CA Foundation admit card Jan 2027: release date, download
The CA Foundation admit card for January 2027 is not out yet, and ICAI has not announced a release date (as of 11 November 2026). ICAI's Guidance Notes for Foundation Exams January 2027 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) say admit cards will be hosted on eservices.icai.org "generally 14 days prior to the commencement of the examination", and Paper 1 is on Sunday 3 January 2027. No printed admit card is posted to anyone: you download and print it yourself.
Below: when it came in the last three attempts, how to download it, what to check, and two dates before it (20–22 November, 1 December) that decide what it shows.
CA Foundation admit card Jan 2027: the key facts
All from ICAI's Jan 2027 Guidance Notes unless linked otherwise.
| What | ICAI's rule or status |
|---|---|
| Status today | Not released; no date announced by ICAI |
| Where it will be | eservices.icai.org, through the Admit Card link for Foundation |
| When | "Generally 14 days prior" to the first paper, 3 Jan 2027 |
| Printed copy by post | None. "No physical admit card will be sent to any candidate" |
| What it carries | Your photograph and signature; it is "valid for admission to the examination" |
| Class 12 not uploaded (provisional applicants) | Upload on SSP "by 1st December 2026 failing which admit card will not be issued" |
| Centre or medium change | Only in the free correction window, 20 to 22 Nov 2026 |
When will the CA Foundation admit card Jan 2027 be released?
ICAI hasn't given a date. Its only rule is "generally 14 days prior" to the exam. Counting 14 days back from Sunday 3 January 2027 gives about Sunday 20 December 2026. That is our arithmetic on ICAI's rule, not a date ICAI has announced.
On 11 November 2026, the Admit Card buttons on the eservices.icai.org login page still read "Foundation Exam SEPTEMBER 2026". ICAI's Examination – Students announcements (opens in a new tab) and its Examinations – January 2027 page (opens in a new tab) have no admit card notice either. That is normal: in the last three attempts the cards simply appeared on the portal, with no separate notice.
CA Foundation admit card Sep 2026, May 2026, Jan 2026: when it came
ICAI publishes exam dates, not admit card dates, so the release dates below are from news reports: Free Press Journal for January and May 2026, Careers360 and CareerIndia for September 2026. January 2026 rests on one report.
| Attempt | Paper 1 (ICAI) | Admit card went up (news reports) | Days before Paper 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 18 Jan 2026 (ICAI, PDF (opens in a new tab)) | Mid-to-late December 2025 | About a month |
| May 2026 | 14 May 2026 (ICAI, PDF (opens in a new tab)) | 28 April 2026 | 16 |
| September 2026 (last cycle) | 2 Sep 2026 (ICAI, PDF (opens in a new tab)) | 14 August 2026 | 19 |
So in each of the last three attempts the card came out earlier than 14 days before Paper 1. That is a pattern, not a promise for January 2027. Our advice: start checking eservices.icai.org from early December, and once it is up, download it the same day.
"CA Foundation ka admit card kab aayega?" has the same answer: no ICAI date yet; ICAI's rule points to around 20 December, and recent attempts came earlier.
Before the admit card: two dates that decide what it shows
Your admit card prints what is on your exam form, and by the time it is out, most of it can't be changed.
20 to 22 November 2026: fix your centre or medium
ICAI's correction window for exam centre and medium runs from Friday 20 November to Sunday 22 November 2026, free and only once (ICAI important dates, PDF (opens in a new tab)). The Guidance Notes say "The Changes sought will be reflected in the Admit Card" and "No change of centre/medium is allowed after closing of correction window". There is no paid correction window after it.
So check the centre and medium on your exam form PDF now, and fix either in those three days. The list of cities and zones is in our CA exam centre list for January 2027.
1 December 2026: Class 12 upload, if you applied provisionally
If you registered on the strength of your Class 12 board admit card, you must upload your Class 12 marksheet or admit card on the Self Service Portal (SSP) "by 1st December 2026 failing which admit card will not be issued". Do it now, not on 30 November.
Also keep the PDF of your barcoded exam form. ICAI asks you to keep it "at least till the release of Admit Card", and the helpline asks for the bar code number if anything goes wrong.
How to download the CA Foundation admit card
The admit card has its own link on the portal. The eservices.icai.org login page says: "For downloading admit card, please don't login to SSP. Click on the above mentioned link." This is how it worked for the September 2026 cards; the January 2027 link appears in the same place once ICAI hosts them:
- Open eservices.icai.org (opens in a new tab) in Google Chrome (the download page asks for Chrome 50 or above).
- Find the Admit Card button for Foundation Exam January 2027 and click it. Don't log in to the SSP dashboard for this.
- Enter your SSP ID, which is your student registration number followed by @icai.org, your SSP password and the captcha.
- Forgot your password? Use the "Forgot Password?" link on that page.
- Save the PDF on your phone and in your email, and print it. ICAI says candidates must print their admit cards from the website.
Our tip, not an ICAI rule: print a spare copy and keep it at home, so a lost or crumpled card on exam day doesn't become a problem. Read every instruction printed on the card; ICAI asks you to.
