Local Certificate and Residence Certificate in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

What residence documents does the Andaman and Nicobar Administration issue?

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands do not use the word "domicile" for their main residence document. The Union Territory issues two related certificates, and knowing which one you need saves a wasted application.

The Local Certificate is the document that establishes local status in the islands. The district administrations issue it in two variants: a 10-year version, proved by the applicant's own decade of residence, and a Pre-1942/Settler version, proved through the parents' island status.

The Residence Certificate records present residence, and it is issued on top of the Local Certificate, the Local Certificate is one of the three enclosures the district pages demand for it.

Both are granted by the concerned Tehsildar, and both are applied for the same way. In the district administrations' own wording, the route is "Through e-forms via csc/e-corner/internet", with the portal named as edistrict.andamannicobar.gov.in, the state portal of the UT Administration, designed, developed and maintained by the Department of IT, Andaman and Nicobar Administration.

Key facts

• Two documents: Local Certificate and Residence Certificate.
• Local Certificate comes in a 10-year and a Pre-1942/Settler variant.
• Issuing authority: concerned Tehsildar.
• Portal: edistrict.andamannicobar.gov.in.
• Three districts: South Andaman, North and Middle Andaman, Nicobar.

Who can apply for a Local or Residence Certificate?

You can apply for the 10-year Local Certificate if:

• You have completed 10 years in the islands and can produce proof of that duration, the North and Middle Andaman service page lists "10 years Duration" as an enclosure in its own right.
• You hold a birth certificate and a class 10th certificate, both of which the enclosure list requires.

You can apply for the Pre-1942/Settler Local Certificate if:

• Your family's island status runs through your parents, and you can produce your parents' Islander Card and your parents' Local Certificate, plus a ration card, alongside the standard photograph, birth certificate and 10th certificate.

You can apply for the Residence Certificate if:

• You already hold a Local Certificate, and you have an Islander Card or Aadhaar as identity proof and a ration card.

You are not eligible / cannot apply if:

• You have lived in the islands for less than 10 years and have no Pre-1942/Settler claim through your parents. There is no shortcut variant for a shorter stay published on the district service pages.
• You are applying for a Residence Certificate without a Local Certificate. The enclosure list makes it a precondition, so the file will simply be incomplete.
• You are a mainland resident or a tourist with no island residence record. Note also that parts of the islands are protected areas with their own entry restrictions, which is a separate matter from these certificates.

What documents are required?

These lists are published identically by the South Andaman, North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar district administrations on their respective NIC-hosted service pages, so the requirement does not change from island to island.

How to apply for a Local or Residence Certificate in Andaman and Nicobar

1. Decide which certificate you need. If you need a Residence Certificate, check first whether you already hold a Local Certificate; if not, apply for the Local Certificate first, because it is an enclosure to the Residence Certificate application.
2. Assemble the enclosures for the exact variant from the table above. Scan them clearly, a birth certificate and a 10th certificate that cannot be read are the commonest reason a file goes back.
3. Open edistrict.andamannicobar.gov.in and register for a user ID, or log in if you already have one. The portal's login page offers Register, Forgot Password, Forgot User Id and an EpramanLogin option.
4. Fill the e-form for Local Certificate or Residence Certificate and upload the enclosures.
5. Submit and note the application reference, which is what you will use to check status later.
6. If you would rather not do it yourself, take the same documents to a Common Service Centre (CSC) or an e-corner. The district pages name both as valid channels, and the file still goes to the same Tehsildar.

How to apply through the Tehsildar office

1. Identify the Tehsildar office for your tehsil. South Andaman lists Port Blair, Ferrargunj and Little Andaman at PIN 744101, with the office contact number 03192-231352. North and Middle Andaman lists Mayabunder, Diglipur and Rangat at PIN 744204. Nicobar district has its own Tehsildar office.
2. Carry the original documents as well as the copies, the enclosure list is checked against originals.
3. Ask for the application to be filed through the e-District e-form, since that is the route the administration itself prescribes, and take the acknowledgement.
4. Follow up with the same Tehsildar office, which is the deciding authority.

How do I check my application status?

The e-District portal at edistrict.andamannicobar.gov.in is designed to let applicants apply online for fresh or renewal certificates, make electronic payments toward statutory fees, track application status online, and receive alerts by email and SMS on the progress of a submitted application. Log in with your user ID and check the application against its reference number. The portal also carries an FAQ section on viewing application status.

Because status alerts arrive by email and SMS, keep the mobile number and email address on your account current, a dead number means you will not learn that a document was queried.

Validity, renewal and what the certificate is used for

The A&N administration's e-District portal explicitly supports applying "for fresh or renewal of certificates", so a renewal route exists within the same system. The district service pages do not publish a fixed expiry period for either the Local Certificate or the Residence Certificate. As a practical matter, recruiters and colleges sometimes ask for a recently issued copy, so read the advertisement you are applying against before assuming an older certificate will be accepted, and use the renewal route rather than a fresh first-time application if you already hold one.

Why do applications get rejected or delayed?

• Applying for a Residence Certificate without a Local Certificate. It is the single most common structural mistake, because the two documents sound interchangeable and are not.
• Weak proof of the 10 years duration. A current ration card or an Aadhaar card proves where you live now, not that you have been there a decade.
• Missing parental documents on a Pre-1942/Settler claim — the Islander Card and the Local Certificate of the parents are both required, not one or the other.
• Name or parentage mismatches between the birth certificate, the 10th certificate and the ration card.
• Filing in the wrong tehsil. The application must go to the Tehsildar with jurisdiction over where you live.
• Illegible uploads, especially of old birth certificates and school certificates.

What does it cost, and should I use an agent?

No fee is published for the Local Certificate or the Residence Certificate on the South Andaman, North and Middle Andaman or Nicobar district service pages, or on the e-District portal's public pages. The portal does provide for electronic payment of statutory fees where a service carries one, so pay only what the official portal itself asks for at the payment step.

Apply directly on edistrict.andamannicobar.gov.in, or at a CSC or e-corner at its notified counter charge. No private agent or middleman is authorised to charge you extra to get a Tehsildar's certificate issued, and paying one buys nothing the Tehsildar would not do on a properly completed file.

How do I get help or raise a grievance?

• O/o Secretary (General Administration), Andaman and Nicobar Administration, Secretariat, Port Blair. The contact published on the e-District portal.
• Assistant Secretary (GA); 03192-259027 and 03192-259028, email helpdesk[dot]sdc[dot]and[at]gov.in.
• Tehsildar office, Port Blair / Ferrargunj / Little Andaman; 03192-231352, PIN 744101, for South Andaman applications.
• Your district administration website: southandaman.nic.in, northmiddle.andaman.nic.in or nicobars.andaman.nic.in, each carries a Feedback and Contact Us route and the current service details.