Domicile Certificate – How to get a Domicile Certificate?

A domicile certificate, often referred to as a residence certificate is an official document that can be used to prove that a person is a resident of a particular State/Union Territory. Issued by the respective state government/UT administration, this piece of paper allows individuals to peacefully reside in their respective states thereby allowing them to use all the utilities provided by the government. Individuals from any caste, category or group can apply for this certificate. It is important to note that  a woman who gets married to a person who is a permanent resident of a particular state automatically becomes eligible to submit an application for a domicile certificate for the same state. A domicile certificate also plays a crucial role in availing benefits of the scholarship schemes implemented by the state governments.

Where and how can you apply for a domicile certificate? What is the application fee charged for a domicile certificate? By when can a candidate obtain the domicile certificate from the concerned authorities? The answers to all these questions are covered in detail in this article. 

Domicile Certificate – Providing Authorities

A domicile certificate is generally issued by the designated authorities of the State and Union Territories. It can be the Revenue Department Officer, Tehsildar Officer, District Magistrate, SDO, SDM or Circle Officer. Each state and UT has its concerned issuing authority for the domicile certificate. The table given below highlights the state-wise list of concerned providing authorities along with their processing time and application fee charged. 

State-Wise List of Providing Authorities for Domicile Certificate

S.No.	State	Providing Authority	Processing Time*	Application Fee#
1.	Andhra Pradesh	Mandal Revenue Officer	7 days	INR 10 to INR 35
2.	Arunachal Pradesh	Tehsildar Officer, Department of District Administration	Not specified	Not specified
3.	Assam	Concerned Office of the Circle Officer/Village Administrative Officer (VAO) and Revenue Officer	14 days	Not specified
4.	Bihar	Circle Officer/ Village Administrative Officer (VAO)/ Revenue Inspector	15 working days	Not specified
5.	Chhattisgarh	Sub-Divisional Magistrate/Tehsildar’s office/Revenue Department/District Collector’s Office	15 days	INR 30
6.	Goa	Deputy Collector/Sub-Divisional Officer	5 days	Not specified
7.	Gujarat	Tehsil/Revenue Office	15 working days	INR 20
8.	Haryana	SDM of the concerned Subdivision or Deputy Commissioner of the concerned district	7 working days	INR 30
9.	Himachal Pradesh	Concerned Revenue Officer or Tehsildar	15 working days	Not specified
10.	Jharkhand	Circle Officer or Tehsildar	15 working days	Not specified
11.	Karnataka	Deputy Tehsildar and Tehsildar	7 days	INR 25
12.	Kerala	Revenue Department Authorities or Tehsildar	5 to 15 days	Up to INR 28
13.	Madhya Pradesh	Circle Officer/ Village Administrative Office (VAO)/ Revenue Inspector (RI)	15 working days	Not specified
14.	Maharashtra	Tehsildar/ Sub-Divisional Officer/ Additional Collector	15 days	Not specified
15.	Manipur	Circle Officer/ Village Administrative Office (VAO)/ Revenue Inspector (RI)	15 working days	Not specified
16.	Meghalaya	Office of the Deputy Commissioner	15 working days	Not specified
17.	Mizoram	Office of the Deputy Commissioner	2 to 3 days	INR 30
18.	Nagaland	Office of the Commissioner Nagaland / District Administration / District Magistrate	10 to 15 days	Not specified
19.	Odisha	Tehsildar	15 days	Not specified
20.	Punjab	Tehsildar at Revenue Department Office	15 working days	Not specified
21.	Rajasthan	Respective Tehsil/Block/Revenue Office	15 days	INR 40
22.	Sikkim	Tehsildar at Revenue Department Office	15 working days	Not specified
23.	Tamil Nadu	Sub-Divisional Magistrate/Tehsildar Office/Revenue Department/District Collector Office	Not specified	INR 60
24.	Telangana	Tehsildar	7 days (for 1st time) and 15 minutes thereafter	INR 10
25.	Tripura	Sub-Divisional Magistrate	15 days	Up to INR 5
26.	Uttar Pradesh	District Magistrate Office	15 days	INR 10
27.	Uttarakhand	Respective Tehsildar or Block Office	15 working days	Not specified
28.	West Bengal	District Magistrate/Additional District Magistrate/ Deputy Magistrate/ Deputy Collector/ SDO/ BDO	3 working days	No fee required
29.	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Concerned Tehsildar Officer	10 days	INR 2
30.	Chandigarh	Deputy Commissioner Office	15 working days	Not specified
31.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	Mamlatdar office/Collector office	7 days	Not specified
32.	Daman and Diu	Mamlatdar office/Collector office	7 days	Not specified
33.	Delhi	Deputy Commissioner/ Sub-District Magistrate/ Sub-Divisional Magistrate	14 days	Not specified
34.	Jammu and Kashmir	Circle Officer/ Village Administrative Officer (VAO)/ Revenue Inspector (RI)	15 days	Not specified
35.	Ladakh	Revenue Department	Not specified	Not specified
36.	Lakshadweep	Deputy Collector/ SDO	Not specified	Not specified
37.	Puducherry	Registrar/Sub-Registrar/Assistant Sub-Registrar office	Not specified	Not specified