What to check on your admit card the moment you print it
ICAI asks you to "verify the name, registration number, Centre, medium opted, etc." Go line by line:
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Name and registration number | Must match your ICAI record |
| Photograph and signature | Printed on the card; if missing or blurred, contact ICAI at once (below) |
| Exam centre and address | Your exact venue is confirmed only here |
| Medium (English or Hindi) | The language you will answer in |
| Roll number | Goes on your answer book every day, and you need it again for the result on caresults.icai.org |
| Paper dates | Should match the schedule below |
The four papers, from the Guidance Notes:
| Paper | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Accounting | Sun 3 Jan 2027 | 2 PM to 5 PM |
| Paper 2: Business Laws | Tue 5 Jan 2027 | 2 PM to 5 PM |
| Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude | Thu 7 Jan 2027 | 2 PM to 4 PM |
| Paper 4: Business Economics | Sat 9 Jan 2027 | 2 PM to 4 PM |
Papers 1 and 2 get 15 minutes of advance reading time from 1:45 PM; Papers 3 and 4 have none (ICAI schedule, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Something wrong, or the admit card not showing?
Contact ICAI's Foundation helpline immediately. The Jan 2027 Guidance Notes give these numbers for download or print trouble, or any error on the card: 0120-3054851, 3054852, 3054853, 3054835, 4953751, 4953752, 4953753, and the email [email protected] (opens in a new tab) for admit card queries. The helpdesk works 10 AM to 6 PM on working days.
Quote your registration number, your exam form's bar code number, your centre with its zone, and your phone number.
Card not showing at all? Check these first:
- Class 12 not uploaded (provisional applicants): the card isn't issued until it is, and the deadline is 1 December 2026.
- Exam form not complete: no submitted form and barcoded PDF, no card. The form closes on 16 November 2026, or 19 November with a late fee (ICAI important dates, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
- Photo or signature not acceptable: ICAI asks candidates whose photo or signature is missing or "not of acceptable quality to be printed on Admit Card" to change it on SSP. If a profile change is still pending approval, raise a ticket on SSP or contact your regional office. The photo and signature specifications are in our CA Foundation exam rules for January 2027.
Exam day in short
The full set of rules is in our CA Foundation exam rules post. The ones tied to the admit card:
- Entry to the exam centre: 1:15 PM. Late entry is allowed only up to 15 minutes after the paper starts, and nobody leaves early.
- Carry the printed admit card every day.
- Phone: "mere possession of mobile phone in the examination hall whether in switch off mode or silent mode" counts as unfair means. Leave it outside.
- Calculator: up to 6 functions, 12 digits and two memories. "Scientific calculator is not allowed."
- Papers 3 and 4 are MCQ papers on an OMR sheet. How the OMR works and how marks are lost is in our CA Foundation exam pattern and marking guide.
Your admit card calendar
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| Now | Open your exam form PDF; check centre and medium |
| 20 to 22 Nov 2026 | Fix centre or medium if wrong (last chance) |
| By 1 Dec 2026 | Upload Class 12 on SSP, if you applied provisionally |
| From early Dec 2026 | Check eservices.icai.org for the January 2027 Admit Card link |
| Release day | Download, print, check every line; call the helpline if anything is wrong |
| Before 3 Jan 2027 | Visit your centre; pack admit card, pens, pencil, eraser, allowed calculator |
Frequently asked questions
Is the CA Foundation admit card Jan 2027 out?
Not yet. As of 11 November 2026 ICAI hasn't released it or announced a date. On eservices.icai.org, the Admit Card button still shows the September 2026 exam.
When will the CA Foundation admit card Jan 2027 be released?
ICAI's Guidance Notes say "generally 14 days prior" to the exam. Paper 1 is on 3 January 2027, so that points to around 20 December 2026 (our arithmetic, not an ICAI date). In the last three attempts it came earlier than 14 days before, so start checking in early December.
Where is the CA Foundation admit card download link?
On eservices.icai.org (opens in a new tab), through the Admit Card button for Foundation. Log in there with your SSP ID (registration [email protected] (opens in a new tab)) and SSP password. No copy is posted.
Is the CA Foundation hall ticket the same as the admit card?
Yes. "Hall ticket" is the common word; ICAI calls it the admit card.
Can I change my exam centre after the admit card comes?
No. Centre and medium can be changed only once, in the free correction window from 20 to 22 November 2026. ICAI says no change is allowed after the window closes.
The admit card gets you in. Practice gets you through.
Until your admit card is up, the most useful thing you can do is write full papers by hand, to time. Our CA Foundation mock tests are full-syllabus papers with brand-new questions for the January 2027 ICAI pattern and amendments. You write, upload one PDF, and your checked copy comes back within 24 hours with step-wise marks like ICAI's and the reason for every mark cut, with the correct line. Start with Accounting, the first paper on 3 January, or see how to fit your mocks into the weeks left in our CA Foundation mock test Jan 2027 guide. To compare every level's papers, browse all our CA test series and CA mock tests.