Domicile Certificate

What is Domicile?

As per the Cambridge English dictionary, domicile means the place where a person lives and legally a domicile is a status or attribution of being a lawful permanent resident of a particular jurisdiction, unless displayed an intention to leave it permanently.

Domicile Certificate - State Polices, Eligibility & Requirements

In India, a domicile of origin is the one with which the person is born and can only be changed as a result of adoption and marriage. A domicile certificate, also called as residence certificate is a proof of the residence of a person. It is issued by a state government. In other words, a domicile certificate is generally issued to prove that the person holding the certificate is a domicile or resident of a particular state or union territory by which the certificate is being issue and can be made only in one State or Union Territory and obtaining the same for more than one State/UT is an offence.

Domicile Certificate Requirements

It is generally required as proof of residence in order to avail certain domicile or resident quotas in educational institutions and in the government service, especially where the local residents are preferred. A woman is entitled to get the domicile certificate of a state or the union territory as per the domicile certificate of her husband, even if she originally doesn’t belong to that particular state or union territory. A domicile certificate not only prove the residence status of a person but also makes him eligible to avail various benefits based on his or her domicile such as education, job and other benefits such as resident quotas in the government service and educational institutions.

In general, a domicile certificate is required or can be used as mentioned below:

As a proof of residence
It is required by certain institutions to give loan
To avail the resident quota reservation in educational institutes
To avail the resident quota reservation in government services

Documents Requirements For Domicile Certificate

As mentioned above, a domicile certificate is issued as per the State or Union Territory as per its rules and regulations and the applicant has to submit the relevant documents in order to obtain a domicile certificate. Although list of documents may vary depending on the State or Union Territory, general list of documents for obtaining the domicile certificate is as below:

Residence proof such as ration card or driving license.
Age proof such as birth certificate, school certificate (Class 10th Admit Card) etc.
Passport size photographs
Identity proof such as Aadhar Card, Pan Card etc
Self-declaration form
Duly filled application form
Attested photocopies of all documents
Affidavit from court or tahsil
Marriage certificate, in case the wife would like to change her domicile to her husband’s domicile

Domicile Certificate Application Forms

As mentioned above, since the jurisdiction to issue a domicile certificate lies within the State or the Union Territory, one can get the application forms either from the local authorities i.e. Tahsildar’s office or Sub-Divisional Magistrate or District Collector’s office or Revenue department or any other authorized authority in the State/UT or by submitting the application online. However, irrespective of which State or Union Territory you want to get the domicile certificate of, you need to submit an affidavit either from a court or tahsil to apply for the domicile certificate. The affidavit for the domicile certificate should contain the mandatory details as listed below:

Basic details of the deponent – name, age and address.
Name and details of the father or the spouse, in case where the deponent is a married woman and not a permanent resident of the state in which she wants to claim domicile certificate.
Exact period of stay in the mentioned address in months and years.
A declaration of applicant stating that the information stated in the affidavit and other supporting documents are true and genuine.
Reason for which the domicile certificate is required.
Signature of the deponent.
Date on which the affidavit is made.

One of the most common misconception about domicile certificate is that one can show his or her Aadhar card as a domicile certificate, whereas in reality, Aadhar card is just an identification card which you can’t even use to prove your citizenship. However, you can use your 10th and 12th certificate to prove your domicile, but if you have done your 10th from one state and 12th from another, you would need a duly signed by the concerned authority i.e. the District Magistrate of your district in order to confirm your domicile status.

Domicile Certificate State Polices and Requirements

Every state has its own set of polices and requirements when it comes to giving a domicile certificate. For example;

Maharashtra: If you want to get the domicile certificate of Maharashtra, you need to prove that you are staying the state for at least 15 years, if not more. As per the Maharashtra State Government, you can obtain domicile certificate by furnishing the following documents:
1. Identity proof
2. Self-declaration form
3. Residence proof such as ration card or driving license.
4. An affidavit from tehsil or court
5. Self-declaration form
6. Photographs
7. Photocopies of all documents duly attested by a government official.
Once your documents are in place, you can avail domicile certificate of Maharashtra by following below mentioned steps:
1. Obtain the application form either online or from the office of Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office, Tehsildar’s office or District collector’s office.
2. Fill in the details as per the form
3. Submit the application form along with the essential documents at the Setu Centre of Maharashtra.
4. Fee for the same is 50 Rs and once you have submitted the same at the centre; you will receive the domicile certificate within 30 working days.
5. Domicile certificate has lifetime validity.
6. In case of any query, you can approach any of the following offices:
  1. Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office
  2. Tehsildar’s office
  3. District collector’s office
Odisha: In order to avail the domicile certificate of Odisha, one must fulfill following eligibility criteria:
1. You must be a permanent resident of the town or village for a period of at least one year continuously.
2. You would have to produce a copy of Record of Rights of the residential plot owned either by him or parents or ancestors.
3. If the applicant is a woman belonging to another state, she is eligible if married to a permanent resident of the applying state.
If you fit in the above mentioned eligibility criteria laid down by the Odisha State Government, you have to submit following documents along with duly filled application form:
1. Copy of Record of Rights (ROR).
2. Identity proof i.e. Aadhar Card/Voter ID/Pan Card/Passport.
3. Residence proof i.e.Rent agreement/Bank passbook/Electricity bill/Telephone bill.
4. EPIC
5. Land passbook
6. Proof of age i.e. Educational certificate/driving license.
Unlike Maharashtra domicile certificate, validity of Odisha domicile is for one year from the date it is issued. You can apply for the certificate both offline and online.

Offline Application: You can visit any nearby district center and obtain the application form by paying the applicable fee of Rs 65. Once you have submitted the application form, you can keep a track of your application by contacting on the toll free number – 1800 345 6770/ 155335.

Online Application: In order to apply for the Odisha domicile certificate, you need to follow the below mentioned steps:
- Visit the official website www.edistrictorissa.gov.in
- Click on the “Application Forms” from the links available on the home page.
- Click on the “Issuance of Residence Certificate from the list of certificates after which the required application form will be displayed.
- Fill out the form with the required details such as:
- Upload the relevant documents in the specified format.
- Click on “Submit” button to submit your application form and supporting documents.
- Once your application form is submitted, you will get an application slip and application number to track the status of the application.
Chandigarh: Chandigarh is a Union Territory and has its own rules and regulations when it comes to domicile certificate. If you want to avail the domicile certificate of Chandigarh, you must conform on the below mentioned eligibility criteria:
- You should be a resident of Chandigarh for the past 3 years.
- You must own a house or property or land in Chandigarh.
- Your name must be in the voter list.
- If the applicant is minor, the document is issued based on their parent’s residence.

If you fit in the above mentioned eligibility criteria, you can avail the domicile certificate of Chandigarh by submitting the duly filled application form along with the supporting documents:

Address Proof such as Voter ID/Passport/Electricity Bill/Ration Card/Telephone Bill/Driving License.
Identity Proof such as PAN Card/Photo proof of any document issued by the government or Identity proof issued by an approved educational institution or Government photo cards/any card issued by Public Sector Undertakings.
Proof needed in the Service Attachment i.e. Pacnhnamu /Certificate of Talati / Domicile by birth/ Last ten years residence proof.

Once issued, domicile certificate of Chandigarh is valid for lifetime.