Bennisha

Expert

Published on: Jun 24, 2026

Community Certificate Tamilnadu

Community certificate is an important document issued by the Revenue Department to certify that a person belongs to a particular reserved community like Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes. The Community certificate issued by the concerned State Governments is also known as

caste certificate. Community certificate is mandatory for obtaining benefits in education and employment sectors from the Government. In this article, we look at the procedure for securing community certificate in Tamilnadu.

Eligibility

The following are the eligibility criteria for a person to apply for a community certificate:

  • The applicant should belong to any reserved category such as Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or Other Backward Classes
  • The applicant should be an Indian citizen
  • The applicant should be residing in Tamilnadu
  • The applicant should have completed 3 years of age

Documents Required

The following documents are necessary to apply for a Community Certificate:

  • Filled application of the Community Certificate
  • Parents' identity proof and an affidavit stating the applicant's name, father's name, address, and community; if the particular applicant is a minor
  • Address Proof
  • Ration Card
  • Proof for the age of the applicant
  • Caste Certificate of the parents
  • Aadhar Card

How to Apply

The applicant can apply for the Community Certificates either online or offline. To apply online, the applicant has to approach the e-service centres or CSC (Common Service Centres). The e-services centres are located in the municipality offices or the Tahsildar's offices. The Community Certificate application is below for reference:

An alternate way of applying for a Community Certificate is for the applicant to approach the nearest local ward offices. While applying for the community certificate, it is compulsory to carry the required documents. After entering all the details using the required documents, the Tahsildar or the Deputy Tahsildar will issue the certificate.

Issuing Community Certificate

The community of a person is determined based on the documents that are registered, community certificates of the parents, school certificates of the applicant, open inquiries made by the members of the local body, verification of their residence, personal inquiry of the applicant, etc. There is an exception in issuing a Community Certificate for Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. The Taluk and Panchayat Union Offices, as well as the Panchayat and Chavadi in the village, will publish the certificates belonging to these people on notice board. This happens before the inquiry, ensuring that there are no objections against the applicants. The issuance of certificates will be within 15 days, and the Scheduled Tribe certificates will take 30 days. Once received, the certificate would be valid for the lifetime.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Community Certificate Tamilnadu: Eligibility & Application Process.

A Community Certificate is an important document issued by the Revenue Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It certifies that a person belongs to a particular reserved community such as Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or Other Backward Classes.
A Community Certificate is mandatory for obtaining benefits in the education and employment sectors from the Government. It is required to avail reservations and other schemes meant for reserved categories.
To apply for a Community Certificate in Tamil Nadu, the applicant must belong to a reserved category (Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or Other Backward Classes), be an Indian citizen, and be residing in Tamil Nadu. Additionally, the applicant must have completed 3 years of age.
The required documents include a filled application form, parents' identity proof and affidavit, address proof, ration card, age proof of the applicant, caste certificate of the parents, and Aadhaar card.
An applicant can apply for a Community Certificate either online through e-service centers or Common Service Centers (CSCs), or offline by visiting the nearest local ward office or Tahsildar's office.
The community of an applicant is determined based on registered documents, community certificates of the parents, school certificates of the applicant, open inquiries made by local body members, verification of residence, and personal inquiry of the applicant.
Yes, there is a special process for issuing Community Certificates to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes. Before the inquiry, the Taluk, Panchayat Union Offices, Panchayat, and Chavadi in the village publish the certificates on a notice board to ensure there are no objections against the applicants.
The issuance of Community Certificates for general categories takes within 15 days, while for Scheduled Tribes, it takes 30 days from the date of application.
Yes, once obtained, the Community Certificate is valid for the lifetime of the holder.
Yes, an applicant can apply for a Community Certificate online through e-service centers or Common Service Centers (CSCs) located in municipality offices or Tahsildar's offices.