DigiLocker Issued vs Uploaded Documents: Which Count as Originals

Only documents in DigiLocker's Issued Documents section count as originals. Those are pushed into your account by the authority that issued them, such as UIDAI for Aadhaar, a transport department for a driving licence or a school board for marksheets. Under Rule 9A of the DigiLocker rules, they are deemed to be at par with the original physical documents. A scan you upload yourself goes into your own storage, the Drive or uploaded-documents section. It is a copy, like a photocopy you have signed, and an office can refuse it.

Below is how to tell the two apart, how to move a document from "scanned copy" to "issued", and what a person receiving a DigiLocker document can check.

The rule behind "at par with originals"

DigiLocker runs under the Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Rules, 2016. An amendment notified on 8 February 2017 inserted Rule 9A. In the words of the Ministry of Electronics and IT's letter of 22 January 2018 to all state governments, "the documents issued/pushed by various Departments/Organisations in DigiLocker system shall be deemed to be at par with original physical documents".

That letter asked states to issue documents through DigiLocker and to direct their departments to accept documents shared through it. The Information Technology Act, 2000 already recognises electronic records and electronic signatures in sections 4 and 5. Rule 9A applies that to the documents an issuer pushes into DigiLocker.

The rule covers what the issuer puts in your account. It doesn't turn your own uploads into originals.

Issued vs uploaded, side by side

A district administration's DigiLocker page on NIC puts it the same way. Issued documents come "directly by the registered issuers", while uploaded legacy documents "can be digitally signed using the eSign facility", which is "similar to the process of self-attestation".

Which of your documents can be issued

The early DigiLocker issuer list in MeitY's 2018 letter included UIDAI, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the CBSE and state school boards, and a "PAN Verification Record" from the Income Tax Department, along with state e-District services for certificates. Many more issuers have joined since. The list in your app's search is the current one.

A worked example

Neha is joining a new employer, which asks for her identity, address and education documents.

• Her Aadhaar, PAN and driving licence fetch into Issued Documents from UIDAI, the Income Tax Department and her state's transport department. These can be shared from DigiLocker as originals with any organisation that accepts DigiLocker.
• Her Class 12 marksheet is from a board that issues through DigiLocker, so she fetches it too.
• Her 2011 degree comes from a university that doesn't issue older degrees through DigiLocker. She uploads a scan and eSigns it. The employer treats that as a self-attested copy and asks to see the original degree at joining.

How to get a document into Issued Documents

1. Open the DigiLocker app or digilocker.gov.in and sign in.
2. Use Search Documents (or browse by category or state) to find the issuer, for example your state's transport department.
3. Enter the details the issuer asks for, such as the licence number and date of birth, and fetch the document.
4. It appears under Issued Documents. The name in DigiLocker has to match the issuer's record. A mismatch usually means correcting it with the issuer, not in DigiLocker.

If your issuer isn't listed, DigiLocker can't make the document "issued". Keep the scan as a convenience copy and the physical original for verification.

If you are the one receiving a DigiLocker document

• Ask how it came from DigiLocker. An organisation registered as a requester fetches the document from DigiLocker with the holder's consent. That copy comes from the issuer's record.
• Treat a screenshot like a photocopy. A screenshot of the app, or a PDF the holder exported and emailed, proves only what any image proves.
• Check a PDF's digital signature when it has one. Many government PDFs carry a digital signature that survives download. Use the PDF signature verifier to see who signed it and whether it has changed. For Aadhaar, the e-Aadhaar signature check and the Secure QR code are the stronger checks (see checking a possibly AI-made Aadhaar or PAN and the e-Aadhaar QR and signature checks).
• Insist on the physical original only where your rules require it. Rule 9A lets organisations accept DigiLocker documents as originals. Your own department's or regulator's procedure decides whether you must.

DigiLocker's own site notes that Indian Railways accepts DigiLocker as a valid ID. Show the document from Issued Documents in the app, not from the uploaded section.

FAQ

Is a document I uploaded and eSigned in DigiLocker an original?

No. eSigning your upload is similar to self-attesting a photocopy. Rule 9A applies to documents an issuer pushes into DigiLocker, not to files you upload.

Is a DigiLocker Aadhaar the same as e-Aadhaar?

Both come from UIDAI. The Aadhaar in Issued Documents is fetched from UIDAI into your DigiLocker account. The e-Aadhaar is the signed PDF you download from myAadhaar. Each can be checked against UIDAI's records or signature.

Does every office have to accept DigiLocker documents?

Rule 9A treats issued documents as at par with originals and MeitY has asked governments to accept them, but each office applies its own procedure. Some still ask to see the physical original at a verification stage.

Can I get an old certificate added to Issued Documents?

Only if the authority that issued it has joined DigiLocker as an issuer and has your record in its system. Otherwise keep the physical original safe and use an uploaded scan as a copy.

If I lose my phone, are my issued documents lost?

No. Issued documents are fetched from the issuer's records into your account, so you can see them again after signing in on a new device.

Sources

• Letter No. NeGD/P&CEO/01/2018 to all State Governments/UTs on adopting DigiLocker and Rule 9A, MeitY / Digital India Corporation
• DigiLocker, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• Digital Locker scheme page, District Mirzapur (Government of Uttar Pradesh, NIC)
• Circular on DigiLocker implementation and Rule 9A, Information Technology Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir