Experience certificate format

An experience certificate is a formal statement of facts about a person’s service, which the employee hands to a university, bank, visa office or recruiter. Choose a template, fill in the details and give it a reference number.

In short

An experience certificate is a short, formal certificate on company letterhead that states an employee’s designation, department, dates of service and duties. It opens with ‘This is to certify that’, carries a reference number and is signed by an authorised signatory. Employees give it to universities, visa offices, banks and recruiters, so it records facts and leaves out praise.

Experience certificate templates

Fill in your details once and all 4 versions below update. Copy the one you need, or print it on your letterhead and save it as a PDF.

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1. Standard experience certificate

Use this for a former employee who held one designation; delete the conduct line if your policy is to state facts only.

[Company name]
[Company address]

EXPERIENCE CERTIFICATE

Ref. No.: [Reference number]
Date of issue: [Date of issue]

This is to certify that [Mr./Ms.] [Employee’s full name] (Employee ID: [Employee ID]) was employed with [Company name] as [Last designation] in the [Department] department.

Date of joining: [Date of joining]
Last working day: [Last working day]
Nature of employment: [full-time permanent/full-time fixed-term/part-time]
Place of work: [office city]

[His/Her/Their] duties included [Duties, in one line].

During the period of employment, [his/her/their] conduct was satisfactory.

The details above are taken from the HR records of the company. This certificate is issued at the employee’s request as a record of employment. A reader can verify its details with the HR department at [HR contact email], quoting the reference number above.

For [Company name]

[Signatory’s name]
[Signatory’s title]
[Company seal, if your company uses one]

2. Certificate with promotions or transfers

Use this when the employee held two or more designations, and add a numbered line for each, in date order.

[Company name]
[Company address]

EXPERIENCE CERTIFICATE

Ref. No.: [Reference number]
Date of issue: [Date of issue]

This is to certify that [Mr./Ms.] [Employee’s full name] (Employee ID: [Employee ID]) was employed with [Company name] from [Date of joining] to [Last working day] and held the following designations during that period.

1. [First designation], [department], from [Date of joining] to [last date in first role]
2. [Last designation], [Department], from [effective date of promotion or transfer] to [Last working day]

The change from the first designation to the second was a [promotion/transfer/change of role]. [His/Her/Their] duties in the last designation included [Duties, in one line].

The last working day was [Last working day]. The details above are taken from the HR records of the company.

This certificate is issued at the request of the employee. To verify any detail, please write to [HR contact email] and quote the reference number given above.

For [Company name]

[Signatory’s name]
[Signatory’s title]
[Company seal, if your company uses one]

3. Certificate for a current employee

Use this when an employee who is still on your rolls needs proof of service for a visa, a loan or an admission.

[Company name]
[Company address]

EXPERIENCE CERTIFICATE (CURRENT EMPLOYMENT)

Ref. No.: [Reference number]
Date of issue: [Date of issue]

This is to certify that [Mr./Ms.] [Employee’s full name] (Employee ID: [Employee ID]) has been employed with [Company name] since [Date of joining] and currently works as [Last designation] in the [Department] department.

[His/Her/Their] employment is continuing as on the date of this certificate.
Nature of employment: [full-time permanent/full-time fixed-term/part-time]
Pay details: [Insert payroll-verified salary and benefits in the format requested; delete this line if not requested.]
Place of work: [city and office address]

[His/Her/Their] duties include [Duties, in one line].

This certificate is issued at the request of the employee for [a visa application/a loan application/an admission application]. It records the position on the date of issue only. To verify it, please write to [HR contact email] and quote the reference number above.

For [Company name]

[Signatory’s name]
[Signatory’s title]
[Company seal, if your company uses one]

4. Detailed certificate for visa or study use

Use this when the requester wants more than dates, such as working hours, pay details, a duties list and a verification contact.

[Company name]
[Company address]

EXPERIENCE CERTIFICATE

Ref. No.: [Reference number]
Date of issue: [Date of issue]

This is to certify that [Mr./Ms.] [Employee’s full name] (Employee ID: [Employee ID]) was employed with [Company name] from [Date of joining] to [Last working day]. The last position held was [Last designation] in the [Department] department. [If earlier positions were held, list each designation, department and its start and end dates below.]

Employment status: [full-time permanent/full-time fixed-term]
Working hours: [number] hours a week
Pay details: [Insert payroll-verified salary and benefits in the format requested; delete this line if not requested.]
Place of work: [city and office address]
Reason for leaving: [resignation/end of fixed term; delete this line unless the requester asks for it]

Main duties in the last position:
1. [Duties, in one line]
2. [Second duty, in one line]
3. [Third duty, in one line]

This certificate is issued at the request of the employee for [a visa application/an admission application/an application to an overseas employer]. For verification, please contact the HR team at [HR contact email] or [HR phone number], quoting the reference number above.

For [Company name]

[Signatory’s name]
[Signatory’s title]
[Company seal, if your company uses one]

These templates are a starting point, not legal advice. Check the final wording against your company policy and with your HR or legal adviser before you send it.

What to include

  • The heading ‘Experience certificate’ and the opening ‘This is to certify that’, so the paper reads as a record.
  • A reference number and date of issue, and the employee ID if your company uses one.
  • The employee’s full name, spelt as in your HR records and, if the employee asks, as on their passport.
  • Each designation held, with its department and its own start and end dates.
  • The date of joining and the last working day, or ‘continuing as on the date of this certificate’ for a current employee.
  • The nature of employment: full-time or part-time, permanent or fixed-term.
  • A one-line statement of duties in neutral words, with no adjectives.
  • At most one conduct line, or none if your policy is to state facts only.
  • A purpose line, such as ‘issued at the request of the employee for a visa application’.
  • A verification contact, and the signature, name and title of an authorised signatory, with the seal if your company uses one.

