CLAT 2027 Documents Required: The Complete Checklist for Registration, Exam Day, Counselling and Admission

Who conducts it and when

Conducting body: Consortium of National Law Universities (consortiumofnlus.ac.in).

CLAT 2027 registration window: 3 August 2026 to 31 October 2026 (11:59 PM).

CLAT 2027 exam date: Sunday, 6 December 2026, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

All documents are uploaded online. Nothing is posted or submitted in physical form at the application stage.

That is the checklist in brief. The rest of this guide is the version most pages online do not give you, the one that keeps the four very different document stages apart. A large share of CLAT confusion comes from a single mistake: treating the documents required to fill the form as if they were the documents required for admission. They are not the same list, they are not needed at the same time, and mixing them is how aspirants either panic early or get caught short late. Below, every document sits under the exact stage it belongs to, with the current 2027 dates, the photo and signature rules, the category wise requirements, the CLAT PG list, the file format and size rules, and a printable final checklist.

CLAT 2027 Documents Required at a Glance

Here is the single screen view of the CLAT documents required, and when each one is actually needed. Read it as a map of four stages, not one pile of paperwork.

The takeaway: the only documents you must have ready today, if you are applying now, are the registration set. Everything else you simply keep organised so it is at hand when counselling and admission arrive. If you are preparing alongside the paperwork, our CLAT coaching in Delhi NCR maps the full 2027 timeline into a week by week study plan, and you can pressure test your reading speed on our CLAT previous year papers before a single paper is gathered.

Stage 1: Documents Required for CLAT 2027 Registration

This is the list that actually matters when you sit down to fill the CLAT application form 2027 online. The Consortium keeps the registration upload deliberately light, because the form is a provisional application, not an admission file. You are not proving your whole academic record here. You are only giving enough to create a valid, identifiable application.

Documents every candidate must upload

• Recent passport size photograph. A clear, front facing colour photo on a plain light background, taken within the last six months.

• Scanned signature. Your own signature in black or blue ink on plain white paper, in running handwriting, not block capitals.

• Class 10 certificate or mark sheet. This is used as your date of birth proof. CLAT has no upper age limit, so this document is about identity and date of birth, not a cut off.

• Class 12 mark sheet or appearing certificate. If your result is already out, upload the mark sheet. If you are appearing in 2027, you may apply with an appearing or provisional document and produce the final mark sheet later at admission.

• Valid government photo ID. Aadhaar card, passport, voter ID or PAN card. The name on it must match the name you enter on the form.

• A working email ID and mobile number. Not a document as such, but the mobile is validated by an OTP and both become your login and your channel for every future alert, so treat them as part of the required set.

CLAT 2027 Photo Size and Signature Specifications

The photograph and the signature are where applications most often stumble, because the specifications are strict and, frankly, because the numbers circulating online do not agree with one another. Here is the honest position, which is also the accuracy wedge of this page.

What the official CLAT 2027 instructions confirm. The Consortium states that the photograph and signature do not need to be attested when you submit the online form, and it asks for a recent, front facing passport size photo on a plain background. The official instruction page does not publish a fixed pixel size for the upload. The exact kilobyte and pixel limits are enforced by the upload tool on the portal and are confirmed in the information bulletin for the cycle.

What the commonly cited specifications say. Across recent cycles and the major coaching portals, the figures below are the ones most often quoted. Treat them as a strong guide, then confirm the live limits shown on the upload screen when you fill the form.

A practical tip from our mentors: scan at a minimum of 200 DPI in true colour, crop out the extra white space around the photo, and keep a copy of both the photo and the signature on your phone and your email. You will need the same photo again on your admit card and at counselling, and a matching signature across the form, the admit card and the exam day attendance sheet avoids any question later. If you want the precise live limits before you start, they are printed on the official CLAT 2027 information bulletin on the Consortium website.

Category Wise Documents for CLAT 2027

Reserved category candidates upload one extra certificate on top of the common set above. The certificate must be current, issued by the competent authority, and in the name that matches the rest of your application. Here is who needs what.

