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Finished Class 12? Two papers stand between you and college, and neither is about marks: the transfer certificate and the migration certificate. They sound alike but come from different offices. Here is who issues each one and how to get yours in time.
What is the difference between a migration and a transfer certificate?
A transfer certificate (TC) is issued by the head of the school you last attended. CBSE's bye-laws on admission and transfer say a student leaving school "shall on a payment of all dues, receive an authenticated copy of the Transfer certificate up to date", and that if the original is lost, a duplicate can be issued but must be marked as one (CBSE bye-laws on admission and transfer of students). So the TC is a school document, and you receive it once your dues are cleared.
A migration certificate is issued by your examination board, not your school. CBSE issues a migration certificate to every student who passes Class 12, for use in admission to other educational institutions (CBSE notification, 4 September 2024). Some colleges also ask for a character or conduct certificate, which, like the TC, comes from the head of your school.
How do you get a CBSE migration certificate after Class 12?
You no longer apply for it. CBSE decided that from the 2025 examinations onwards it will not issue a hard copy of the migration certificate for Class 10 or Class 12, and students will use the digital copy for admission instead (CBSE notification, 4 September 2024). The same notice says CBSE has stopped charging the migration fee it used to collect with the exam fee. It also points to a University Grants Commission letter telling colleges and universities that digital copies of board certificates will be accepted for admission.
The digital copy arrives in DigiLocker. CBSE's DigiLocker circular and user manual of 5 May 2025 sets out these steps for the 2025 results; check your school's instructions for later years:
Get your 6-digit access code from your school.
Go to cbseservices.digilocker.gov.in/activatecbse, choose Class XII, and enter your school code, roll number and access code.
Enter your mobile number and confirm it with the OTP. Class 12 students may also be asked for their date of birth.
After results are declared, open "Issued Documents" in DigiLocker to find your marksheet-cum-certificate and your migration certificate.
If a college still insists on a paper copy, the 2024 notification says that during the transition period CBSE will issue one on request through its Duplicate Academic Document System (DADS).
How do state board students get a migration certificate?
Each state board runs its own process, so ask your school office. In Assam, the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council's migration application form asks you to apply through the head of the institution where you last studied and to name the institution outside Assam where you plan to study. You also surrender your original AHSEC registration certificate and pay the fee printed on the form. The version we checked listed Rs 300, paid by bank draft. Because the certificate is posted to you, apply as soon as results are out.
When do colleges ask for these certificates?
Usually at physical reporting, when your documents are checked. For example, NIT Karnataka's 2025-26 B.Tech reporting notice asked students to bring an original migration certificate from the last institution they attended "if from outside Karnataka". It also asked for an original transfer certificate and a conduct certificate from the head of that institution (NITK notification, 16 July 2025). In that notice, the TC is on every student's list, while the migration certificate depends on where you studied.
Every college sets its own list, so read yours line by line. Switching colleges later has its own rules, explained in can you change your college after one year; families returning from abroad can read school admission in India after studying abroad.
A checklist for the weeks after results
Before results: activate DigiLocker with your school's access code.
Results day: download your marksheet and migration certificate as PDFs.
First week: clear your school dues and collect your TC and character certificate.
When you get a seat: check your college's document list against what you have.
If a college wants paper: request it through CBSE's DADS while the transition arrangement lasts, or through your principal if you are on a state board.
If a help desk asks for a printed CBSE migration certificate, you could say: "I passed Class 12 with CBSE in 2025 or later. CBSE no longer prints migration certificates, and my digital copy is in DigiLocker. CBSE's notification of 4 September 2024 says the digital copy is to be used for admission. Can you check it here?"
Once the paperwork is done, our 8-week plan for after Class 12 can help you use the time before college starts. If you want to go back over Class 12 maths or physics in that gap, Fermi's AI tutor works out what you already know and builds a plan for the session.
