A Complete Guide for Hassle-Free and Instant Approval

Getting a personal loan in India has been made easier than ever. Whether choosing to apply through Net Banking, an NBFC or through a digital first lending platform, the documentation process has become a matter of a few minutes and is also done 100% online. Still, most of the rejections occur due to applicants either uploading the wrong documents or incomplete proofs or blurry images. That’s why having a  personal loan document checklist can improve your odds of approval.

This guide by CreditMitra unpacks everything you need to know about the documentation needed – What they are, why are they needed by lenders, lending documents format, and how to prepare the documents for a smooth approval.

1. What is the reason Lenders require Documents?

Even though personal loans are unsecured (so no collateral is required) there are few things a lender wants to know:

Your Identity

To make it sure who you are and match your aadhaar/pan.

Your Financial Stability

To make sure that you have the repayment capacity.

Your Employment or Income

To determine whether your salary or business income is steady.

Your Creditworthiness

To judge the risk and fix the amount of loan & interest.

With digital KYC (e-KYC), most of these checks occur in a split of a second using databases that are maintained by UIDAI, banks and credit bureaus.

2. Complete Checklist: Necessary Documents for Personal Loan (2026)

And the full revised checklist required by nearly every lender is:

A. KYC Documents to Know about yourself (Identity & Address proof)

These documents are used for identity verification and residential verification.

Accepted Identity Proofs

• Aadhaar Card
• PAN Card
• Passport
• Voter ID
• Driving Licence

Aadhaar & PAN are required by most of the lenders, especially for e-KYC.

Accepted Address Proofs

• Aadhaar Card
• Passport
• Driving Licence
• Utility Bill (Electricity, Water, Post paid mobile – maximum of 60 days old)
• Rental agreement (registered and only)

Note:

If Aadhaar is linked with your mobile number then identity + address verification can be completed instantly through OTP.

B. Income Proof (Most Important in Loan Approval)

Income proof determines:

• Loan eligibility
• Maximum loan amount
• Interest rate
• Repayment capacity

For Salaried Employees

• Last 3 to 6 months’ salary slips

• Last 3 Months Bank Statement showing Salary Credit
• Form 16/ employment certificate (if required)

For Self-Employment of Individuals

• ITR ( Income Tax Returns) of last 1-2 years
• Bank statements for 6-12 months
• GST returns (not a compulsory but nor a useful one)
• Business registration certificate (MSME certificate/Shop Act licence)

NBFCs and fintech apps can approve the loans even with:

• Low income
• Variable revenue
• Cash-based businesses

but bank statements are almost always compulsory.

C. Employment Proof

This is needed primarily by those who are looking for jobs on salaries as you will be able to cheque if they work in a legitimate company.

Acceptable Proofs

• Employee ID card
• Offer letter/ appointment letter
• Employment certificate issued by HR
• Official e-mail confirmation from employer domain

Other lenders check employment personally by:

• HR calls
• Bank statement salary entries
• UAN number associated to EPFO through EPFO

D. Photographs (Only if Necessary)

Most digital lenders will not require photographs but some banks still ask for:

• 1 passport, passport, already taken, or portraits should be in a photo (jpeg or PNG).

Apps use selfie for facial verification, hence no physical photo is required.

E. PAN Card – Mandatory in 2026

The PAN is a crucial as it is used directly to check:

• Credit score
• Loan history
• Defaults across lenders

Under compliance rules by RBI, PAN is now mandatory for almost every type of credit application.

F. More Documents (Could be needed when someone have a specific profile)

They are normally commissioned when needed:

• High loan amount
• Low CIBIL score
• Unstable income profile
• Applicants with mismatched address information

Extra documents can include:

• Utility bills for Address re confirmation
• NOC from existing lender
• Proof of rental income
• Documents of co-applicant (in exceptional cases)
• Security cheque (requested by some of NBFCs)

However, in 2025 most digital lenders no longer require these unless absolutely necessary.

3. Document Requirements Depending on Applicant Type

Let’s break it down further:

A. Salaried Individuals

Most common and easiest segment when it comes to personal loan approvals.

