Any individual is sure to deal with a situation in which he or she is bound to produce an address proof document. It is mandatory to submit an address proof to the respective authorities or companies for various reasons such as buying a sim card to applying for a passport.

Now the question arises. Which are the documents that can be used as valid address proofs?

Essentially, any address proof document should have your address mentioned on it along with your name and other details. However, the list of address proof documents acceptable by various organisations is not all the same. While some of them accept utility bills such as Gas Bill, Phone Bill as address proof, many reject them. Though we have listed many options here, which all are valid depends solely on the company or authority to which you are going to submit the document.

Commonly Used Address Proof Documents

Rental Agreement or Lease Agreement

Rental agreement serves as a proof of residence, especially when you have to apply for local services such as for getting an internet connection, getting gas connection, applying for driving licence, creating bank account, buying a new sim card, etc. Also, if you do not have any permanent address proof documents like Aadhaar card or ration card, you will need a rent agreement document. LegalDesk helps you with an easy platform to create rental agreement online.

Passport

A Passport is an official document issued to a citizen by the respective government, which enables him/her to travel to foreign countries. A valid passport can be used as an address proof as well as ID proof. The passport should be at least 3 months old before using it as an address proof. If you have not applied for one, here is all you need to know about how to apply for passport.

Voter ID Card or Election Commission Photo ID Card

Any citizen of India, above 18 years of age, can get an voter ID card issued by the Election Commission of India. It contains details such as name, photo, date of birth and address, which can be used as a valid address proof. Besides being an important address proof and id proof document, the primary use of a voter id card is to cast your vote. So, don’t you ever forget to cast your votes as it’s your fundamental right and responsibility too. You can apply for voter ID card online and also track its status regularly.

Ration Card

A Ration Card document is issued by State Government and is administered all over the country by The Department of Food and Public Distribution. The document is helpful to the below poverty line (BPL) group of population to purchase food commodities and grains from fair price shops at subsidised rates. The type of ration card and the procedure to obtain ration cards varies from state to state. The ration card issued for a family includes the details of all family members, hence it can be used as an ID proof as well as address proof too.

Aadhaar Card (UID)

Aadhaar is a 12 digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India. Since it is unique for every individual, it serves as a proof of ID and residence, throughout the nation. Aadhaar is given to children and infants too, as there is no age limit to it. Aadhaar assures the uniqueness of every citizen of India on the basis of demographic as well as biometric information. Aadhaar letter (received through Post) and e-Aadhaar letter downloaded from the UIDAI website are also valid, in case your Aadhaar card is missing. Thus, you can understand the importance of having an Aadhaar card. If you have not yet got your Aadhaar card, then visit your nearest Aadhaar enrolment centre and apply for it soon.

Permanent Driving License

To obtain a Driving License (DL), one should be of above 18 years age and should know driving. Also, the applicant must have knowledge about the general traffic system, signs, rules and regulations. Permanent driving license is issued by the office of Sub Divisional Officer (Civil) of the respective area of your residence for non-commercial vehicles and DTO office for commercial vehicles.

Utility Bills (water, electricity, phone or gas bill)

If you don’t have any other proof of residence, then utility bills which are not older than 3 months, can come in handy. But make sure that your name on the document along with which you are enclosing the utility bill matches the name on the bill. Every authority has its own reason to accept or reject some sort of utility bills.

Notarized Sale Agreement

If you are residing in your own house/flat, then the notarised sale agreement of your property can be used as an address proof.

Current Passbook

Passbook issued by a Post Office or any Scheduled Bank with the applicant’s photo and address mentioned in it can be used as address proof, if the account is currently in use and also the address has to be an exact match to the one you provide to any authority.

Address Proof Affidavit

If you do not have any of the valid proof of address then the authorities would ask you to produce an Address proof Affidavit. The document has to be drafted on a stamp paper of minimum value and notarised.

Address Proof For Students

A Certificate of Address, which has the student’s photo on it, issued by any Government recognised educational institution can be used as a valid address proof document.

Address Proof For Minors

In case of minor applicants, parent’s passport copy can be produced as their proof of residence. Aadhaar card can be obtained for minors too, so it is good to get Aadhaar cards for children at the earliest. In ration cards, names of all family members can be updated, which will also be a valid ID or address proof.

Address Proof For Rural Area Residents

If a resident of rural area has no address proof document, then he/she can get a Certificate of Address by Village Panchayat Head or other equivalent authority. This is considered as a valid proof of residence by many authorities.

Less Used Address Proof Documents

The following documents can also be used as proof of residence, in case if you do not have any of the above listed documents. But as mentioned in the beginning of this article, different authorities consider different documents as valid address proofs, for which they have their own reasons.

1. Identity card – Issued by Central Govt., State Govt., Public sector undertaking, any Public Financial Institution or any Scheduled Commercial Bank for their employees.
2. Property Tax Receipt
3. Job card – Issued by National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) duly signed by a State Government officer
4. Posted Mail with name of applicant
5. Insurance Card
6. Income Tax Assessment Order
7. CGHS/ECHS Card
8. Arms Licence
9. Vehicle registration certificate
10. Address card with photo issued by Dept. Of Posts, Govt. Of India
11. Photo Identity Card having address (of Central Govt. /PSU or State Govt./PSU only.)
12. Credit Card Statement (should not be older than last three months)
13. Cast and Domicile Certificate with Address and photo issued by State Government (like Assam and other States)
14. Certificate of address issued by MP/MLA/Group A Gazetted Officer on a letterhead
15. Pensioners Card- With address mentioned on it
16. Freedom Fighter Card- Address should be mentioned on it
17. Certificate from Employer- This is applicable for reputed companies only and should be given on company’s letterhead.
18. Spouse’s passport copy- It can be used if the applicant’s present residential address matches the address mentioned in the spouse’s passport.