Photo by Athul Krishna on Unsplash Before you apply for any personal loan in India, the lender already knows whether they'll approve you within 30 seconds of seeing your details. The criteria aren't a secret — they're just rarely explained in one place. This guide pulls together the actual numbers banks, NBFCs, and loan apps use in 2026 for income, credit score, age, and documents, so you can self-check before you apply. The Eligibility Snapshot Most lenders run your application through five filters in this order: Income — minimum monthly salary or business income Credit score — your CIBIL or other bureau record Age — usually 21 to 60 Employment stability — current job tenure or business vintage Documents — proof of all of the above Get all five right, and approval is fast. Miss even one cleanly, and the application either gets rejected or downsized to a smaller offer. Here's what each filter actually looks for in 2026. Quick Take: The faste...