Bonafide Certificate – Introduction, Application and Format

Bonafide certificates hold high value and importance since time immemorial. The article covers various aspects of a bonafide certificate in detail.

What is a bonafide certificate?

A bonafide certificate is a certificate issued by an organisation to certify that a particular person belongs to that organisation. Usually, educational institutions issue this certificate to its students. Companies may also do so for their employees.

Uses of a 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.
• 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.

Application for Bonafide Certificate

In order to avail the certificate, an application must first be made to the head of the relevant institution/organisation. Some institutions may have a prescribed application form for this purpose. In case there is no application form, a letter may be written. An illustration of such a letter is available for download here.

Bonafide Certificate– Sample format

Format of a Bonafide Certificate

While every college may have its own format for the bonafide certificate, 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 would look like:

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