Documents Needed:

• Aadhaar
• PAN
• Salary slips (3-6 months)
• Bank Statement showing Salary Credits
• Employee ID or offer letter

If the payment of salary is in cash, there is difficulty in approval. Lenders prefer salary credit in bank account.

B. Self-Employed professionals

Similar to doctors, consultants, CA/CS, freelancers

Documents Needed:

• Aadhaar + PAN
• Business Proof (Certificate, GST, Registration)
• Bank statement (6-12 months)
• ITR of last 1-2 years

Freelancers must demonstrate regular deposits into bank statements.

C. Self-employed business owners

Traders, shop owners, manufacturers, service business, etc.

Documents Needed:

• Aadhaar + PAN
• Registration of business (Store Exercise, M쓰step, GST)
• Copies of Bank statement (current account)
• ITR (1-2 years)
• Balance sheet & P & L (for large amount loans)

D. Applicants who are new-to-credit (NTC)

People who have never borrowed a loan or credit card. Loans can be approved on the basis of:

• Aadhaar
• PAN
• Verified income
• Bank statements

This category is one which often works well with digital NBFCs and alternative credit models.

4. Technical document Requirement (2026 Standards)

To ensure that you are not being rejected, however, ensure your digital documents adhere to these standards:

File Formats Accepted:

• PDF
• JPG, JPEG
• PNG

File Size: 200 KB – 5 MB (depending on lender)

Photo Clarity:

• Should not be blurry
• Four corners need to be observed.
• Text must be readable

A very frequent reason for rejection is blurry bank statements or the cropped Aadhaar images.

5. Why Your Personal Loan Gets Declined Though You Upload All the Documentation

Here are common mistakes:

• Wrong document format
• Salary Slip not matching the bank credit
• Difference between Aadhaar address and current address
• PAN mismatch (name changes, spelling mistakes, etc.)
• Bank statement without the proper seal of the bank (for offline applicants)
• Aadhaar is not linked with the mobile number
• Documents that are either illegible or cropped.
• Fake/Tampered Documents (Results in Blacklisting)

Always double-check before uploading

6. Can You Get Personal Loan Without Documents?

Yes–but then of certain cases alone.

Some lenders provide pre-approved loans to existing customers of:

• Savings accounts
• Salary accounts
• Credit cards

Example: A bank such as HDFC Bank may give instant personal loans to its account holders without asking for documents as they already have:

• KYC
• Salary details
• Credit history

Apps like CreditMitra put such customers in touch with lenders offering low-documentation loans.

7. How to Fast Track Loan Approval ( Tips on Loan Document Checklists)

 Keep Aadhaar number with your mobile.

OTP-based e-KYC is instant.

Clean up and make documents readable PDFs.

Especially if uploading of multiple pages

Be sure that salary credits are reflected clearly in bank statements

Avoid cash based or irregular incomes.

Avoid document mismatches

If there is a difference of name or address, an affidavit or supporting proof is to be included.

Upload high-quality scans

Clear, bright, complete.

Keep ALL documents ready before you proceed to the application

This helps in reducing back and forth verification.

8. Why CreditMitra Is The Right Choice For Instant Personal Loan Approval?

CreditMitra is an digital first financial app for Indians, which is built to make borrowing easy. With CreditMitra, you get:

• Instant checking of loan eligibility
• Zero paperwork (digital KYC)
• Quick document uploads
• Instant approval to eligible profiles
• Credit score tracking
• Expense & EMI management

You just upload your Aadhaar + PAN + income proof and the rest is done automatically.

Conclusion

The process of personal loan documentation in India has changed drastically by 2025. What earlier took multiple visits for physical verification, photocopies, and standing in long queues, can now be done within 5 minutes through apps such as CreditMitra.

In order to make the approval process go smoothly, keep the following documents handy:

• Aadhaar
• PAN
• Salary slips/ITR
• Bank statements
• Employment proof

With the right documents and with a clean financial profile, you can enjoy quick disbursal along with better interest rates and higher loans.

CreditMitra makes the entire journey easy, safe and lightning fast.