NEET 2025 Caste Certificate: Complete Guide & Process

Candidates who apply for medical college admission through the reserved categories need to follow the NEET 2025 Caste Certificate Guidelines during their application process. These guidelines are designed to ensure transparency and fairness in the admission process, ensuring that candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) can avail of the benefits of reservation. 

Candidates need valid caste certificates from competent authorities in order to access these benefits. Candidates must provide a certificate that follows the requirements defined by the National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts NEET. The guidelines specify the format, validity, and the issuing authority for the caste certificate. Additional documentation like non-creamy layer certificates often becomes necessary for OBC candidates. 

Pro Tip: Candidates need to make sure their caste certificate is issued on time and includes all essential components to prevent being disqualified from the exam.

NEET 2025 Caste Certificate for Reserved Category

• NEET UG 2025 is conducted by NTA and has been setting the reservation criteria for the reserved categories. 
• Candidates belonging to the reserved category will need the NEET 2025 caste certificate while filling up the application form. 
• With the proof of the caste certificate, students can avail the benefit of seat reservations and also relaxations in upper age limits. 
• Submitting a valid NEET 2025 caste certificate is necessary for the students who are seeking reservation benefits under the SC, ST, OBC, and EWS category. 

What do you mean by a NEET Category Certificate? 

A NEET Caste/Category Certificate is an official document that is authorized by the government to verify a person's caste. This certificate is mandatory to avail the benefits under the reservation system in the NEET Exam 2025. While submitting the valid NEET 2025 Caste Certificate, it stands as proof that the candidate belongs to a particular caste and is eligible to avail benefits like minimum qualifying score, reserved seats in medical colleges, relaxation in age limits, and so on. 

What are the various types of caste certificates for NEET 2025? 

The various types of caste certificates are:

• SC/ST Certificate: This certificate is issued to the students who are from Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes. In NEET 2025, a total of 15% of seat reservations in every course is given to the SC candidates, whereas for the ST candidates, it's 7.5%. This certificate stands as proof that the candidate is from the SC or ST caste, which are often categorized as historically disadvantaged castes. 
• OBC Certificate: This certificate is issued to candidates who are from the OBC Category. The OBC category students receive a reservation of 27% of seats in every course under NEET UG 2025. It identifies the candidates who belong to socially and economically backward sections of the Government. Candidates must be eligible under the “non-creamy layer” to avail of the benefits. The candidates who belong to the OBC Creamy layer, fill in your application form as a general category.
• EWS Certificate: This certificate is issued to students who are from general Caste but are under the Economically Weaker Sections. Candidates who belong to this category receive 10% reservation of seats in every course under NEET UG 2025. EWS certificates must be issued by the government of the respective state or union territory to fulfill the specific income and asset criteria. 

NOTE: 

1. Candidates cannot fill out their NEET 2025 application form without a caste certificate. Students who belong to SC, ST, EWS, and OBC category are required to submit their caste certificate with details such as caste certificate number, date of issuance of the caste certificate, and the name of the government authority from where the certificate is issued. 
2. Those who are in OBC (Non Creamy Layer) and EWS categories, if you have made any certificates earlier, upload the certificates in the document section. If you don’t have the certificates, immediately apply for the certificates, you will be given a number. During your form fillup, you have to submit the number. 

Step-by-Step Guide to Obtaining a Category Certificate for NEET Application

There are several steps to obtain a category certificate for NEET 2025. The general process for getting a NEET Caste Certificate is as follows: 

• Before applying for a NEET 2025 caste certificate, make sure that you belong to one of the castes identified by the government (SC, ST, OBC, EWS). 
• Collect all the necessary documents required for a NEET Caste Certificate, like identity proof, residence proof, and other documents required by the state authorities. 
• Fill in the NEET 2025 Caste certificate application form, which can be collected from the local district office, revenue department, or online on the portal of the state government. 
• Submit the filled application form for the NEET 2025 Caste certificate and the additional required documents to the local government's office or online through the portal of the state government. 
• Verification of the submitted documents will be done by the authorities. Once verification is done, the authorities will issue the NEET Caste Certificate. 

Documents required for NEET Caste Certificate:

• Government-issued identity cards such as Aadhar cards, Voter ID cards, or passports. 
• Ration card or bank statement to verify that the student is a resident of the state. 
• Birth certificate
• Documents like salary slips, income tax returns, and a certificate from the employer verifying income may be required for the candidates belonging to the EWS Category. 
• Passport-size photographs. 

Key Points:

• There are 2 segments in the EWS Category: State and Central. If you have the Central certificate, then definitely upload the central certificate. But in case you don’t have the central certificate, then go for the state EWS Certificate and upload it. If you have recently applied for the state EWS Certificate, upload the receipt/acknowledgment slip. 
• For the EWS Candidates, when you are applying for the state EWS, apply for the central EWS simultaneously. During the counselling process, if you participate in the All India Counselling process, you can participate with the help of the central EWS. On the other hand, if you want to get admission in any of the state colleges, you will have to produce the state EWS Certificate.
• For SC/ST, the state certificate that you have, upload it.