The Indian Stamp Act does not treat stamping as paperwork you catch up on. It has to happen before or at the time of execution, and every state sets its own schedule. Docsliy computes the duty for the state the instrument is executed in, pays it electronically, and attaches the certificate to the document — inside the same flow that sends it for signature.
Three provisions decide this, and none of them are about convenience. They are about whether a court will look at your agreement at all.
Section 17 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 requires every instrument chargeable with duty and executed in India to be stamped before or at the time of execution. Not that week. Not once the deal closes.
Why it matters: a signature that lands first has already put the document on the wrong side of the section.Under Section 35, an instrument that is not duly stamped cannot be admitted in evidence, and cannot be acted upon, registered or authenticated by any public officer. The agreement still exists. You just cannot rely on it.
Where it bites: the day you need the contract is the day you find out.It can be fixed. Section 35 lets a deficiently stamped instrument in once the shortfall is paid along with a penalty — ten times the deficient duty where that exceeds five rupees.
Worth knowing: the penalty scales with the mistake, so a large ad valorem instrument is the worst one to get wrong.This runs inside the same send that requests the signature. Nobody has to remember to do it first, because it cannot happen second.
The instrument type and the state of execution are established from the document itself — an agreement, a lease and an indemnity are not charged alike.
Duty is calculated against the schedule of that state, for that instrument. Docsliy applies the applicable entry rather than assuming a flat rate.
Payment is made electronically through SHCIL — the Central Record Keeping Agency appointed for e-stamping — and its authorised collection centres.
The certificate, with its unique identification number, is attached to the copy that goes out for signature. Stamp first, sign second, as the Act requires.
Stamp duty is a state subject. The same agreement executed in two states can be charged under two different acts at two different rates, which is exactly why a single flat rate is the wrong answer.
| State | Governing act | Electronic stamping |
|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1958 | Supported |
| Karnataka | Karnataka Stamp Act, 1957 | Supported |
| Delhi NCR | Indian Stamp Act, 1899 — as applicable to Delhi | Supported |
| Gujarat | Gujarat Stamp Act, 1958 | Supported |
| Rajasthan | Rajasthan Stamp Act, 1998 | Supported |
| Uttar Pradesh | Indian Stamp Act, 1899 — with state amendments | Supported |
| Tamil Nadu | Indian Stamp Act, 1899 — with state amendments | Supported |
| Telangana | Indian Stamp Act, 1899 — with state amendments | Supported |
| West Bengal | Indian Stamp Act, 1899 — with state amendments | Supported |
| More states | Added continuously as electronic stamping is enabled | In progress |
Duty depends on the instrument as well as the state, and rates are revised by state finance departments. Docsliy applies the schedule in force at execution — it does not quote a rate here, because a rate printed on a web page is out of date the moment it changes.
An e-Stamp certificate carries a unique identification number recorded centrally. That number is what turns “we paid the duty” from an assertion into something a counterparty, an auditor or a court can verify independently.
It travels with the executed copy. There is no second file to keep track of, and no stamp paper to lose.
They are different obligations under different statutes, and satisfying one does not satisfy the other. Teams discover this at the worst possible moment.
Levied under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 and the state stamp acts. It attaches to the document itself, and the amount depends on what the instrument is and where it is executed.
Governed by the Registration Act, 1908. Compulsory only for certain instruments — most notably those dealing with immovable property — and performed at a sub-registrar’s office.
Instruments that require registration are usually the same ones the IT Act excludes from electronic execution. Docsliy flags those at the drafting step rather than letting you find out at signature.
Stamping is one of the things that has to be right before a document goes out. It sits next to the signature tier and the local formalities, not apart from them.
Aadhaar eSign through a Certifying Authority licensed by the CCA, completed on a phone that receives SMS. The stamp is already settled by the time the signer opens the link.
Aadhaar eSignWhich instruments can be executed electronically at all, which are excluded by Schedule I of the IT Act, and what the evidence position looks like under Sections 85B and 65B.
India legality guideStamping proves the duty was paid. The cryptography proves the document has not changed since. Two separate guarantees, both needed.
The algorithmDraft, stamp, sign and file without leaving the workspace — and without the stamp vendor run, the courier, or the wait on a DSC token.
Docsliy IndiaTiming, penalties, state coverage, and where stamping ends and registration begins.
Duty computed for the right state, paid before the signing request leaves, certificate attached to the copy your counterparty opens. No vendor run, no second portal, no catching up afterwards.