What the template contains
- Card front, worker block: photo box, worker name, worker or employee code, trade or skill category
- Card front, employer block: contractor (agency) name, logo, contract-labour licence number and licence validity
- Card front, deployment block: principal employer or client site name, site or gate-pass number, valid-from and valid-to dates
- Card front, safety block: blood group, emergency contact name and number
- Card back, social security block: UAN (EPF) and ESIC IP number
- Card back, service block: date of joining and issuing office
- Identity reference: government ID reference shown masked (last 4 digits only)
- Issuing block: issuing officer name and signature, agency address and helpline
- Card serial number and a return-if-found instruction
- Optional QR code linking to the worker's verification record
How to use it
- Fill the employer block once with your registered agency name, logo, current contract-labour licence number and licence validity, then save it as your master template.
- For each worker, capture a recent photo, name, worker code, trade or skill category, blood group and emergency contact.
- Complete the deployment block with the specific principal employer or client site, the site or gate-pass number, and valid-from and valid-to dates that match the deployment.
- On the back, record the worker's UAN, ESIC IP number and date of joining; print only the last 4 digits of any government ID, never the full number.
- Have the issuing officer sign, add the card serial and helpline, then print, laminate and hand it over.
- Never recover the card cost from the worker: no fee or commission may be charged to contract workers.
- Re-issue on a trade change, a site change or when your contract-labour licence is renewed, and collect and cancel the card when the worker exits.
Key fields and clauses
| Field or clause | What to put |
|---|---|
| Worker name and photo | Identifies the individual at the gate and in audit records. |
| Worker or employee code | Internal reference that ties the card to attendance and payroll. |
| Trade or skill category | States the work the person is deployed to perform. |
| Contractor name and logo | Names you, the licensed contractor, as the worker's employer. |
| Contract-labour licence number | Your licence under OSH Code Chapter XI; a separate licence applies per principal employer, so print the one for that site. |
| Principal employer or site | Names the exact client premises where the worker is deployed. |
| Valid-from and valid-to dates | Keeps the card tied to the live deployment period. |
| UAN (EPF) | The worker's portable EPF account number, evidence of PF coverage across employers. |
| ESIC IP number | The worker's insured-person number where ESI applies. |
| Blood group and emergency contact | Site-safety information needed in case of an accident. |
| Government ID reference (masked) | Last 4 digits only, so identity can be checked without exposing the full ID. |
| Issuing officer signature and card serial | Authenticates the card and lets you track issue, renewal and cancellation. |
Why this document matters
Contract labour in India is now governed by the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Chapter XI), which subsumed the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970. The labour codes came into force on 21 November 2025 and the Central Rules were notified on 8 May 2026. Under Chapter XI a contractor who supplies or engages contract labour must hold a licence (Section 47), and a separate licence applies for each principal employer. The ID card is a practical control that carries your licence number, the client site and the worker's identity on one document, so gate security, client HR and inspectors can confirm the worker belongs to a licensed contractor. It also records the worker's social security identifiers (UAN for EPF, ESIC number), which matters because the principal employer is a backstop for welfare and wages if the contractor defaults (Section 53 welfare facilities, Section 55 wage responsibility), and no fee or commission may be charged to the worker for it (Section 49). Note: the ID card is not itself a prescribed statutory form. Registration and licensing use forms notified under the rules, and the applicability threshold for the contract-labour provisions varies by state, so confirm the exact form numbers and threshold against your state's notified rules before relying on them.
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Get the templateCommon questions
Is a contract worker ID card legally mandatory?
There is no separate statutory ID-card form under the OSH Code, 2020. But because a contractor must be licensed under Chapter XI and a separate licence applies per principal employer, most client sites and audits expect a card that shows the worker's identity, your licence number and the deployment site. Treat it as a practical compliance and access-control document rather than a prescribed form, and confirm any site-specific or state-specific requirement.
Should we print the worker's Aadhaar or full ID number on the card?
No. Print only the last 4 digits of any government ID for verification and keep the full number in your records, not on a card the worker carries in public. Use the UAN and the ESIC number as the working identifiers for social security.
Can we recover the cost of the ID card from the worker's wages?
No. Under the contract-labour provisions of the OSH Code (Section 49) a contractor cannot charge any fee or commission, directly or indirectly, to a contract worker. Issue the card at your own cost and record it as a deployment expense.