot be reused.

Stamp paper download: can you print the certificate yourself?

Stamp paper download depends on the state. Some portals let you print the e-stamp certificate at home after paying, while others only take the application online and make you collect the printed certificate from an ACC or bank. The portal tells you which applies once you select the state.

Printing it properly

Print on clean A4 paper at full size, without scaling, so the QR code and UIN stay readable. Write or print your document text below the stamp area or on extra sheets that you sign and number.

Keep the payment proof

Save the payment receipt and any reference number shown on screen. If the download fails, that reference is what the helpdesk or ACC asks for.

Stamp paper online download in states with their own portals

For a stamp paper online download in a state that runs its own system, start on the state portal, not on SHCIL. Haryana generates the e-stamp on e-GRAS after payment is confirmed, and Maharashtra issues a GRAS challan with a reference number instead of a SHCIL certificate.

Haryana e-GRAS

On egrashry.nic.in you pay first, then generate the e-stamp, which is downloaded as a file to print. At registration the system marks the stamp as used, and a refund of unused e-stamp paper is applied for on the same portal.

Maharashtra GRAS

On gras.mahakosh.gov.in you create a challan for stamp duty, pay online or at a listed bank, and receive a Government Reference Number (GRN). Offices check that number when you present the document.

How do you download e stamp after paying at a centre?

To download e stamp copies after paying at a bank or ACC, you generally cannot: the centre prints and hands you the original. Treat that printed sheet as the only original. If you need a soft copy, scan it yourself and keep the original safe for the office that receives the document.

If you paid online but must collect

Some states take payment online and ask you to collect the certificate. Carry the payment receipt and the ID of the first party when you visit the centre.

Losing the original

The record-keeping agency does not issue a duplicate. A lost e-stamp is handled under the state Stamp Act, so contact the state stamp office with your receipt and certificate number.

What does a stamp duty receipt show?

A stamp duty receipt is the proof of payment: an e-stamp certificate, a GRAS challan or a franking impression, depending on the route. It shows who paid, for which document type, how much, on which date, and a unique number that offices use to check it against the state record.

Fields to check on the receipt

Look at the UIN or GRN, the date and time, the article description, the first and second party, the purpose and the amount. Any mismatch with your document is a reason for rejection.

How do you verify an e-stamp certificate?

Open the SHCIL portal, choose Verify e-Stamp Certificate, and enter the state, certificate number, stamp duty type, issue date and the short code printed on the certificate. The screen then shows the details stored in the central record. Compare each one with the paper in your hand.

Why verify before signing

Forged and reused certificates still turn up. Checking takes two minutes and is free. Do it before you sign a rental agreement or affidavit written on a stamp someone else gave you.

Verifying state-portal stamps

For Haryana and Maharashtra, use the search or verification option on e-GRAS or GRAS with the reference number. The sub-registrar checks these the same way at registration.

What is online franking?

Online franking is the common name for paying stamp duty at an authorised bank or agent, who then prints a duty impression on your document with a franking machine. Payment may be made online first, but the document itself has to be taken to the bank for the impression.

Where franking is used

Franking is widely used in Maharashtra for agreements and loan papers, and banks in some other states offer it too. Ask your bank whether it is authorised for franking in your state.

What the impression shows

The impression carries the amount, date, a serial number and the bank’s details. Keep the bank’s receipt with the document.

Franking, e-stamp and physical paper compared

All three prove that stamp duty was paid. The e-stamp is the easiest to check online, franking puts the proof on your own document, and physical paper is still sold in small values in some states. Use the method the receiving office accepts.

Which one to choose

If your state uses SHCIL, the e-stamp is usually the simplest. If a bank is preparing your loan papers, it may frank them for you as part of the process.

How do you get 100 rs stamp paper online in Haryana?

For 100 rs stamp paper online in Haryana, generate an e-stamp for the required value on the e-GRAS portal: select the document type, enter the parties, pay and download. Haryana made e-stamping the standard method for non-judicial stamp paper, so small-value stamps are also issued electronically.

Small values over the counter

A 2017 Haryana Finance Department memo also arranged for treasuries to supply physical non-judicial paper and adhesive stamps of small values up to Rs 100 to licensed vendors. Whether a vendor near you still has them varies, so ask locally.

Which document needs 100 rupees

Do not assume a value. Ask the office that wants the document; many affidavits use a small fixed duty, but the amount is set by the Haryana schedule and can change.

What is non judicial stamp paper in Haryana?

Non judicial stamp paper in Haryana is the paper or e-stamp used for documents outside court fees: affidavits, agreements, bonds, powers of attorney and property deeds. Court fee stamps for cases are a separate category. In Haryana, non-judicial duty is mainly paid through e-stamping on e-GRAS.

Non-judicial versus court fee

If you need a stamp for a court filing or a traffic case, that is a court fee stamp, a different product. Read our guide to the court fee stamp for that.

