4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 28, 2026 06:35 PM IST
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has started the registration process for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination II, and the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy (NDA/NA) Examination II, 2026. The registration link will be available at the official website of UPSC at upsconline.nic.in.
Interested candidates who want to apply for the Indian Armed Forces can fill out the registration form and apply for the exam. The deadline to fill out the admission form is June 9, 2026. The exam will be conducted on September 13, 2026.
UPSC CDS 2026 NDA 2: How to apply?
To apply for the exam, candidates have to fill out the registration form by following the steps mentioned below:
Step 1 – Go to the official website of UPSC at upsconline.nic.in
Step 2- Go to examinations on the homepage and click on the link of CDS 2 2026 or NDA 2 2026.
Step 3- Enter the login details.
Step 4- Fill out the form. Ensure that the personal, educational and communication details are entered correctly.
Step 5- Upload the necessary documents.
Step 6- Pay the fees.
Step 7- Submit the application form.
UPSC CDS 2026 NDA 2: Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria to apply for the exam are as follows-
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1. The candidate must be an unmarried male/female and should be-
i) a citizen of India,
ii) a subject of Nepal,
iii) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam, with the intention of permanently settling in India.
Make sure that a candidate belonging to categories (ii) and (iii) above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.
2. Candidates born from January 1, 2008, to January 1, 2011, can apply.
3. For educational qualifications:
i) For Army Wing of the National Defence Academy- The candidate should pass their class 12 (10+2) exam from a state education board or a university.
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ii) For Air Force and Naval Wings of the National Defence Academy and for the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy- The candidates have to pass their class 12 exam from a state education board or university with Physics, Chemistry and Maths.
Candidates should upload their photograph and also capture their live photograph while filling out the Common Application Form (CAF). They must ensure that the uploaded photograph and the live photograph captured are clear as per the instructions mentioned on the Instructions and FAQs at the official website.
Students can log in to the website and submit their representation. Students have to go to the representation on the question paper and the provisional answer key under the examination sections. Representation will not be accepted by email/ post/ hand, or any other mode. Candidates should take note that there will be a penalty (negative marking) for wrong answers marked in the objective-type question papers.
The pay structure is as follows:
If a candidate is facing any problem while filling out the application form for the registration process, they should contact the helpdesk. The helpdesk contact number is 011-24041001/ 011-40303444, the mail id -upscsoap@nic.in.. The helpdesk will be available from 10 am to 5 pm between May 20 and June 9 on all working days.