How do I apply for extension after 15 years in PPF?

A PPF account holder need not withdraw all the amount from his account after completing 15 years. He can continue the same without making any deposits also. The amount that is available in the account will earn interest as per the rates in force at that time. You can withdraw your amount partially and can continue your account. If there is no deposit for a period of one year after completing 15 years. You will not be allowed to make any further deposits. If you want to continue depositing you should extend it after completing 15 years but before completing the 16th year.
If the account holder wants to continue the account by depositing amounts, the same should be informed to the bank before the expiry of the due date which is the date of the 16th year of completion. The account can be extended with a fresh deposit in the 16th year. The account can be extended for a block of 5 years. The account can be extended for one or more blocks of 5 years. There is no provision for short closing the account after extending the period.
After extending further, you can withdraw up to 60% of your deposits one time in a block of 5 years. You can withdraw once in 5 years or once in a year. But the total amount allowed is 60% of the amount that is available in your account at the time of extension.

The tenure of PPF account is for 15 years and the account holder is getting the interest for his deposit as decided by the authorities. At the end of 15 years, the principal amount along with interest returnable to the depositors. However the existing rule states that even after the lapse of the said period of 15 years, the depositors can extend it further for additional 5 years and can enjoy the benefits of rate of interest applicable to the beneficiaries as a result of their accumulated deposits. There is no restriction if there is the request for the partial withdrawal of the their principal amount on their request after the term of 15 years.
The request for the extension of the deposit for the additional 15 years would be entertained subject to the condition that it is made within the grace period of a year signifying that in no case request is being made after the lapse of 15 years since its operation.
The partial withdrawal of your basic principal amount in case of extension of the period for five years should not exceed more than 60% of the standing amount of the depositors. If the depositor wants to have the partial withdrawal on yearly basis after the expiry of the term of 15 years, they can do so yearly basis for the extended term of five year but they need to ensure that total sum of the withdrawal should not exceed beyond 60% of the accumulated amount of the principal.

You have asked about how to apply for an extension for your PPF account after completing the 15-year period of investment. Well, it is quite simple. You need to visit the branch of your Bank where you opened the PPF account and put in a request to extend it. Inquire whether you need to fill in a specific form to do so. For example, for SBI customers, the bank has provided Form-H in pdf format that you can download, fill up, and submit at the branch. Those with a Net Banking facility may have the option to extend it online, but sometimes due to technical glitches, you may not be successful in using this option.

A few suggestions- If you do have the online option to put in the request for an extension for the PPF account, then it is advisable to follow up with the Bank's branch either in person or via email and confirm that the extension has indeed been granted. Secondly, when visiting the Bank, request them to write on the blank space on the inside of the front cover/back cover (if these are empty) to note down the year when the extension, too, will mature. This is what I do as it is an easy way to keep track of the five-year blocks that you are allowed for the extension so that you can then extend it again.

I read online somewhere that a PPF account will be automatically renewed for a further period of five years once it matures, but I personally do not know if this is correct information. I have visited the bank where I have a PPF account and taken an extension twice, but frankly, I just cannot recall whether or not I filled in a form for it or they checked on their computer and entered in the request directly.

The primary period of PPF scheme is 15 years. After that there is a provision of extension for 5 years after which it can be again extended for 5 years and so on (there is no time limit as such).
There is a form available in the bank which can be filled by the PPF subscriber and has to be submitted in the bank. If the person is not able to visit the bank branch then one can send it through email also in the bank's email. The form can be downloaded from the bank website. Those who are having their PPF account in Post Office have to visit there and submit the form or apply for the extension by making a simple application.