Documents Required for CLAT PG 2027 (LLM)

If you are a law graduate applying for the one year LLM through CLAT PG, the document set is almost identical in spirit, with one change at the academic end. Instead of your Class 12 record carrying your eligibility, your law degree does.

• Recent passport size photograph and scanned signature, to the same specifications as the UG form.

• LLB mark sheets or degree certificate. Final year LLB students who are still appearing may apply with a provisional or appearing document and produce the degree later.

• Class 10 certificate for date of birth, and a valid government photo ID.

• Category certificate for SC, ST, OBC, EWS, PwD or BPL, on the same terms as the UG form, where applicable.

As with the UG form, you upload only scanned copies. Original certificates are never required at the CLAT PG application stage. They are produced at admission to the allotted NLU. Some public sector undertakings also use CLAT PG scores to shortlist law officers, so keep your degree documents well organised beyond admission too.

One reminder for NLU Delhi aspirants: NLU Delhi admits only through AILET, not CLAT, so its document and form process is separate. If it is on your list, compare the two exams on our CLAT vs AILET 2027 guide, map the paper with the AILET 2027 syllabus, and train for it with our best AILET coaching in Delhi NCR, available online too.

How to Fill the CLAT 2027 Application Form, Step by Step

Knowing the documents is half the job. Knowing where each one is used in the flow is the other half. The whole process is online at consortiumofnlus.ac.in, and the document upload sits in the middle of it.

1. Visit the official CLAT website and register with your personal email ID and mobile number. Validate the mobile number with the OTP sent to it.

2. Log in and fill your personal, academic and category details, entering every name and date exactly as on your certificates.

3. Upload your documents, the photograph and signature first, then any category certificate.

4. Select your preferred test centre cities in order of preference. The final centre is allotted based on availability.

5. Pay the application fee online. After payment the programme, category and BPL fields are locked.

6. Submit the form and download the confirmation page. Save your application number, you need it for the admit card and for counselling.

CLAT 2027 Application Fee

The fee is paid online only and is non refundable and non adjustable, so submit only when your form is complete and checked.

Bank transaction charges shown on the payment gateway are borne by you. For the full breakdown of coaching costs separate from the exam fee, see our transparent CLAT and AILET coaching fees in Delhi NCR.

Documents Required on CLAT 2027 Exam Day

On 6 December 2026 the document requirement shrinks to the essentials. You do not carry mark sheets or certificates into the exam hall. You carry proof that you are the person who applied.

• Printed CLAT 2027 admit card. Download it after it releases on the portal and print at least two colour copies. Without it you are not allowed to sit the exam, whatever your preparation.

• Original valid photo ID. The same type you declared on the form, such as Aadhaar, passport, voter ID or PAN.

• A passport size photograph if the admit card instructions ask you to carry one.

Leave mobile phones, smartwatches, calculators and bags outside. Reach the centre well before the 2:00 PM start, since reporting closes before the exam begins and PwD candidates are given time until 4:40 PM. If you want to walk in fully rehearsed, our online CLAT coaching runs full length mocks in the exact 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM slot. Prefer a classroom near you? We teach across the NCR at Hauz Khas, GTB Nagar, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram.

Documents Required for CLAT 2027 Counselling

After the result, qualified candidates register for centralised counselling on the CLAT portal. This is where your academic documents finally come into play, but, importantly, they are uploaded online, not submitted in physical form at this stage. No candidate is allowed into counselling without submitting the required set.

• CLAT 2027 scorecard and the admit card

• Class 10 mark sheet or statement of marks

• Class 12 mark sheet or statement of marks

• A valid photo ID

• Recent passport size photograph

• Category certificate, SC, ST, OBC Non Creamy Layer, EWS, where you claim reservation

• PwD certificate, where applicable

• Domicile certificate, where a state quota seat is claimed

Accepting an allotted seat usually requires a confirmation fee payment at this point. Double check every uploaded document, because a mismatch at counselling can lead to disqualification from the process. To understand which NLUs and ranks each seat maps to, pair this with the cut off trends on our CLAT coaching in Delhi NCR resources.

