eSign a Consent Form Online with Aadhaar
Draft a parental, medical, research, or photo release consent form and sign it with Aadhaar OTP. One signer, one minute. Legally valid under the IT Act 2000. Rs. 15 per signature.
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What is a Consent Form?
A consent form is a document in which one person voluntarily agrees, in writing, to a specific activity, treatment, or use of information concerning them. It is one of the most common day-to-day legal documents because so many modern activities (medical procedures, school trips, research studies, photography, data collection) require the informed agreement of the individual before they go ahead. In India, the consent form is both a legal safeguard for the party carrying out the activity and a protection for the person giving consent, because it records that the person understood what was being asked and agreed to it at a specific point in time.
This page is the umbrella for several common consent form variants. Parental consent forms are signed by parents to allow schools to take their child on an educational trip, to allow medical treatment for a minor, to allow the child to participate in a sports tournament, or to allow the use of the child's photos in school communications. Medical consent forms are signed by patients before a procedure, admission, surgery, or a test that carries risk, and they confirm that the treating doctor has explained the procedure, the risks, the alternatives, and the expected outcome. Research consent forms are signed by participants in clinical trials, surveys, or academic research, and they follow the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) ethical guidelines for research involving human participants. Photo and video release consent forms are signed by models, employees, and children's parents when their image is to be used by an organisation or content creator.
All of these variants share a common structure. They identify the person consenting, describe what they are consenting to in plain language, state that the person has been informed of the risks and alternatives, record that the consent is voluntary, and set out the right to withdraw consent later where that applies. SignSetu maintains dedicated pages for specific variants as they are added to the site, but the general consent form covered on this page works as a starting template that you can tailor to your exact situation before eSigning.
Who needs a consent form?
Parents of minors
Sign parental consent forms for school trips, sports, medical treatment, and use of photographs in school or activity materials.
Patients undergoing medical procedures
Sign informed consent forms before surgery, anaesthesia, diagnostic procedures, and clinical trial participation.
Research participants
Sign ICMR-compliant consent forms before taking part in academic research, surveys, or clinical studies.
Content creators, photographers, and HR teams
Collect photo and video release consent from models, employees, and event attendees before publishing images or footage.
Legal framework
Legally valid under Indian law
A consent form is a voluntary written agreement by a person. It is not a contract for sale or a negotiable instrument, and it is not on the Schedule I exclusion list of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Under Section 3A of the IT Act 2000, consent forms are fully eligible for Aadhaar eSign, and an Aadhaar eSigned consent form carries the same legal standing as a handwritten one. Different categories of consent are governed by different underlying laws. Medical consent in India is grounded in the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 and in the common law principle of informed consent, which requires that the patient be told about the nature of the procedure, the material risks, and the alternatives before agreeing. Research consent on human participants follows the Indian Council of Medical Research National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants, 2017, which prescribes the elements of a valid informed consent document. Consent for processing of personal data is now governed by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which sets out conditions for valid consent including purpose limitation and the right to withdraw. Parental consent for minors follows the general law on guardianship under the Indian Majority Act, 1875 and the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 or the corresponding personal law. For most of these variants, the consent form does not need stamp paper, does not need notarisation, and does not need registration. It is typically a single-party document signed by the person giving consent, although parental consent for a minor is signed by the parent or guardian on the minor's behalf. Photo release consents for commercial use are sometimes counter-signed by the receiving party as well, but the core signature is the person giving consent.
Primary reference: Section 3A, IT Act 2000
Important note
Specific regulated consent forms (clinical trial ICF, organ donation, clinical establishment consent) follow sector-specific templates. This general format is a starting point, not a replacement for the regulator-approved template.
Essential clauses
- Full name, age, and address of the person giving consent
- If on behalf of a minor or dependent, name and relationship of the person on whose behalf consent is given
- Clear plain-language description of what is being consented to
- Statement that the risks, benefits, and alternatives have been explained
- Confirmation that the consent is voluntary and not obtained under pressure
- Scope of the consent (purpose, duration, geography, and any limits)
- Right to withdraw the consent later, where applicable
- Date and place of signing
- Signature of the person consenting
Ready to eSign your consent form?
Drop your PDF and get it signed with Aadhaar in 2 minutes. Just the person consenting = Rs. 15 per consent form.
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How to eSign online
- 1
Pick the right consent form variant
Choose between parental, medical, research, photo release, or data consent, depending on the use case. Draft the form with the specific details and export to PDF.
- 2
Upload the PDF to SignSetu
Drop the consent form into SignSetu. Add the person giving consent as the signer (or the parent, for a minor).
- 3
eSign with Aadhaar OTP
The signer enters their Aadhaar number and OTP, and the consent form is signed with verified identity and a trusted timestamp.