With the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026 Session 1 scheduled to commence from January 21, 2026, lakhs of aspiring engineering students across India are eagerly awaiting the release of their exam city intimation slip. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is expected to issue this crucial document in the first week of January, allowing candidates to know their allotted test city well in advance of the actual exam dates.
JEE Main City Slip 2026: Expected Timeline and Download Process
Based on consistent patterns from previous years, the JEE Main 2026 city intimation slip for Session 1 is highly likely to be released in the first half of January. Once announced, candidates can download it exclusively from the official JEE Main website at jeemain.nta.nic.in. To access the slip, aspirants will need to log in using their registered application number and date of birth.
The city intimation slip will provide initial details, including the candidate's allotted exam city, specific exam date, and shift (morning or afternoon). It is important to note that the complete address of the exact examination centre will be provided later, along with the final JEE Main 2026 admit card.
Analyzing the Release Pattern: A 5-Year Trend for JEE Main
A close look at the NTA's release schedule for the past five years reveals a fairly predictable trend for the January session, barring the exceptional disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For JEE Main 2025 Session 1, the city slip was released on January 6, 2025, approximately 16 days before exams began on January 22. The previous year, for JEE Main 2024, the slip was issued on January 12, 2024, about 12 days ahead of the January 24 exam start. Going back to 2023, NTA released the intimation on January 18, just six days before the Session 1 tests commenced on January 24.
The years 2021 and 2022 witnessed significant deviations from this pattern due to widespread postponements and rescheduling caused by the pandemic and overlaps with board examinations. In 2022, the revised Session 1 city slip came out on June 14 for exams starting June 23. In 2021, it was released on February 11 for exams beginning February 23.
Key Takeaways for 2026 Aspirants
The historical data strongly suggests that for a normally scheduled January session, the NTA typically releases the city intimation slip one to two weeks before the examination window opens. Applying this trend to JEE Main 2026, which starts on January 21, candidates can confidently expect the slip to be available by mid-January 2026 at the latest, and potentially in the first week itself.
This advance notice is crucial for students to make necessary travel and accommodation arrangements if their allotted exam city is different from their hometown. Candidates are advised to keep their application number and date of birth handy and to regularly check the official NTA website for the latest updates to avoid any last-minute hassles.