How to issue it

  1. Ask the employee to request the certificate in writing, stating the purpose, the date it is needed and any format or checklist that the university, bank or visa office has supplied.
  2. Pull the facts from the HR system, the appointment letter, any promotion letters and the relieving letter. Do not copy them from the employee’s CV.
  3. Choose the template that fits the employee’s status and the requester’s checklist. Leave out unsupported praise. Include pay only when requested by the employee and needed for the stated purpose, using payroll-verified details.
  4. Number the certificate from your register. Check each date and the spelling of the name against the records, then have the authorised signatory sign.
  5. Issue a signed PDF from the HR email address. Provide a printed original as well if the requester asks for one, and tell the employee which copy is which.
  6. Record the issue in the register and file a copy. Answer verification requests in writing, and confirm only what the certificate states.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Adjectives such as ‘hardworking’ or ‘sincere’ turn a record into an opinion; remove them and put any praise in the experience letter.
  • ‘Till date’ on the certificate of someone who has left, or a blank last working day, leaves the end of service unclear; write the exact last working day and keep ‘continuing’ for current employees.
  • Skipping a promotion makes the designation differ from the one on the employee’s CV; list every designation with its own dates.
  • No verification contact leaves the reader to ask the employee; print an HR email address or phone number and the reference number to quote.
  • Altering an issued certificate by hand casts doubt on every date; issue a corrected copy under a new reference number and mark the earlier one as withdrawn.
  • Signing wording drafted by the employee’s consultant without checking it makes you vouch for claims you cannot support; compare every statement with your records and agree any change with the employee before you sign.

Who asks for an experience certificate, and what they check

The usual requesters are universities abroad, visa offices and immigration consultants, banks and lenders, government and public-sector recruiters, professional bodies and background-verification agencies. Ask the employee who the requester is, because each looks at something slightly different.

Admission and visa files often look for dates, designation, duties and whether the job was full-time. A lender often looks at how long the person has been with you and whether the employment is continuing. A verification agency compares your certificate with what the candidate declared. Ask the employee for the requester’s checklist and include what your records support.

When the requester sends its own format

Government departments, public-sector employers, embassies and some universities supply a prescribed format or a checklist. When you receive one, use it. Fill it from your records, keep the facts identical to your own certificate and give it your reference number so the two can be matched.

If the format asks for something your records cannot support, explain the limitation to the employee and ask the receiving organisation how to record it. Do not sign an unsupported statement. Agree any amendment before issuing the certificate and keep a copy of what you sign.

Wording that keeps the certificate verifiable

Write in the third person. Use the past tense for someone who has left and the present tense for someone who is still employed. Write dates in words, such as 3 July 2023, because 03/07/2023 reads as 7 March in some countries.

Use the same designation, department and dates as your HR records, and the same spelling of the name on every page. Leave out adjectives, and leave out anything you would not read aloud to a verifier.

Questions about the experience certificate

Is an experience certificate the same as an experience letter?

Some companies use the two names for one paper. Where they are kept apart, the certificate is the formal statement of facts that the employee gives to a university, visa office, bank or recruiter, while the letter is a short narrative for the next employer. If a requester names one, ask the employee what the requester wants to see.

Is a service certificate the same as an experience certificate?

In many private companies the same paper goes under both names. Government offices and public-sector bodies often use ‘service certificate’ for a record built from the employee’s service file, listing each post, its dates and the pay scale. If a requester asks for one, find out what it expects before you draft.

Can you issue an experience certificate to someone who is still working?

Yes, if your policy allows it. Use the current-employee template, which says the employment is continuing and records the position on the date of issue only. Such requests usually come for a visa, a loan or an admission. Some people call this an employment certificate, so confirm the title the requester expects.

What if an employee wants the salary on the certificate?

Leave pay out of a general-purpose experience certificate. If the employee requests a certificate for a specific application, check the receiving organisation’s checklist. Include payroll-verified pay details in that certificate when the checklist asks for them. Use a separate salary certificate only if the receiving organisation accepts it.

Should the certificate give the reason for leaving?

Not unless the requester asks. When it does, use plain words that match your records, such as ‘resigned’ or ‘fixed term ended’. For a termination or any contested exit, take your legal adviser’s view before you write anything about the reason.

What if a certificate has a wrong detail or the original is lost?

For an error, issue a corrected certificate under a new reference number. Name the certificate it replaces and record the correction in your register. For a lost original, issue a copy marked ‘Duplicate’ that keeps the original reference number and issue date, and show the date the duplicate was issued separately. A duplicate repeats the original statement as at its original date; it does not confirm the employee’s position today. If someone needs current proof, check the records and issue a fresh certificate.

Does an experience certificate need a company seal?

The seal is a company practice, not part of the wording. Use one if your company normally does. Whether or not you do, add the reference number, the signatory’s name and title and a verification contact, so a reader can check the certificate with you.

How soon after the last working day should you issue the certificate?

Set an internal turnaround, tell the employee what it is and follow your company’s policy. Many companies issue the certificate with the relieving documents once exit formalities are complete. For a current employee, agree a date that meets the requester’s deadline.

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