Bonafide Certificate - Introduction, Application and Format

A bonafide certificate is an official document issued by an educational institution or an organisation to confirm that a person is genuinely associated with it. It is commonly issued to students and employees. A bonafide certificate serves as valid proof of identity and association for various academic, financial, and administrative purposes.

Key Highlights

• A bonafide certificate is required to apply for loans, open bank accounts, apply for passport or visa extension, etc.
• Application for bonafide certificate can be made to the office of an institution or the head of an organisation.
• It takes around 10-15 days to receive a bonafide certificate after its application.

What is Bonafide Certificate Meaning?

The word ‘Bonafide’ means ‘in good faith’. It is a certificate of evidence showing that an individual belongs to a particular course or class of an institute, school or college for a specific period. It is a reliable identification document issued by a college or employer. 

The contents of the bonafide certificate vary as per the different purposes it is required for by an employee or a student. Thus, its format varies for students and employees.

• For students: The bonafide certificate is a document issued by a recognised academic institution attesting the fact that an individual is enrolled in that institution’s programme and seeking the mentioned degree. It is a legitimate certificate that students can use to get admission to a different college, school or university. 
• For employees: An employee can also obtain a bonafide certificate from the employer. The bonafide certificate issued by the employer indicates that the employee is working with the employer. 

Bonafide certificates are acceptable as supporting evidence when applying for visas, requesting financial aid, etc. They confirm and validate the identity of students or employees, making them able to claim specific advantages.

Bonafide Certificate PDF Download

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Importance of Bonafide Certificate

A bonafide certificate serves as a proof of evidence for a student or employee that they are studying or working in a particular institute or organisation, respectively. Usually, schools, colleges or companies will be able to issue it in 10- 15 days.

• A student might require a bonafide certificate for various purposes, such as getting a bus or metro pass, getting an educational loan, getting a membership of a public library, applying for passport or visa extension, visiting an industry for a project, attending a seminar, conference or workshop in other colleges, etc. 
• Similarly, a bonafide certificate may be required by employees at any stage of their career for getting loans, opening bank accounts, while changing jobs, attending an official seminar or conference, etc. 

Different Types of Bonafide Certificates

These are the types of bonafide certificates issued:

Based on Recipient

These are the types of bonafide certificates issued based on their uses:

For students

• Universities and colleges issue bonafide certificates to their students verifying the fact that they are bonafide or real students enrolled in their educational institutions. 
• Student details, such as roll numbers, names and the length of the course, are included on the bonafide certificate. 
• An institute or university can issue a bonafide certificate to part-time students or off-campus university students taking a work-study program.

For employees

• Employers or companies issue the bonafide certificate validating an employee’s identification and position within the company or organisation. 
• Bonafide certificates are vital documents that help to protect a company from fraud and identity theft.

Based on Validity

These are the types of bonafide certificates issued based on their period of use:

Temporary bonafide certificate

Temporary bonafide certificates are issued for a maximum of six months and are renewable after their expiry period.

Permanent bonafide certificate

Permanent bonafide certificates are valid throughout the academic programme or employment.

Application for Bonafide Certificate

For Students

• Obtain the bonafide certificate application from the administrative office or the concerned department of the college/institution. 
• Fill out the application with the required details and attach the required documents with the application.
• Submit the application and documents to the designated office or department. 
• Pay the required fees to the college/institution to process the bonafide certificate.
• Once the bonafide certificate is processed, collect it from the administrative office or the concerned department of the college/institution. 

Some institutions may require the first-year and direct second-year students applying for the bonafide certificate to attach a leaving certificate from the earlier college along with the application form. 

For Employees

An employee has to apply to the head of the organisation/department in writing to get the bonafide certificate. Usually, in companies, employees need to write/email a simple bonafide certificate letter to the HR department and submit the required documents to get the bonafide certificate. The bonafide certificate will contain the employee’s name, joining date and position in the company.

Bonafide Application Format

For Students:

College or school students should write a request application/letter to the head of the institute to get the bonafide certificate from the institute. The request letter should contain the reason for which the bonafide certificate is required. The bonafide certificate letter format for students are as follows:

For Employees:

Employees should give a application/letter to the HR of the company to get the bonafide certificate. The application should contain the details of the employee and the reason for which the bonafide certificate is required. The format of the bonafide certificate application for employees are as follows:

Required Documents for Application

Following are the documents required to be given along with the application for bonafide certificate:

For Students

• Photocopy of ID card
• Copy of ID and residence proof documents
• Fee receipt, if any fees are to be paid while submitting application form
• Course/programe details
• Admission receipt
• Marksheet

For Employees

• Copy of Employee ID card
• Copy of ID and residence proof documents
• Copy of PAN card
• Copy of Pay slip

Sample Formats of Bonafide Certificate

For Students

While every college may have its own bonafide certificate for students format, it will definitely contain particulars, such as the college name printed on the letterhead, date of issuing, details of the student to whom it is issued, and signature by the head of the institution. Thus, the following format has been provided as an example of what the bonafide certificate format would look like:

For Employees

Every company/organisation has its own format for the bonafide certificate, but it will contain particulars, such as the company name printed on the letterhead, date of issuing, details of the employee to whom it is issued, and seal of the company. Thus, the format for bonafide certificate issued by a company would look like this:

Uses of Bonafide Certificate

Since the bonafide certificate acts as proof of being part of an organisation, it is usually demanded in the following cases:

• A student seeking to obtain student concessions offered by public transport agencies such as city buses, local trains, and metros may be required to produce this certificate while applying for the concession.
• The certificate may also be required while applying for a passport.
• Visa applications sometimes require this certificate especially in cases where a separate student visa is issued to students who are studying abroad or where a work visa is issued to an employee of a company.
• Certain lending institutions offer loans to students at concessional rates. The student may be required to produce this certificate to receive this benefit.
• The documents produced before various traffic authorities to apply for a driving license may include a bonafide certificate as additional ID proof.
• Certain conferences, seminars, or other such events are conducted exclusively for students/employees and entry to such events may be granted on production of this certificate.
• To apply for various student scholarships.
• The bonafide certificate is extensively used in the carrying out administrative functions, especially in matters like changing schools, obtaining admission to an educational institution, applying for a loan, changing jobs, applying for travel documents such as passport and visa, etc.
• Corporates may have tie-ups with businesses to provide additional perquisites. For example, a company may have a tie-up with a taxi service to provide a concession for their employees. The employees may prove their eligibility with the help of this certificate.

Final Word

A bonafide certificate is a simple yet highly important document that officially confirms a person’s association with an institution or organisation. Whether for academic, financial, travel, or employment-related purposes, it serves as trusted supporting proof. Students and employees should apply through the appropriate authority and ensure that the certificate clearly states the purpose for which it is required.