Atal Pension Yojana subscriber form to change from October 1: Post Office issues order

The Department of Posts (DoP) has modified the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) subscriber registration form ahead of the September 30 deadline to discontinue the earlier format.

"In alignment with the latest Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) version, the existing APY form under the Department of Post (DoP) has been modified. The updated APY Subscriber Registration Form is enclosed herewith for immediate reference and action," the Department of Post said in an order dated September 26, 2025.

This decision has been taken in accordance with an earlier direction by Protean (formerly NSDL) to discontinue uploading APY registration files in the previous format after September 30.

Protean is a Central Record keeping Agency (CRA) approved by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

"Earlier, Protean (formerly NSDL), the Central Record keeping Agency (CRA), had said communicated that the existing Subscriber Registration File (SRF) format, currently used for onboarding APY subscribers, will be discontinued & uploading of APY registration files in the earlier format will NOT be accepted in the CRA system after September 30 2025," the Department of Post said.

What's new in the new APY form?

The new APY subscriber form has incorporated the mandatory FATCA/CRS declaration. This declaration applies to a person who is a U.S. citizen or whose country of birth/citizenship/residence is other than India.

As per the provisions under Rule 4 of the Government Savings Promotion General Rules, 2018, only resident citizens of India are eligible to open an account under various Post Office small savings schemes.

"Since an APY account opened through a Post Office is linked with a POSA, any subscriber who selects the option 'Yes' for the FATCA/CRS declaration cannot be enrolled/subscribed through the POSA channel," the Department of Posts said.

The department further said, "In view of the above, it is ensured that the new APY Subscriber Registration Form to be used w.e.f. 01 10 2025 for on-boarding of new subscribers under APY. No unauthorised or generic forms are to be used for APY-related activities."