A Non-Creamy Layer Certificate is a certificate provided to a certain group of people in Indian society who belong to the Other Backward Class (OBC) and whose annual income is below a certain limit. The certificate was introduced by former Prime Minister V.P. Singh in 1993. The certificate is issued by the Tahsildar of the concerned State Government, and the procedure for obtaining it differs from state to state. The application should include the following documents:

• Income certificate
• Application form
• Other documents as required by the issuing authority

The eligibility criteria for obtaining a Non-Creamy Layer Certificate vary slightly based on the issuing authority and the state in which it is issued. However, some common criteria include:

• The applicants parents income should be below a certain limit, usually 8 lakhs per year.
• The applicant should belong to a non-creamy layer of the OBC.
• The applicant should be a government employee earning less than a certain amount.

The benefits of having a Non-Creamy Layer Certificate include better access to public jobs, education, and sponsorships. Students holding Non-Creamy Layer Certificates also enjoy certain allocations in top educational institutions like IIT and IIM. The certificate is valid for one year from the date of receiving it. The application procedure differs from one state to another. In some states, the application form can be downloaded from the website or obtained from the local government bodies, which has to be filled and submitted. While in other states like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, the procedure to obtain this certificate is completely online with a nominal application fee.