Documents Required at Admission to Your Allotted NLU

This is the heaviest stage, and the one the registration list is so often confused with. When a seat is allotted and you report to the National Law University, you submit originals for verification. The exact set varies by NLU, but it almost always includes the following.

• CLAT scorecard and the printed application form

• Class 10 and Class 12 original mark sheets and passing certificates

• CLAT admit card

• Transfer certificate from your last school or institution

• Migration certificate, where you move from another board or university

• Character certificate from the institution last attended

• Category certificate, SC, ST, OBC Non Creamy Layer, EWS, in original, where claimed

• Domicile certificate, for a state quota seat at that NLU

• PwD certificate, where applicable

• Recent passport size photographs for the institute record

• Payment receipt of all fees paid

What Each Document Is Actually For

It helps to know why each paper is asked for, because it tells you which ones can be substituted and which cannot.

• Class 10 certificate: proves your date of birth. This is the one fixed identity anchor in the whole file.

• Class 12 mark sheet: proves your academic eligibility, the minimum aggregate for your category. Appearing students substitute a provisional document now and the final one later.

• Photo ID: ties the application and the exam day candidate to one verified identity.

• Category certificate: unlocks reservation benefits and the concessional fee. No valid certificate means no category claim.

• Transfer and migration certificates: confirm you have formally left your previous institution and board, required only at admission.

Common Document Mistakes That Get CLAT Applications Rejected

Most rejected forms fail on document quality, not on eligibility. Avoid these and your application sails through.

• Uploading a blurred, cropped or old photograph, or one with a cap, tinted glasses or a filter.

• A signature in block capitals, overwritten, or that does not match the one you use on the admit card and in the exam.

• A name, parents name or date of birth on the form that does not match the certificates and the photo ID exactly.

• An expired OBC certificate, or an ordinary caste certificate used where the Non Creamy Layer type is required.

• Leaving the form incomplete or paying at the last hour, when portals slow down near the 31 October deadline.

• Filing several applications and assuming the best one counts, when only the last submitted application is considered.

Special Cases: Appearing Students, Name Mismatch, and State Quota

Appearing candidates. If you are writing Class 12 in 2027, you can still apply. You upload an appearing or provisional document at registration, but your admission stays conditional, and you must submit your 10 plus 2 result at admission or you become ineligible for the seat.

Name or date mismatch. If your name is spelled differently across your Class 10 and Class 12 records, or your photo ID, resolve it before you apply, or carry an affidavit, because verification at counselling and admission is strict.

State quota and domicile. Several NLUs reserve a share of seats for state domicile candidates. If you intend to claim one, arrange your domicile or residence certificate early, as a Tehsildar can take time to issue it in the busy weeks before the deadline.

Your CLAT 2027 Document Checklist, Printable

Print this, tick as you go, and you will not be caught short at any of the four stages.

Before you apply (3 August to 31 October 2026)

• Recent passport size photograph, scanned signature

• Class 10 certificate, Class 12 mark sheet or appearing certificate

• Valid government photo ID, working email and mobile

• Category certificate if SC, ST, OBC NCL, EWS, PwD or BPL

Before the exam (6 December 2026)

• Printed admit card, two colour copies

• Original photo ID, and a photo if the admit card asks

For counselling and admission

• Scorecard, original Class 10 and 12 mark sheets

• Transfer, migration and character certificates

• Category, domicile and PwD certificates in original where claimed

• Fee payment receipts and spare photographs

Get the documents right and the application is the easy part. The seat is won on the paper, not the paperwork. If you want that paper rehearsed, train for the real exam with full length, timed mocks through our best CLAT coaching in Delhi NCR, check what it costs with our transparent CLAT and AILET coaching fees in Delhi NCR, and if NLU Delhi is on your list, weigh the two exams on our CLAT vs AILET 2027 guide.