Refund in Haryana

An unused e-stamp generated on e-GRAS can be put up for refund on the same portal, subject to the state’s rules and time limits.

Judicial or non-judicial paper: which one do you need?

You need non-judicial paper for private documents such as agreements, affidavits and NOCs, and judicial stamps only for fees paid to courts. Buying the wrong kind is a frequent mistake, because both are sold by vendors and both carry the state’s name.

Quick test

If the paper goes to a court registry as a fee, it is judicial. If it records a promise, declaration or transfer between people, it is non-judicial.

What is a NOC format on stamp paper?

A NOC format on stamp paper is a no objection statement written on non-judicial stamp paper, usually signed before a notary. It is used when a landlord, co-owner, family member or society agrees to something, such as using an address, registering a vehicle or running a business from a property.

When stamp paper is asked for

Many NOCs are plain signed letters. Stamp paper is needed only when the office, bank or society asking for it says so. For vehicles, a financier’s loan NOC is a bank letter, covered in our NOC certificate guide.

Who signs it

The person giving consent signs, and the stamp should be bought in that person’s name as the first party.

Which details must a NOC on stamp paper carry?

A NOC on stamp paper should name the person giving consent, the person receiving it, the property or vehicle concerned, the exact purpose, the date and place, and signatures with witnesses. A clear purpose stops the NOC being used for something you never agreed to.

Sample wording

“I, [name], son/daughter of [name], residing at [address], owner of [property], have no objection to [name] using this address for [purpose].” Add the date and signatures below.

What is a property NOC format?

A property NOC format is a consent letter from the owner or co-owner allowing someone to use, register at, rent or carry out work on a property. Tenants use it for address proof, business registration or utility connections, and family members use it when the property is in a relative’s name.

Details specific to property

Write the full address, the owner’s relationship to the user, and whether the consent covers a whole house, one floor or one room. Attach a copy of ownership proof if the receiving office asks.

Address for vehicle registration

When a relative’s address is used for a vehicle, the RTO may ask for such a letter along with address proof. Our vehicle ownership transfer online guide lists the main RC documents.

Which vehicle papers are written on stamp paper?

On the vehicle side, stamp paper turns up in sale agreements, affidavits for name or address mismatches, and indemnity bonds asked for by some RTO counters. The RTO transfer itself runs on Vahan forms, not on stamp paper.

Sale agreement for a vehicle

A private sale can be recorded in a simple vehicle sale letter. Whether it needs stamp duty depends on your state’s schedule, so check with the stamp office if you want an agreement rather than a letter.

Affidavits at the RTO

Some RTOs ask for an affidavit when documents disagree, for example a different spelling of the owner’s name. Buy the stamp in the deponent’s name and have it notarised.

How do you choose the stamp value?

Choose the value by the document type and your state’s schedule, not by habit. For fixed-duty papers, the receiving office usually tells you the amount. For value-based papers, work out the duty on the state calculator before buying.

Paying too little

If duty is short, you can buy an additional certificate for the shortfall and present all certificates together, rather than starting again.

Paying too much

Higher value does not make a document stronger. Overpaid duty is usually not refunded unless the state’s refund rules apply.

Can an e-stamp be refunded or cancelled?

Refund and cancellation are decided by the state stamp authority, not by SHCIL or the bank. You usually apply to the stamp office or through the state portal with the original certificate, within the time the state allows, and only if the stamp was never used.

Haryana and other state portals

Haryana accepts refund applications for unused e-stamps on e-GRAS. Other states have their own forms and time limits, listed on the stamps department site.

What if the e-stamp has a mistake?

An issued e-stamp cannot be edited. If a name, article or amount is wrong, you normally buy a new certificate and apply for a refund of the wrong one, if your state allows it. That is why checking the preview before paying matters.

Short duty

If only the amount is short, a shortfall certificate is often enough. Ask the receiving office before buying.

Wrong party name

A wrong first party name usually means a fresh purchase. Do not overwrite or correct the printed area by hand.

Which mistakes get an e-stamp rejected?

Offices reject e-stamps that fail verification, carry a different party name, show the wrong article, or have been altered by hand. A stamp that is already locked against another document is also refused.

Quick checks before signing

Verify the UIN, read every field against your document, and make sure the purpose line fits. Then sign below the stamp, not across it.

Using the right state

Duty paid in one state does not cover a document that must be stamped under another state’s law. Buy the stamp for the state where the document is executed or registered.

Is stamp paper bought online legally valid?

Yes. Stamp paper online is valid where the state has notified e-stamping, because the certificate is the state’s own record of duty paid. Courts, sub-registrars and banks accept it once they verify the number. For more vehicle and document services, see the Vahan guide.

What gives it force

The legal force comes from the state Stamp Act and its e-stamping rules, not from the portal. Check that your state is listed before relying on it.

Signatures still matter

A valid stamp only proves duty. The document still needs the right signatures, witnesses and, where required, a notary or registration.