Can an Employee Use a DigiLocker Document? Legal Validity & HR Guide

Everything HR teams and employees need to know about submitting and accepting DigiLocker documents for employment — backed by the IT Act, 2000 and current government rules.

If you've ever been asked to submit your Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence, or degree certificate during onboarding, you've probably wondered: can an employee use a DigiLocker document instead of a physical copy? The short answer is yes — but there are a few conditions employees and HR teams should both understand before relying on it for official records.

In this guide, we break down the legal standing of DigiLocker documents in India, which ones employers should accept, how to verify them, and where digital Kleeto fit into a paperless HR workflow.

What Is DigiLocker, Briefly

DigiLocker is a Government of India initiative under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), offering every citizen a secure, cloud-based digital locker to store and share government-issued documents such as Aadhaar, PAN, driving licences, and academic certificates. Documents can either be "issued" directly into a user's account by the source authority, or self-uploaded as scanned copies.

Is a DigiLocker Document Legally Valid for Employment?

Yes. This is governed by two key legal provisions:

• Section 9A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 — recognises documents issued and authenticated through a digital locker as being at par with physical originals.
• Rule 9A of the IT (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Rules, 2017 — explicitly states that certificates or documents issued in the Digital Locker System, or accepted from a Digital Locker account, are to be treated on par with physical documents by all requesting entities, which includes private and public sector employers.

In practice: An employer cannot lawfully insist on a physical duplicate solely because a document was shared through DigiLocker, as long as it is an issuer-verified document and not a self-uploaded scan.

Issued Documents vs. Self-Uploaded Documents

This distinction matters a lot for HR compliance, and it's the part most people miss.

Which Employee Documents Are Commonly Available on DigiLocker?

• Aadhaar Card
• PAN Card
• Driving Licence and Vehicle RC
• Class 10 and 12 Mark Sheets
• Degree Certificates (for universities registered with the National Academic Depository)
• State-issued caste, income, and domicile certificates (availability varies by state)

The University Grants Commission has directed academic institutions to accept degrees and mark sheets available on DigiLocker as valid documents, which extends the same acceptance logic to employers verifying educational qualifications during hiring.

How Should HR Teams Verify a DigiLocker Document?

Accepting a DigiLocker document doesn't mean accepting it blindly. HR and compliance teams should follow a quick verification step before filing it as an official employee record:

1. Check the source: Confirm the document appears under the "Issued Documents" section of the employee's DigiLocker account, not the self-uploaded section.
2. Scan the QR code: Every issued document carries a QR code or verification link that pulls the record directly from the issuer's database, confirming authenticity in seconds.
3. Cross-check key fields: Match name, date of birth, and document number against other submitted records such as offer letters or previous employment documents.
4. Archive securely: Store the verified copy in a compliant document management system with an audit trail, rather than as a loose file on a shared drive.

Are There Any Situations Where Physical Documents Are Still Needed?

Yes, a few exceptions remain:

• Police verification processes that specifically require a physical, notarised copy.
• Certain government or defence-sector roles with their own document handling protocols.
• Cases where the document has not yet been pushed by the issuer (recently issued certificates can take time to appear in DigiLocker).

Outside these exceptions, a genuine, issuer-verified DigiLocker document should be accepted the same way a physical original would be.

Why This Matters for HR Compliance and Statutory Recordkeeping

For sectors with strict statutory documentation requirements, accepting verified digital documents doesn't just save paperwork — it strengthens the audit trail. We cover this in more depth in our post on statutory document compliance for regulated industries, where digital-first recordkeeping is quickly becoming the default rather than the exception.

The same legal logic that validates DigiLocker documents also underpins electronic signatures on HR letters and offer documents. If your team is still asking whether a digitally signed offer letter or appointment letter holds up legally, our detailed breakdown on the legal validity of e-Hastakshar (electronic signatures) covers exactly that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an employee legally use a DigiLocker document for official work?

Yes. Under Rule 9A of the 2017 Digital Locker Rules, read with Section 9A of the IT Act, 2000, an issuer-verified document in DigiLocker is treated at par with the physical original for official and employment purposes.

Can an employer reject a DigiLocker document and insist on a physical copy?

Not for a genuine, issuer-verified document — the law gives it equal legal status. Employers can still request physical copies for specific processes like police verification, where a physical document is separately mandated.

What's the difference between an "issued" and a "self-uploaded" DigiLocker document?

Issued documents come directly from the source authority (university, RTO, UIDAI) and carry full legal validity. Self-uploaded scans are not automatically verified and should be treated with the same caution as any other scanned copy.

Which employee documents are commonly found on DigiLocker?

Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence, Class 10/12 mark sheets, and degree certificates from participating universities are the most common. Availability depends on whether the issuing authority has integrated with DigiLocker.

How can HR verify a DigiLocker document is genuine?

By scanning the QR code or verification link on the document, which pulls the record live from the issuer's own database, confirming it hasn't been altered or forged.

Sources: DigiLocker — Ministry of Electronics & IT, Government of India; Information Technology Act, 2000 (Section 9A); IT (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Amendment Rules, 2017 (Rule 9A); University Grants Commission notification on DigiLocker-issued academic documents.