Who issues an experience certificate?

The employer issues it, usually through the HR department or, in a small business, the owner or manager directly. It must be printed on the company letterhead and signed by an authorised person, with the company stamp. A certificate written by the employee themselves, or on plain paper without a signature and stamp, will not be accepted by a new employer or a bank.

Is an experience certificate the same as a relieving letter?

No. A relieving letter confirms that you have been formally released from your duties on a specific date and that your dues are settled. An experience certificate describes your role, tenure and conduct, and serves as proof of the work you did. Many companies issue both together on the last day, but they are separate documents with separate purposes.

Can I get an experience certificate if I resigned without notice?

It depends on the employer. Legally there is no rule that forces a company to issue one, and some firms hold it back if you left without serving notice or without completing the exit process. In practice, if there is no financial recovery pending against you and you complete the formalities, most employers will issue at least a basic experience certificate. If they refuse unfairly, a payslip and offer letter can partly serve as proof of employment.

What should an experience certificate not contain?

It should not state your salary figures, the reason you left, or any negative remark unless the company has a specific policy for it. Salary is confidential and belongs in the salary slip, not the experience certificate. A clean certificate simply confirms the role, the dates and good conduct, and stays neutral and positive.

How long should an experience certificate be?

One page is enough, and shorter is better. A verifier is looking for four facts: the employee name, the designation, the exact tenure and a line confirming conduct. A single tidy paragraph or two on letterhead does the job. Extra detail such as project lists can be added if the employee needs it, but it is not required.

Experience Certificate Format: Samples & Free Template (2026)

An experience certificate is one of the most requested documents in an Indian workplace, and one of the most searched. Every employee who changes jobs, applies for a visa, or asks a bank for a loan will be asked for proof that they actually worked where they say they did. As an employer, issuing a correct experience certificate is a small task that carries real weight, because a badly written one can cost your former employee a job offer or a loan approval. This guide explains what the document is, who issues it, exactly what it must contain, and gives you two sample formats you can copy and adapt today.

What an experience certificate is

An experience certificate is a formal letter, issued by an employer on company letterhead, that confirms a person worked for the organisation, states the role they held, the period they worked, and comments on their conduct. It is proof of employment. A new employer uses it during background verification to confirm your claimed experience is real. Banks and embassies use it to establish income history and stability. Because it is a proof document, it must be verifiable, which means it has to carry the company name, an authorised signature, a date and a stamp.

People often confuse it with a relieving letter or a service certificate. A service certificate is essentially the same thing, just a different name that government bodies and some older organisations prefer. A relieving letter is different: it confirms the date you were released from duty. It is normal to receive both an experience certificate and a relieving letter on your last working day. For the difference in detail, read our guide on the relieving letter format.

Who issues it and when

The employer issues the certificate. In a company with an HR team, HR prepares it. In a small business, the owner or manager signs it directly. It is normally issued when an employee leaves, as part of the exit process, alongside the relieving letter and the full and final settlement. Some employees also request an interim experience certificate while still employed, for a visa or a loan, and a good employer will issue one confirming the tenure up to the current date.

What it must contain

A correct experience certificate has a short, fixed set of elements. Miss any of these and a verifier may treat it as incomplete:

Company details: the certificate must be on official letterhead showing the company name, address and contact.
Date of issue: the date the certificate is written.
Employee name: the full legal name, matching their other records.
Designation: the role or roles held. If the person was promoted, mention the last designation and, if useful, the earlier one.
Tenure: the exact date of joining and the last working day, in a clear format such as 1 April 2023 to 31 July 2026.
Conduct: a neutral to positive line confirming the employee was sincere, hardworking or of good conduct.
Signature and stamp: the name, designation and signature of the authorised person, with the company seal.

Notice what is not on the list: salary. Keep pay out of the experience certificate, because it is confidential and belongs on the salary slip instead.

Sample format 1: standard experience certificate

[COMPANY LETTERHEAD]

Date: 14 August 2026

TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN

This is to certify that Mr./Ms. Ananya Sharma was employed
with Acme Traders Pvt. Ltd. from 1 April 2023 to
31 July 2026.

During this period she worked as a Sales Executive and later
as Senior Sales Executive. We found her to be sincere,
hardworking and professional in her conduct.

We wish her all the best for her future endeavours.

For Acme Traders Pvt. Ltd.

_______________________
Rajesh Kumar
HR Manager
(Company Seal)

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Sample format 2: detailed experience certificate

Use this longer version when the employee needs their responsibilities documented, for example for a senior role or an overseas application:

[COMPANY LETTERHEAD]

Date: 14 August 2026

EXPERIENCE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mr. Imran Qureshi (Employee ID: EMP-1042)
worked with BrightSoft Solutions Pvt. Ltd. from
10 January 2021 to 9 August 2026 in the Technology department.

At the time of leaving, he held the designation of Team Lead.
His main responsibilities included managing a team of six
developers, delivering client projects on schedule, and
handling code reviews and quality checks.

Throughout his tenure, his conduct and performance were found
to be satisfactory. He was a dependable member of the team and
we have no hesitation in recommending him.

We wish him success in his future career.

For BrightSoft Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

_______________________
Priya Menon
Director, Human Resources
(Company Seal)

Common mistakes to avoid

A few errors show up again and again, and each one can make the certificate useless:

No letterhead, no stamp: a certificate on plain paper without a company seal will be rejected during verification. Always use official letterhead.
Wrong or vague dates: writing only the year, or getting the joining date wrong, causes a mismatch with the offer letter and payslips. Confirm the exact dates from your records.
Adding salary: including the pay figure breaches confidentiality and is not expected on this document.
Negative remarks: unless there is a genuine policy reason, avoid critical comments. Keep the tone neutral and fair.
No authorised signatory: the signer must be someone with the authority to represent the company, such as HR, a manager or the owner, not a colleague.
Name mismatch: the name must match the employee official records exactly, or a bank or embassy may query it.

How IndiaCRM helps

If you employ people, keeping exact joining dates, designations and exit records in one place makes issuing these documents quick and error free. IndiaCRM stores each employee record with their role history and dates, so when someone leaves you can generate a correct experience certificate, relieving letter and settlement without hunting through old files. To see how the offer stage connects to this, read our guide on the offer letter format and the appointment letter format. An experience certificate is a small document, but getting it right protects both you and the person who worked for you.