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SIR Documents List: Which Papers You Need Depends on When You Were Born

Sarkari Naukri Khabar  •  All India

Most voters never need to show a document during SIR: if your name, or a parent's, is traced to the last SIR roll, the enumeration form is enough. Documents are asked for only when the Electoral Registration Officer sends a notice because that link cannot be found. When that happens, the rule printed on the official form is set by your date of birth: born before 1 July 1987, you prove your own date or place of birth; born later, you may also need documents for one or both parents. This guide sets out that rule, the official list of thirteen documents, and exactly what the Supreme Court said about Aadhaar.

First: you may not need any document at all

The official information sheet printed with the enumeration form says that the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will issue a notice to those electors whose details from the previous SIR roll, as given in the form, are either not available or do not match the database. Documents are asked for after that notice, not before.

So the first job is to fill the last-SIR section of the form correctly, with your own entry or a relative's. If that link is found, the question of documents does not arise. See our guide on filling the enumeration form.

The rule: it depends on when you were born

If you do receive a notice, the information sheet sets out which documents to give, by date of birth. The dates matter to the day.

• Born in India before 1 July 1987: any one document, for yourself, establishing your date of birth and/or place of birth.
• Born in India between 1 July 1987 and 2 December 2004: one document for yourself, and one document for your father or your mother, each establishing date of birth and/or place of birth.
• Born in India after 2 December 2004: one document for yourself, one for your father, and one for your mother. If either parent is not Indian, a copy of that parent's valid passport and visa at the time of your birth.
• Born outside India: proof of birth registration issued by the Indian Mission abroad.
• Indian citizen by registration or naturalisation: the certificate of registration of citizenship.

The official list of documents

The form calls this an indicative, not exhaustive, list. Separate self-attested documents are to be given for yourself, your father and your mother, wherever the rule above asks for them.

• 1. Any identity card or Pension Payment Order issued to a regular employee or pensioner of any Central Government, State Government or PSU.
• 2. Any identity card, certificate or document issued in India by the Government, local authorities, banks, the Post Office, LIC or PSUs before 1 July 1987.
• 3. Birth certificate issued by the competent authority.
• 4. Passport.
• 5. Matriculation or educational certificate issued by a recognised board or university.
• 6. Permanent residence certificate issued by the competent state authority.
• 7. Forest right certificate.
• 8. OBC, SC, ST or any caste certificate issued by the competent authority.
• 9. National Register of Citizens, wherever it exists.
• 10. Family register prepared by state or local authorities.
• 11. Any land or house allotment certificate by the Government.
• 12. Aadhaar, as governed by the Commission's letter No. 23/2025-ERS/Vol.II dated 9 September 2025.
• 13. Extract of the electoral roll of the Bihar SIR with 1 July 2025 as the qualifying date.

What the Supreme Court said about Aadhaar

Aadhaar was added as the twelfth document by the Supreme Court. In its order of 8 September 2025, the Court said that, given the statutory status of Aadhaar under the Aadhaar Act, it is not a proof of citizenship and shall not be accepted as proof of citizenship.

But under Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, Aadhaar is one of the documents for establishing the identity of a person. The Court therefore directed that Aadhaar be accepted as proof of identity for inclusion in or exclusion from the revised roll, treated as the 12th document, and said the Election Commission is entitled to verify its authenticity and genuineness, as with any other document.

In short: Aadhaar proves who you are. On its own terms it does not prove citizenship, and on the enumeration form itself the Aadhaar number is optional.

Which of these most Bihar and UP candidates already have

Several documents on this list are ones our readers already hold for job applications: the matriculation certificate, the caste certificate and the permanent residence (domicile) certificate. A matric certificate records your date of birth, which is exactly what the rule asks you to establish.

If a date or name on one of these is wrong, fix it before you rely on it. Our guides on correcting the date of birth in a marksheet, on the caste certificate and on the residence certificate explain how.

The Bihar SIR roll counts for other states

Item 13 is specific: an extract of the Bihar SIR electoral roll with 1 July 2025 as the qualifying date is on the list of documents. For the millions of people from Bihar now registered in Delhi, Maharashtra or Jharkhand, where SIR Phase III is under way, a Bihar SIR entry can be used as a document.

Two practical rules

Give self-attested copies, not originals, unless an officer asks to see the original. And keep the acknowledgement of whatever you submit, because it is your record if the draft or final roll later leaves you out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need documents for SIR?

Only if the ERO sends you a notice because your details, or a relative's, from the last SIR roll could not be found or did not match. If that link is found through the enumeration form, documents are not asked for.

I was born in 1995. Which documents do I need?

Born between 1 July 1987 and 2 December 2004, you need one document for yourself and one for your father or your mother, each establishing date of birth and/or place of birth.

Is Aadhaar accepted in SIR?

Yes, as proof of identity, as the 12th document, under the Supreme Court's order of 8 September 2025. The same order says Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, and the Election Commission may verify its genuineness.

Is my matriculation certificate a valid document?

Yes. A matriculation or educational certificate issued by a recognised board or university is item 5 on the official list.

Is the caste certificate accepted?

Yes. An OBC, SC, ST or any caste certificate issued by the competent authority is item 8 on the official list.

Can I use my Bihar SIR entry in Delhi?

Yes. An extract of the Bihar SIR electoral roll with 1 July 2025 as the qualifying date is item 13 on the official list of documents.

ℹ️ Government rules, fees and processing times can change. Always confirm the current position on the official portal or at your block office before acting.

Last updated: 11 Sep 2026