*The processing time mentioned above is tentative. It may change depending on the providing authority. 

#The application fee is subject to change as per the decision of the providing authority.

How to get a Domicile Certificate? – Stepwise Application Process

The applications for a domicile/resident certificate can be made both online and offline. However, with continuously evolving technology, the process has become simpler as most of the state issuing authorities have switched to the online mode of application. Each state has its respective portal through which the applications can be made online. However, there are still a  few states where offline applications are still preferred by the designated authorities. 

Online Application 

If you are willing to apply for a domicile certificate, you need to refer to the respective state’s portal. It essentially requires you to be a permanent resident of that particular state. The table below provides an insight into the state-wise portal through which you can apply for a domicile certificate online. To proceed with the application, the candidates need to create a login ID on the portal and complete the specified application requirements.  

State-Wise Online Application Detail for Income Certificate

S.No.	State	Where to apply?
1.	Andhra Pradesh	Apply through the MEESEVA app of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
2.	Arunachal Pradesh	Apply through Arunachal eServices portal of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh.
3.	Assam	Apply through e-District services of Assam state portal.
4.	Bihar	Apply through RTPS portal of Bihar Government.
5.	Chhattisgarh	Apply through the e-district portal of Chhattisgarh state.
6.	Goa	Apply through Goa Online portal.
7.	Gujarat	Apply through the Digital Gujarat portal.
8.	Haryana	Apply through the e-Disha portal of Haryana.
9.	Himachal Pradesh	Apply online through Himachal Online Seva (e-District) portal.
10.	Jharkhand	Apply online through Jharkhand e-District (JharSewa) portal.
11.	Karnataka	Apply online through the official website of Nadakacheri AJSK.
12.	Kerala	Apply online through Akshaya portal of the Government of Kerala.
13.	Madhya Pradesh	Apply online through MP e-District portal.
14.	Maharashtra	Apply online through Aaple Sarkar portal of the Government of Maharashtra.
15.	Manipur	Apply through the e-District portal of Manipur.
16.	Meghalaya	Apply through the e-District portal of Meghalaya.
17.	Mizoram	Apply through the e-District portal of Mizoram.
18.	Nagaland	Apply through the e-District portal of Nagaland.
19.	Odisha	Apply through the e-District portal of Odisha.
20.	Punjab	Apply through the state portal of Punjab.
21.	Rajasthan	Apply through e-Mitra portal of the Government of Rajasthan.
22.	Sikkim	Apply through the e-Services portal of Sikkim.
23.	Tamil Nadu	Apply through the Tamil Nadu e-Sevai center.
24.	Telangana	Apply through the MeeSeva portal of the Government of Telangana.
25.	Tripura	Apply through e-District portal of Tripura.
26.	Uttar Pradesh	Apply through e-Saathi web portal or mobile app.
27.	Uttarakhand	Apply through the e-District portal of Uttarakhand.
28.	West Bengal	Apply through West Bengal e-District portal.
29.	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Apply through official portal of Andaman & Nicobar Administration.
30.	Chandigarh	Apply through Sampark portal of Chandigarh.
31.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	Apply through the official portal of Dadra and Nagar Haveli Administration.
32.	Daman and Diu	Apply through the official portal of Daman and Diu Administration.
33.	Delhi	Apply through e-District portal of Delhi.
34.	Jammu and Kashmir	Apply through the revenue department of Jammu and Kashmir.
35.	Ladakh	Not applicable
36.	Lakshadweep	Not applicable
37.	Puducherry	Apply through e-District portal of Puducherry.

