Knowing the basics of a Domicile Certificate:
A domicile certificate is a proof of residence certifying that you are a native of that place and that you are living there and calling it your home for a long time. Domicile Certificate is an essential document needed to establish your identity as a local resident and avail services offered by the government to people from a specific geographical location. Domicile certificate grants you the title of a citizen of that locality or state and even a proof of your nationality as an Indian National. Domicile Certificate is issued by State Governments through local authorities (Tahsildar) and is used as a proof of residence. What is Domicile Certificate
Uses and Applications of a Domicile Certificate:
This Certificate is used to avail domicile quota in educational institutions, which have reservations under State Domicile Quota as a privilege and priority to people from a geographical area the same as the institution. These quotas give priority to residents and domicile certificates are a must to avail them.
Domicile certificates are also required when filing for government services to establish your identity as a legal Indian citizen. Domicile certificate is not your identity per se but is a supporting document that concurs your identity and adds validation to your identification certificates. Domicile Certificates are needed to be registered as a voter in a constituency and place your name on the voter list. Several Govt. services like Aadhar, Ration Card, Job Card all need you to present a proof of residence, i.e. a domicile certificate.
A domicile certificate is an essential document to determine your identity as a resident and to apply for several government-issued certificates and Ids. Passports applications require you to file your domicile certificate so that the authorities could verify your residence and application. Before Aadhar came into the picture, almost every application for a Govt. service or educational institution needed you to furnish a certificate of local residence and domicile certificate was the only accepted document. Even after Aadhar, you still need a copy of your domicile certificate to get your Aadhar made.
Applying for a Domicile Certificate:
To apply for a Domicile Certificate you can get the prescribed forms online or get them from local authorities such as S.D. M/ Tahsildar’s office/ Revenue Department/ District Collector’s Office or any other authority as directed by the State Government. It requires you to produce proof of continuous residence for the prescribed minimum period as notified by the State Govt. or any such proofs required under specific local laws of your state. You may also need to produce documents determining your identity and the documents and forms <> must be attested by competent officers and school certificates may also be required. Women are eligible to apply for domicile certificate if they have a different domicile than that of their husband.
You must take note that a person can only have the domicile of a single state or union territory, and may apply to local authorities if he wants to forgo his previous domicile and apply for a new one but in no circumstances is a person allowed to have multiple domiciles at the same time.
Required Form:
The application form for obtaining a Domicile Certificate can be downloaded from here. This is the form that has to be filled up and submitted to the authorities for further action.
