An experience certificate is the one page that proves a job actually happened. The organisation writes it in five minutes when someone leaves; the person then needs it for years — for the next employer, for an embassy, for a bank, for a skills assessment. Most refusals it meets are not about the work at all. They are about a certificate that is missing one of the lines this page lists.
Who will ask for it, and what each one checks
The next employer checks the dates and the designation against the CV. A gap between what the CV claims and what the certificate says — even a month, even “Senior Officer” against “Officer” — reads as dishonesty, and it is usually just a certificate written from memory.
Embassies and visa officers check that the paper can be verified: a reference number, a signature with a name and designation under it, a stamp, and a phone number or address on the letterhead someone could actually call. An unverifiable certificate is treated as no certificate.
Skills assessments and foreign credential bodies (the ones IT and engineering applicants meet) additionally want the duties — three to six lines of what the person actually did, because they map duties to an occupation code, not job titles.
Banks mostly want it beside a salary certificate, to see that the income they are lending against comes from a job with some history behind it.
What it must contain — every line, and why
The organisation's letterhead, with an address and phone number. A certificate on plain paper is a note, not a document.
A reference number and date of issue, at the top. This is what makes the letter traceable in the organisation's own records — the single strongest signal that it is genuine.
The person's full name as it appears on their citizenship or passport. “Sita” is a colleague; “Sita Sharma” is a record.
The designation and department, exactly as they were. If the person was promoted, say both: “joined as Officer, served as Senior Officer from 2081.”
The dates of employment — from and to, day-month-year. “Worked for three years” fails every check that matters; “from 2079-05-01 to 2082-04-30” passes them.
The basis of employment: full-time, part-time, contract. Assessors abroad discount experience whose basis is not stated.
A conduct line — “during this period their conduct and performance were found satisfactory” is the conventional wording. Its absence is read as deliberate.
The authorised signature, with the signer's own name and designation printed under it, and the organisation's stamp. “For the management” with a scribble is the most common reason embassies bounce these.
The mistakes that get one rejected
Written in the wrong tense. For someone who has left, the whole letter is past tense. “She is working here since 2079” on a certificate dated after her departure contradicts itself on its face.
No reference number. The first thing a verification email asks for is the ref — a certificate without one often cannot be confirmed even by the organisation that wrote it.
Dates that disagree with other papers. The appointment letter, the salary certificate and this one must tell one story. Verifiers put them side by side; the applicant rarely has.
Confusing it with a recommendation letter. An experience certificate states facts — role, dates, conduct. Praise belongs in a recommendation, and mixing the two weakens both: the facts read as flattery and the flattery reads as padding.
The standard wording, in full — नमुना
[Organisation letterhead — name, address, phone] Ref. No.: ______ Date: ______ TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN This is to certify that Mr./Ms. [full name] served at [organisation name] as [designation] in the [department] department, on a full-time basis, from [start date] to [end date]. During this period, his/her conduct and performance were found satisfactory. This certificate has been issued at his/her request. We wish him/her success in future endeavours. _______________________ [Signer's name] [Signer's designation] [Organisation stamp]
The tool fills this in from a form, keeps your letterhead and signature for every certificate you issue, and prints a whole list of names at once.
Common questions
Is an experience certificate the same as a recommendation letter?
No. The experience certificate states facts — designation, dates, basis of employment, conduct — and is addressed to whom it may concern. A recommendation letter is one person's opinion, addressed to a specific reader. Embassies and employers usually want the certificate; universities often want both.
Can my current employer give me one while I still work there?
Yes — it is then usually titled a work experience letter and written in the present tense: “has been working since” rather than “worked from–to”. Everything else, the ref number and signature included, stays the same.
Does it need to be in English?
For use inside Nepal, Nepali is fine and common. For an embassy, a foreign employer or a skills assessment, English is expected — and if the original is in Nepali, they will ask for a notarised translation, so issuing it in English first saves a step. This tool produces either.
Does it need to be notarised?
Not by default — the signature and stamp of the issuing organisation are what give it force. Notarisation enters the picture for translations, and when a specific embassy's checklist asks for it. Check the checklist you are actually submitting against.
My old employer has closed down. What can I do?
Gather what still exists: appointment letter, salary slips or bank statements showing the salary, the tax record, and colleagues who can be referees. Some assessors accept a statutory declaration describing the employment alongside that evidence. What nobody accepts is a certificate signed by someone with no standing to sign it.
Other certificate kinds
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