Gujarat to Add Official Seals to Digital Certificates, Eliminate Extra Office Visits

The General Administration Department (GAD), through a circular issued on October 21, has directed the development of a system to display the official round seal of the competent issuing authority, along with details of the concerned office, on certificates and attestations generated through government digital portals.

The move aims to simplify administrative procedures, reduce additional formalities and make online public services more convenient.

Currently, digitally issued certificates do not carry the round seal of the issuing authority in the required format, often forcing applicants to visit the relevant government office separately to obtain a stamp. This adds time and effort to a process that is otherwise conducted online.

Under the proposed arrangement, the official seal and details of the office responsible for approving the certificate will be incorporated into the digital document in accordance with applicable laws, rules and instructions.

Digital Gujarat 2.0 push to simplify services

The initiative forms part of the state government's broader efforts under Digital Gujarat 2.0 to improve service delivery and reduce citizens' dependence on physical paperwork.

The government has undertaken Government Process Re-engineering (GPR) and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) to simplify procedures for frequently used public services.

The broader objective is to move towards a ‘Digital-by-Default’ approach, under which the entire service delivery process is digitised and integrated with the Digital Gujarat 2.0 platform.

By incorporating official seals directly into digitally issued documents, the government intends to eliminate avoidable administrative steps and reduce the need for physical visits after certificates have been issued online.

Departments to coordinate on implementation

According to the circular, the departments concerned will coordinate with the Department of Science and Technology to implement the decision.

Once the required departmental procedures are completed, technical modifications will be made to the digital portals to incorporate the seals and details of the competent issuing authorities.

The government expects the changes to make the identity and authenticity of digitally issued documents clearer while reducing the additional effort required from applicants.

The initiative is also intended to advance paperless governance by making online services more convenient from the application stage through to the delivery and use of certificates.

The decision comes as the state government, under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, pursues administrative reforms aimed at simplifying citizen-facing services. Implementation will depend on departmental coordination and completion of the necessary technical changes to the portals.