DigiLocker Guide for Students: Get Marksheets and Certificates on Your Phone

If you have ever run to a photocopy shop the night before an admission, or lost a marksheet and spent weeks getting a duplicate, DigiLocker solves a real problem. It is the Government of India's digital document wallet, where boards, universities and departments can place official copies of your documents directly into your account. This guide shows a student how to sign up, fetch marksheets, Aadhaar and a driving licence, share them safely, and fix the problems people usually run into.

What DigiLocker is, in plain terms

DigiLocker describes itself on its official website as a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under the Digital India programme, operated by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD). It is a secure cloud platform for storing, sharing and verifying documents and certificates.

Think of it as two things in one app:

• A pipe from the issuer to you. An organisation that issues documents — a school board, university, transport department, the Aadhaar authority — connects to DigiLocker. When you prove who you are, you can pull your document straight from that organisation's records.
• A personal folder. You can also upload your own scans for safekeeping, like a private cloud drive.

It is available on the website digilocker.gov.in and as a mobile app on Google Play and the Apple App Store. The official website lists four steps for getting started: register, verify yourself, fetch your documents, and share your documents. The rest of this guide follows that order.

Issued documents vs uploaded documents

This is the single most important idea in DigiLocker. Many students upload a photo of their marksheet and think the job is done. It is not the same thing.

Whenever an issued version of a document exists, use it instead of an upload. If the issuer has not joined DigiLocker or has not loaded records for your year, an uploaded scan is still a useful backup — but treat it as a photocopy, not an official document.

How to create a DigiLocker account

You need a mobile number that you control. Linking Aadhaar makes most document fetches much smoother, because many issuers match your record using your Aadhaar details.

1. Install the DigiLocker app from Google Play or the App Store, or open https://www.digilocker.gov.in and click Login / Register. Check that the app's developer is shown as a government body — do not install look-alike apps.
2. Choose Sign up. Enter your name as on Aadhaar, date of birth, gender and mobile number. Email is useful for recovery.
3. Set a six-digit security PIN. This is not your ATM PIN — choose a new number and do not use your birth year.
4. Enter the OTP sent to your mobile.
5. When asked, enter your Aadhaar number and complete the Aadhaar OTP step. The OTP goes to the mobile number linked with Aadhaar, which may be different from the one you used to sign up.
6. Once verified, your name and details are taken from Aadhaar. Your account is ready.

Fetching marksheets and education certificates

Many school boards and universities issue marksheets, pass certificates and migration certificates into DigiLocker. Availability depends on the board, the year and the document type, so search first before assuming.

1. Open the app and go to Search (or "Search Documents"). On the website it may appear as browsing by category, such as Education and Learning, or by state.
2. Type your board or university name — for example the name of your State Board of Secondary Education, CBSE, or your university.
3. Select the document type, such as "Class X Marksheet" or "Class XII Passing Certificate".
4. Enter the details asked for, usually your roll number and year of passing. Enter them exactly as printed on the paper marksheet.
5. Give consent and tap Get Document. If the record matches, the document appears under Issued Documents.

Keep your old paper marksheet nearby while doing this — you will need the exact roll number format, including any letters or leading zeros.

Academic Bank of Credits and university records

Many universities and colleges now hold academic records and credit data through national academic systems connected to DigiLocker. If your college asks you to create an ABC ID or check your degree in DigiLocker, follow your college's instructions and the official portal, because the steps depend on whether your institution has uploaded its data.

Fetching Aadhaar, driving licence and other IDs

The list above is a guide, not a promise. Which documents are available depends on whether the department in your state is connected to DigiLocker. The DigiLocker website lets you browse issuers state by state, and that is the quickest way to check.

The official homepage also shows that DigiLocker documents are being accepted in transport and travel situations, such as showing a digital driving licence or using DigiLocker as ID on Indian Railways. Rules at a particular counter can change, so carry a physical ID as backup when travelling.

Sharing documents safely with colleges and employers

There are three common ways an institution can receive your DigiLocker document:

1. Consent-based fetch. A college or company that is registered as a DigiLocker "requester" sends you a request or asks you to log in through a DigiLocker button on its portal. You see exactly which documents it wants and approve them. This is the safest method.
2. Share from the app. Open the document, tap Share, and choose how to send it. Where the app gives a time-limited link, prefer it over sending the PDF file itself.
3. Download and attach. Download the issued PDF and upload it to a portal or email it. The digital signature and QR code stay inside the file, so the receiver can still verify it.

Are DigiLocker documents accepted as valid?

Documents in the Issued Documents section come from the original issuer and carry its digital signature, which is why DigiLocker states that they can be instantly verified. DigiLocker's official FAQ explains the legal position under rules made under the Information Technology Act, which treat issued documents in DigiLocker as valid electronic records. Read the current FAQ on digilocker.gov.in for the exact wording before relying on it in a dispute.

In practice:

• Issued documents are widely accepted for verification by institutions that are set up to check them.
• Some offices still ask for the physical original or an attested photocopy. That is their rule — politely ask whether a DigiLocker issued copy is acceptable, and carry the original if in doubt.
• Uploaded documents have no special legal standing. They are equal to a photocopy.

Not every certificate is in DigiLocker. Many private training providers issue certificates through their own systems. For example, certificates from Nipun India's partner training centers are checked through the online certificate verification page rather than DigiLocker. Our guide on how to verify a skill certificate explains what employers look for.

Keeping your DigiLocker account secure

Your DigiLocker account holds your identity and education records in one place, so protect it like a bank account.

• Install only the official app, and log in only on digilocker.gov.in — check the address bar spelling.
• Never share your OTP or six-digit PIN with anyone, including people claiming to be from a college, bank or "DigiLocker support".
• Do not log in on shared or cyber cafe computers. If you must, log out and close the browser when done.
• Keep the phone itself locked with a PIN or fingerprint.
• Review which organisations you have given consent to, and revoke any you do not recognise if the app provides that option.
• If you change your mobile number, update it in DigiLocker and in Aadhaar so OTPs keep reaching you.

Troubleshooting common problems

For anything not covered here, DigiLocker has an official support and feedback section linked from the website menu. Use only those official channels.

When DigiLocker helps most

DigiLocker does not replace every paper document, but it saves real time in these situations:

• Lost or damaged marksheet. If your board has issued it into DigiLocker, you can download an official copy while you apply for a duplicate paper copy.
• College admission and counselling. Some admission portals let you pull marksheets directly through a DigiLocker login button, which avoids scanning and upload errors.
• Scholarship applications. Keeping issued marksheets and certificates ready in one place makes it easier to answer document requests quickly. Upload rules are set by each scholarship portal, so follow its instructions.
• Job background checks. Employers or their verification agencies can confirm issued education records faster than by writing to a board.
• Travelling without your wallet. A digital driving licence or ID can help where it is accepted, but carry a physical ID as backup.

If a document you need is not available as an issued document, keep a clean scan in the uploaded section and the paper original safely at home.

A 20-minute setup plan for students

1. Install the official app and create your account with Aadhaar verification (5 minutes).
2. Fetch Aadhaar and, if you have one, your driving licence (3 minutes).
3. Search for your Class 10 board and fetch your marksheet or pass certificate (4 minutes).
4. Do the same for Class 12 and any university records (4 minutes).
5. Upload scans of documents that are not available as issued documents — clearly named — as a backup (4 minutes).

Once this is done, applying for colleges, scholarships and jobs becomes much faster. You will still need a good photo and signature for most forms; our guide to photo and signature uploads covers that part, and the student documents checklist lists everything else to keep ready.

Frequently asked questions