e-Stamp Paper for a Rent Agreement (2026): How It Works

What is an e-stamp paper?

An e-stamp paper — properly, an e-Stamp Certificate — is the digital way to pay the stamp duty on a document. Instead of buying physical non-judicial stamp paper from a vendor, you pay the duty online (or at an authorised counter) and receive a computer-generated certificate that records the duty paid, the parties, and the document it relates to. Printed and attached to your rent agreement, it does the same job as traditional stamp paper.

e-Stamping in India is run by Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), which is the only Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) appointed by the Government of India for this purpose. SHCIL began rolling out e-stamping in 2013, and it now operates in most states and union territories. Stamp duty itself is levied under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 (and the corresponding state stamp Acts) — e-stamping only changes how you pay it, not whether you owe it.

Three ways to pay stamp duty

For a rent agreement, the stamp duty can usually be paid in one of three ways. All three are valid; which is available depends on your state:

• Traditional non-judicial stamp paper — bought from a licensed stamp vendor in the value your state prescribes. Still common, but being phased out in many states.
• Franking — the agreement is printed on plain paper and stamped (franked) by an authorised bank or franking centre that marks the duty paid.
• e-Stamping — duty paid online or at an Authorised Collection Centre (often a bank or SHCIL counter), generating an e-Stamp Certificate with a unique number. This is the most tamper-resistant and increasingly the default.

How e-stamping works, step by step

The exact screens differ by portal, but the e-stamping flow is broadly the same everywhere it is offered:

• Go to the e-stamp portal for your state (SHCIL's shcilestamp.com where SHCIL operates, or the state's own e-stamp/e-payment system).
• Choose the document type (a rent / lease / Leave & License agreement) and enter the first and second party names and the property details.
• Enter the stamp-duty amount due for your rent, deposit, and term — the duty is set by your state, so confirm the figure first (see our guide to rent-agreement stamp duty by state).
• Pay online by net banking, UPI, or card — or pay at an Authorised Collection Centre, which issues the certificate over the counter.
• Download and print the e-Stamp Certificate, then print or attach your agreement to it and have both parties and two witnesses sign.

How to verify an e-stamp certificate

Every e-Stamp Certificate carries a Unique Identification Number (UIN). Anyone — a tenant, a landlord, or an authority — can confirm a certificate is genuine by entering its UIN on the issuing portal (for SHCIL certificates, the 'Verify e-Stamp Certificate' option at shcilestamp.com). This is the main advantage of e-stamping over physical stamp paper: a counterfeit certificate fails verification immediately.

Before you rely on an e-stamp someone else has bought, verify the UIN and check that the names, document type, and duty amount on the certificate match your agreement exactly.

Where e-stamping applies — and the state exceptions

SHCIL e-stamping is operational across many states and UTs, but several states run their own e-stamp or e-payment systems instead. For the states Score99 supports, the route is:

• Delhi — e-stamping through SHCIL (shcilestamp.com); registration through the Delhi Sub-Registrar system.
• Uttar Pradesh — e-stamping and registration via the state's IGRSUP portal (igrsup.gov.in).
• Tamil Nadu — e-stamping is available, with registration through TNREGINET (tnreginet.gov.in); a tenancy must also be registered with the Rent Authority under the Tamil Nadu Act, 2017.
• Telangana — through the Registration & Stamps department portal (registration.telangana.gov.in).
• Karnataka — the state's own Kaveri Online Services portal handles e-stamping and registration (kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in).
• Gujarat — e-stamps are issued through the state's GARVI portal (garvi.gujarat.gov.in).
• Maharashtra — the state uses its own Government Receipt Accounting System (GRAS) / e-SBTR for paying duty, and Leave & License agreements are e-registered through the IGR Maharashtra portal (igrmaharashtra.gov.in); registration is mandatory regardless of term.

e-Stamping changes how you pay, not how much

Switching to an e-stamp does not change the duty you owe — that is still set by your state and driven by the rent, the deposit, and the term. e-Stamping simply makes paying it faster, available outside vendor hours, and far harder to forge. And it is separate from registration: paying stamp duty (by any method) makes the document valid, while registration records it with the government for the strongest legal standing.

Confirm the exact duty on your state's official portal before you pay, because rates, slabs, and the treatment of refundable deposits change from state to state.

Sources

Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL) — e-Stamping, the Central Record Keeping Agency appointed by the Government of India, and e-Stamp Certificate / UIN verification (shcilestamp.com).

Indian Stamp Act, 1899, and the corresponding state stamp Acts — the legal basis for stamp duty. Official text: India Code (indiacode.nic.in).

State e-stamp / e-registration portals referenced above: IGRSUP (Uttar Pradesh), TNREGINET (Tamil Nadu), Telangana Registration & Stamps, Kaveri Online (Karnataka), GARVI (Gujarat), and GRAS / IGR Maharashtra. Availability and the exact duty payable should be confirmed on the relevant state portal.

Get an agreement ready to e-stamp

Score99 generates a state-specific rent agreement with the correct document type, stamp-duty guidance, and witness fields built in — for ₹199. Once you have it, pay the duty by e-stamp through your state's portal above, then sign and (where required) register it.