While applying online, there is a provision to download the e-certificate as well. The applicants can check the status of the application from the portal and download the e-certificate as it gets verified.

Offline Application

Despite the availability of the online application, the candidates can prefer to apply for a domicile/resident certificate offline through the concerned state administration. The individuals who wish to obtain a domicile certificate offline can apply through one of the following concerned authorities –

• Tehsildar Office
• Revenue Office
• Collector/ Deputy Collector Office
• SDM Office
• District Magistrate Office
• Mamlatdar Office
• Citizen Service Corners (CSC)
• Registrar/ Sub-Registrar Office

Domicile Certificate – Key Documents Required

While applying for a domicile certificate, the candidates need to support their application with certain documents related to their identity, address and age. The list of documents required by each state administration may vary. However, the commonly asked documents for getting a domicile certificate include –

1. Identity Proof such as

• Aadhaar Card
• Voter ID Card
• PAN card
• Passport
• Driving License
• Ration Card
• Any other government-recognized document

2. Residence Proof (to prove the applicant’s continuous stay for 3 years) such as

• Aadhaar Card
• Bank Passbook
• Voter ID Card
• Electricity Bill
• Passport
• Telephone bill (postpaid or landline)
• Ration Card
• Rent Agreement
• Driving License
• Any other government-recognized document

3. Passport-sized photograph of the applicant

4. Self-declaration form along with the application form

5. Proof of date of birth

• Passport
• Voter ID card
• School leaving certificate
• Birth certificate

6. An affidavit from tehsil or court 

 

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Domicile Certificate – FAQs

Below is a compilation of some frequently asked questions on ‘How to get a domicile certificate?’ along with their answers. 

Q. Who can apply for a domicile certificate? 

An individual who is living or whose parents are permanent residents  of a particular state for more than 3 years can apply for a domicile certificate. This duration of residence may vary from state to state. 

Q. How can a candidate get a domicile certificate online? 

In order to get a domicile certificate online, the candidates have to visit their respective state’s portals and follow the procedure as specified. 

Q. Who can issue a domicile certificate? 

A domicile certificate can be issued by the respective state/UT authorities such as Tehsildar, Revenue Office, SDM, Collector Office, Deputy Collector Office, District Magistrate Office, etc. 

Q. Where can a domicile certificate be used? 

A domicile certificate can be useful for following purposes –

• Availing benefits of state implemented scholarship schemes
• Obtain reservation benefits in government jobs or educational institutes under resident quota
• Availing loans 

Q. Can Aadhaar Card be used in place of a domicile certificate? 

No, an Aadhaar Card cannot be used as a domicile certificate as it is basically an identity proof and not a residence proof. 

Q. What is the validity of a domicile certificate? 

Generally, a domicile or resident certificate has life-long validity. However, some state authorities have restricted its validity depending on the purpose for which it has been asked for. The minimum validity of a domicile certificate can be 6 months.  

Q. What is the application fee charged for a domicile certificate? 

The application fees charged for a domicile certificate also varies from state to state. While some states do not charge any fee from the candidates, the other states may charge from INR 2 to INR 60.