Caste certificate in Maharashtra: apply, documents, fee and time limit (checked October 2026)

Last checked: 27 October 2026

For anyone in Maharashtra who needs a caste certificate for an admission, a job application or a scheme.

In Maharashtra you apply for a caste certificate on Aaple Sarkar. The fee is INR 40 and the Sub-Divisional Officer or Deputy Collector issues it. Official pages disagree on the time limit. The state Right to Services table says 21 days, while the Caste Certificate Rules, 2012 and the Aaple Sarkar caste service page say 45 days.

21 days or 45 days? Official pages disagree

We checked every official page we could find on 27 October 2026. They give two different time limits for the same caste certificate service, with the same officers. We did not find an official order that says which one applies, so we show both.

What each official page says

Documents you need

How to apply on Aaple Sarkar

These steps are from the official Revenue Department checklist.

1. Register on the Aaple Sarkar portal. You can verify with Aadhaar or create your own profile with an OTP sent to your mobile.
2. Select Revenue Department, then Revenue Services, then Caste Certificate.
3. Choose the type of caste certificate. Fill in the applicant, address, beneficiary, beneficiary's father and caste or category details.
4. Accept the declaration, upload the documents and pay the fee of INR 40.
5. Keep the Application ID. You need it to track the application and to appeal.

The Caste Certificate Rules, 2012 say the application is made in Form 1 with two affidavits, Form 2 and Form 3. The affidavits can be sworn before the Competent Authority, a court, a notary or another authorised authority (rule 4(1)). If you cannot get a document, say why in the affidavit (rule 4(3)).

What happens after you apply

The checklist describes the office workflow. The Nayab Tahsildar's office receives the application and a tehsil clerk verifies it. The Nayab Tahsildar approves it, then the Tahsildar verifies and approves it, and then the Sub-Divisional Officer verifies it. At each stage the officer can send a rectification request with remarks. You resubmit as per the remarks. The digitally signed certificate is then available to download on the portal.

Which date your caste is proved from

The Caste Certificate Rules, 2012 cover Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Castes converted to Buddhism, Vimukta Jatis, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Category. You must show that you, or your father, grandfather or great grandfather, lived permanently in Maharashtra on the "deemed date" (rules 2 and 3):

• Scheduled Castes: 10 August 1950
• Vimukta Jatis and Nomadic Tribes: 21 November 1961
• Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Category: 13 October 1967

If your family moved within Maharashtra, apply to the authority where your forefathers lived on the deemed date (rule 3). A person who migrated from another state can get a certificate in Form 10, but cannot claim Maharashtra's benefits with it (rule 6).

Scheduled Tribe certificates follow separate rules, which we have not checked yet.

Is my certificate late? Who to appeal to and by when

1. 1. Sub-Divisional Officer or Deputy Collector (designated officer)

   Official contact

   Apply and track on Aaple Sarkar with your Application ID. Toll free helpline 1800 120 8040.

   Deadline

   21 days on the Right to Services table and the checklist. 45 days in rule 5(11) of the Caste Certificate Rules, 2012 and on the Aaple Sarkar caste service page. The officer must issue the certificate or reject it with reasons in writing (Caste Certificate Act, 2000, section 4).

2. 2. First appeal: Additional Collector

   Official contact

   Form II of the 2016 Right to Services Rules. You can file it on Aaple Sarkar or on paper (rule 11).

   Deadline

   Within 30 days of the time limit running out or of receiving a rejection. A late appeal can be admitted for sufficient cause, up to 90 days. The decision is due within 30 days of filing (section 9).

3. 3. Second appeal: Collector

   Official contact

   Form III of the 2016 Rules, online or on paper (rule 11).

   Deadline

   Within 30 days of receiving the first appeal order. If no order comes, you can file after 45 days from the first appeal. The decision is due within 45 days (section 9).

4. 4. Third appeal: Maharashtra State Commission for Right to Service

   Official contact

   Form V of the 2016 Rules (rule 18). The Aaple Sarkar Right to Services page has a registration link for the third appeal. Commission office: 7th Floor, New Administrative Building, Hutatma Rajguru Chowk, Madam Cama Road, opposite Mantralaya, Mumbai 400032. Phone 022-22832346.

   Deadline

   Within 60 days of receiving the second appeal order. The Commission disposes of it within 90 days (section 18).

If your application is rejected

The Caste Certificate Rules, 2012 say a rejection order must give reasons. You get a copy free of cost, and it must state your right to appeal, the Appellate Authority and the time limit (rule 5(12)).

The Caste Certificate Act, 2000 gives a separate appeal against a rejection. You appeal within 30 days of receiving the order to the Appellate Authority notified by the state, and the appeal is decided within three months (section 5). We have not found the notification that names this authority, so use the authority named in your rejection order. The Right to Services first appeal above also covers rejections.

Caste validity certificate

A caste certificate is valid only subject to verification by the Scrutiny Committee, which issues a validity certificate (Caste Certificate Act, 2000, section 4(2) and section 6). The Act says to apply for verification "well in time". The 2012 Rules define that as at least six months before you need the benefit (rule 2). If a college or employer asks for a validity certificate, start early.

What the state does not publish

• Which time limit applies: official pages say 21 days and 45 days. See the table above.
• Validity period of the caste certificate: not published by the state on the checklist or the Right to Services pages we checked.
• Common rejection reasons: not published by the state. A rejection must state its reasons in writing, so read the order before you appeal.
• Charges at a service centre beyond the INR 40 fee: not listed on the checklist.

Count your dates

The is my certificate late calculator does not include caste certificates yet, because official pages give two time limits. Use the dates above. The guide to certificate time limits explains how the clock works. Need other certificates for the same admission or job? See the income certificate guide and the domicile certificate guide.

Free first appeal template (Form II fields)

Free to copy. It follows the fields of Form II in the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Rules, 2016. Replace everything in [square brackets] and delete lines that do not apply. You can also file the appeal online on Aaple Sarkar.

FORM II
Appeal to the First Appellate Authority under section 9(1) of the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, 2015

Before: Additional Collector, [office address of the Additional Collector]

Name and address of the eligible person: [your full name and address]
Name and address of the Designated Officer: Sub-Divisional Officer / Deputy Collector, [office address]

1. Date of application: [date]
2. Date of acknowledgement: [date]  Application ID: [number]
3. Date of production of documents: [date]
4. Details of the public service required: Caste Certificate
5. Decision of the Designated Officer: [no decision / rejected on date]
6. Stipulated time limit: [21 days as listed in the Right to Services table on Aaple Sarkar, or 45 days as listed on the Aaple Sarkar caste certificate service page and in rule 5(11) of the Caste Certificate Rules, 2012]
7. Date on which the rejection was received: [date, or "not applicable"]
8. Grounds of appeal:
   (i) The service was not provided within the stipulated time limit. [keep this line or delete it]
   (ii) The application was rejected. The reasons given are not correct because [your reasons]. [keep this line or delete it]
9. Relief sought: Issue the Caste Certificate within the time you direct.
10. Any other information: [optional]

List of documents enclosed:
1. Copy of the acknowledgement of my application
2. [copy of the rejection order, if any]
3. [other documents]

Declaration: The particulars given above are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief.

Date: [date]
Place: [place]
Signature: [signature]