CAT 2026 Category Certificates: SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS & PwD Documents Required, Validity, Deadlines

CAT 2026 Reservation Documents: Categories That Require Supporting CAT Caste Certificates 2026

The following category candidates fall under the reserved categories that require the supporting CAT category certificates for MBA admissions in India.

• Scheduled Caste (SC)

• Scheduled Tribe (ST)

• Non-Creamy Layer OBC (NC OBC)

• Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)

• Person With Disabilities (PwD)

Why Are CAT Category Certificates Important For CAT 2026?

IIMs and many other B-Schools in India have reservations for certain categories in India. The CAT caste certificates serve the purpose of an official proof that shows that a person belongs to a certain category and is eligible to take the benefits of reservation. The CAT caste certificates are important for several reasons.

• They provide reservations in IIMs and many other B-schools.

• Candidates with SC/ST certificates need to pay half of the CAT registration fees.

• Relaxations in the CAT eligibility criteria (45% required in graduation instead of 50%)

• Seats are also reserved in colleges during the final admission process.

CAT 2026 Caste Certificate Validity

The validity of your CAT caste certificate depends entirely on the type of your reservation and the category you belong to.

• For categories like Non-creamy layer OBC (NC-OBC) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), a fresh certificate needs to be issued after April 1, 2026.

• SC/ST certificate holds lifetime validity once issued from a central authority.

• For PwD category candidates, the validity of the CAT category certificate will be permanent in case of permanent disability only. If a candidate has temporary disability, the candidate will have to renew the certificate before its expiration.

NC-OBC CAT Caste Certificate 2026

Unlike the SC/ST CAT caste certificate, the NC-OBC CAT certificates do not hold a lifetime validity. A candidate applying for CAT 2026 will require a freshly issued NC-OBC CAT category certificate, issued after April 1, 2026. The NC-OBC caste certificate should confirm the Non-creamy status of the candidate and his/her inclusion in the central list. Make sure that the candidates don’t hold an old NC-OBC CAT category certificate, as it won’t be considered eligible for CAT 2026 MBA admissions.

What Happens If You Miss The CAT Caste Certificate 2026 Submission Deadline?

The CAT registration window will be closed on September 22, 2026. Hence, this date shall be considered the deadline to submit the CAT application form as well as the category certificates along with it. In case a candidate fails to submit the category certificates before the deadline, he/she will be registered under the General (Unreserved) category. This means that the candidate won’t be able to claim the benefits that are accessible to reserved category candidates. Also, once registered under the general category, the candidates won’t be able to change this later on. Hence, the candidates are advised to submit their CAT category certificates along with their CAT application form 2026.

Can You Upload The CAT Category Certificate 2026 Later?

Many candidates registering for CAT wonder whether they can submit the category certificate later or not. Well, it’s mandatory, as per the authorities conducting CAT, that the certificate letters be submitted before the registration window closes. Even though the final date gets extended for registration, candidates should not rely on that and complete their registration process as soon as they can. For CAT 2026, the registration window's last day will be September 22, 2026. Hence, the candidates are advised to get themselves registered for CAT 2026 before the deadline and get their certificates submitted on time.

Tips To Avoid Missing The CAT 2026 Reservation Documents Submission Deadline

We interviewed the CAT 2025 students who registered for the exam last year. Here’s a compiled list of tips that the students have shared that candidates can follow to avoid missing the deadline.

• Apply for your CAT caste certificate in advance, before the registration begins, to avoid any hassle during the CAT 2026 registration process.

• Properly verify that the certificate is issued by the proper authorities to avoid any issues in the future.

• Keep the scanned copies of the CAT category certificates ready to be used at any time required.

• Don’t push the registration process till the end of the registration window. Make sure you register at the earliest because multiple problems are encountered by the candidates later on, like heavy traffic on the website, unavailability of the first preference test center, etc.

CAT Registration Process: Step-by-Step Guide to Register For CAT 2026

Candidates who are planning to take the CAT exam for the first time must know about the CAT registration process as it is the first and the most crucial part of the MBA admission journey. Given below are the steps that the candidates must follow to register hassle-free for CAT 2026.

• Visit the official website iimcat.ac.in and search for the IIMCAT registration tab.

• Click on the “New Candidate Registration” button. After visiting the new registration page, enter the essential details such as mobile number, email ID, academic details, and work experience details (if applicable).

• Also, candidates who belong to the reserved categories will have to upload their category certificates as they won’t be able to change their category once the registration is complete.

• Once the details are filled and documents are submitted, pay the registration fees of Rs.2700 (expected) for GEN/EwS/OBC and Rs.1350 for SC/ST/PwD candidates.

• Download the application form and save it.