Bonafide certificate format for school students.

What a bonafide certificate says

A bonafide certificate confirms that a student is genuinely on the school's rolls. We found no board or government document that prescribes one format for schools. What matters is that every line can be checked against your admission register.

This template has:

• a certificate number under the letterhead;
• the student's name, father's or guardian's name, mother's name and admission number;
• the class and section, and the academic year the student is on the rolls for;
• the date of birth as recorded in the admission register, in figures and in words;
• the purpose it's issued for;
• a line saying the details are as recorded in the admission register;
• the place and date, and the principal's signature and seal.

Leave out anything your records can't back up, such as a home address you haven't verified.

CBSE's rules for certificates schools issue

CBSE's circular of 4 February 2020 covers certificates that schools give students "for the purpose of employment or obtaining any type of government concessions viz. student tours or Railway journeys etc." It says CBSE won't countersign them, since it doesn't hold the original information. Its steps for the principal or head of school are:

• issue the certificate on the official school letterhead only, and sign it;
• have the letterhead carry, below the school's name and address, the words "Affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education, Affiliation No.";
• use the school's name and address as they appear in CBSE's records;
• get it countersigned only if that's required, and then by the Manager, Secretary or a Member of the School Managing Committee;
• where the certificate is on a prescribed format, make sure the stamp and seal carry the affiliation details;
• keep a record of such cases. A copy can also be sent straight to the authority concerned.

The same circular says any other certificate based on information in the school is issued by the principal or head with no CBSE countersignature, and that all such certificates are also to be uploaded on the school website. CBSE's reminder of 31 October 2025 repeats the upload instruction.

The template's letterhead has a plain "Affiliation No." line, since not every school is with CBSE. If yours is, change it in the Word file to the wording above.

For Aadhaar, use UIDAI's form

When a parent asks for a bonafide certificate "for Aadhaar", a letter on your letterhead isn't what UIDAI lists. UIDAI's list of acceptable documents accepts a certificate from a "Recognised educational institution (signed by the Head of Institute, only for the institute students concerned)", but only on the UIDAI Standard Certificate format, and only as proof of address.

• New enrolment: it's in List III, for people aged 18 and above. List II, for ages 5 to 17, has no school certificate row.
• Updating an existing Aadhaar: it's in List IV, which covers Aadhaar holders of any age.

The standard certificate is printed on plain A4 paper and doesn't need a letterhead. It's filled in block letters and is valid for 3 months from the date of issue. It carries a recent 35 mm by 45 mm colour photograph, cross-signed and cross-stamped by the head of the institution. Download the current form from UIDAI rather than retyping it.

Numbering and records

CBSE's 2020 circular asks schools to keep a record of such certificates. Give each one a number from a series, such as BC/2026-27/014 in the example, and keep an office copy or a register line with the number, date, student and purpose. That's what you'll need when someone calls to check a certificate.

How to issue a bonafide certificate

1. Check the register. Confirm the student is on the rolls for the current year, and copy the details from the admission register.
2. Number and date it. Give the certificate the next number in your series and today's date.
3. Write the purpose. Say what it's for, such as a railway concession for a school tour.
4. Sign and seal. The principal or head of school signs it on the letterhead, and the school seal goes on.
5. Keep the record. Note the number, date, student and purpose in your register, and keep a copy.

Sources

We read each of these on 21 October 2026. Rules change, so check the latest circular before you rely on a detail.

1. Certificates based on school information to be issued by Principals/Head of schools only - no countersign required, CBSE, COORD/PR UNIT/2020, 4 February 2020.
2. Reminder of the practice of countersigning of the Transfer Certificates and mandatory uploading of scanned copy of T.C., CBSE, CBSE/Coord/Countersignature/2025, 31 October 2025.
3. List of Acceptable Documents for Enrolment and Update, with the Certificate for Aadhaar Enrolment/Update, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).