How to Apply For Caste Certificate Online, Offline, Validity Certificate – Your Complete Guide

A Caste Certificate is the proof of one's belonging to a particular caste, especially in case one belongs to any of the 'Scheduled Castes', as specified in the Indian Constitution. Caste certificate is important for each and every individual in India, and at the same time, you cannot apply for caste certificate online in all states. Few of the state government and district administration bodies don't wish to issue/support an online application in order to get caste Certificate.

There is one more misconception in this regard, please note that caste certificate and caste validity are NOT same. Yes, Caste Certificate is a document which states your caste, while Cast Validity certificate validates your caste certificate. Basically it is a proof that your caste certificate is not dubious or inaccurate.

Procedure to apply for Caste Certificate Online:

At present only few of the state governments only offer an online application to apply for caste certificate. In order to apply caste certificate online you should visit the respective state's Official Backward Class Welfare Department portal and follow the below procedure:

• Visit your state's Backward Class Welfare Portal. Department names can be different as per each state.
• Click on link "Apply for Caste Certificate Online"
• Create a new account in the portal or you can fill online application form directly.
• After creating the account log in into the portal using the username and password
• Fill the details in online form such as address, contact details, personal details, local reference details etc...
• Verify all the details you have filled in the online form and if you agree with terms and condition click submit button.
• Once you submitted you are supposed to click the type of document you are uploading for proof
• Upload the scanned copies of documents and click on "Submit" button
• Once submitted, then you will get an acknowledgement slip along with the application number.
• You can take a print out of the acknowledgement slip or save it offline. Also save the application number in order to check the application status.
• After the verification is done successfully, you can directly download the caste certificate from the portal itself.
• You may also get email / SMS once the process is done.

Meanwhile, you can check the status online from the same portal. On the same portal click on "Check Caste Certificate Status" link. You need an application number for that.

Steps to apply for Caste Certificate Offline:

In order to get the caste certificate offline you need to visit the nearby Tehsil Office, Revenue Office, SDM Office or CSC / SETU centers. Below are the steps to follow to apply for caste certificate offline.

• Visit Tehsil or SDM office (nearby your location)
• Get the application form for caste certificate and fill the details like address, personal and contact information
• In caste detail section you need to fill the caste certificate details of your father. If he is no more, then you need to provide your blood relatives caste certificate / documents.
• Then tick mark the caste option you are applying for.
• If you have migrated from another state then you must specify that in the form
• Then you need to fill and sign the self-declaration part
• In the application form, paste your passport size photo and submit local reference for verification process.

Once you filled the application form, then submit the original form along with required self-attested documents to the officer. Always keep the original documents with you for further verifications from officers. In General, it will take 30-35 days of time to get the caste certificate from the office.

Documents Required For Caste Certificate:

Following are the documents required for caste certificate. These documents are common for all type of castes like SC, SC, OBC, VJ, NT,SBC & ESBC. You have to submit the additional proof documents in a special case like if you are married women if you are migrated from one state to another or you have done the religious conversion.

Compulsory Documents Required for Caste Certificate:

1. Identity Proof

• Aadhaar Card
• Driving License
• Voter ID
• Passport
• PAN Card
• RSBY Card
• MNREGA Card

2. Address Proof

• Aadhaar Card
• Voter ID
• Driving License
• Passport
• Electricity Bill
• Water Bill
• Telephone Bill
• Ration Card
• 7/12 Extract
• Rent Receipt

3. Affidavit for Caste Certificate
4. Proof of Caste of Self or Blood Relative

• Extract of Primary School Register of applicant or father or grandfather
• Or, Primary School Leaving Certificate of applicant or his father
• Extract of Birth Register of applicant or father or relative
• An extract of Government Service Record (book) mentioning caste/community category of applicant's father or relative.
• Document certifying caste issued by department of social justice
• Validity Certificate if any of father or relative which is issued by scrutiny committee
• Copy of revenue records or village panchayat record
• Documentary evidence in regard to the caste and ordinary place of residence prior to the date of notification of the caste
• Other relevant documentary evidence issued by competent authority

Additional Proof For Caste Certificate:

There are few special cases where you need to submit the additional proof of documents. Below we have listed all the documents required in each scenario.

Case:1: Dont have father's Caste Certificate: In this case you need to submit all the caste certificate documents of your blood relative.

Case:2: Married Women: If you are applying for caste certificate after your marriage then you need to submit the caste proof before marriage and the marriage certificate. In case if you have changed your name after marriage then provide Name Change Notification in Gazette.

Case:3: Religion Conversion: If you have converted your religion then you need to proof of caste before conversion.

Case 4: Migration from Other State or District: If you have migrated from other state or district then you need to provide father's caste proof issued by a state or district from which you have migrated.

Apply for Caste validity certificate:

1. Visit Tehsil or SDM office and ask for caste validity certificate application form.

2. Fill in the form correctly and submit it to the officer.

3. It may take a month for the certificate.

When do you need Caste Certificate?

• School admissions
• College admissions
• Competitive examinations
• Scholarships
• Employment in reserved category
• Government subsidies
• Housing and self-employment schemes
• Allotment of house sites
• Assignment (grant) of land
• Election (as candidate)

How to Apply for Central Caste Certificate:

There is no major difference between the steps for applying central caste certificate and caste certificate. It is very clear that the only difference is that there is a "specific format" for central caste Certificate. Check an example here from gate.iisc.ernet.in.

You should approach the respective institution where you will get the central caste certificate. They will have a specific format for central caste certificate which they use to upload online to make easy download. You need to download the central caste certificate template and fill all the details needed. After filling the details visit tehsil or SDM office where you got your certificate. Please note that there can separate central caste certificate template for OBC, SC, ST and NT.

Advantages of Caste Certificate:

If you have proper caste certificate, then you will get all the advantages of it. Whether you are from SC, ST, OBC, NT, VJ or another caste community, your caste certificate will allow you to enjoy the reservations in school, college, university and job. Also, with the help of this caste certificate you can get scholarship from government sectors, educational loans etc.