Degree Certificate by Speed Post: How to Track It, and What to Do If It's Returned or Lost
Your university says the degree has been posted, your joining date or visa appointment is coming up, and nothing has arrived. Here's where to find the Speed Post number, how to read the tracking, and exactly what to do if the envelope goes back to the university or disappears.
Got the Speed Post number from your university?
Paste the 13-character number (it ends in "IN") to see every scan, from the university's post office to your door.
Here's the short answer. When a university sends your degree, marksheet or transcript by Speed Post, the envelope gets a 13-character Speed Post number, such as EA123456789IN (example only). That number is your tracking number. You get it from the university, not from India Post: look in your student or convocation portal, your email and SMS, or ask the examination or degree section directly. Once you have it, track it on our free Speed Post tracker or on India Post's website, indiapost.gov.in.
If the university can't give you a number, the degree most likely hasn't been posted yet. That's a university delay, not a postal one, and the fix is to chase the degree section in writing. If it has been posted and went missing, you have three routes: collect it from the post office, get the university to re-dispatch it, or, as a last resort, apply for a duplicate.
One thing to calm your nerves first: if your university uploads degrees to DigiLocker, you may be able to show a legally valid digital copy while you wait. More on that below.
Where Universities Share the Speed Post Number
There's no national system for this. Every university does it its own way, which is exactly why people get stuck. Check these places in this order:
Student or convocation portal
Log in where you applied for the degree or registered for convocation. Look for a "degree status", "certificate status" or "dispatch" page. Some portals show the Speed Post number once the degree is posted.
Email and SMS
Search your inbox (and spam folder) for "speed post", "dispatch" and "consignment". Check the email ID and mobile number you gave on the application, not just the one you use today.
Exam or degree section
Call or email the controller of examinations' office with your enrolment number, course and passing year, and ask for the dispatch record: the date, the mode of posting and the article number.
Your college or regional centre
For affiliated colleges and open universities, degrees sometimes go through the college or regional centre. IGNOU, for example, says students who don't attend the convocation get their degree by post from the regional centre, at the address they gave while registering for convocation.
University not answering emails? As a last step, if it's a public (government) university, an RTI application to its Public Information Officer can ask for the dispatch register entry for your degree: the date, mode, Speed Post number and the address it was sent to. That entry is also strong evidence if you later need a duplicate.
Which Number Actually Tracks Your Degree?
Universities print many numbers on your documents. Only one of them works on India Post tracking.
| Number | What it looks like | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Speed Post number | 13 characters: 2 letters, 9 digits, then "IN" | Tracking on India Post or our tracker |
| Enrolment / registration number | Your university ID, on your marksheets | University portal, RTI, duplicate application |
| Application or fee receipt number | On the payment receipt for the degree or transcript | Proving you applied and paid postage |
| Degree serial number | Printed on the certificate itself | Verification by employers; you won't have it until it arrives |
If tracking says the number is invalid, count the characters and check for an "O" typed in place of a "0". Our consignment number guide explains every part of it.
Tracking It, and What Delays Are Normal
Most of the waiting happens before the envelope ever reaches India Post. Think of it in two parts.
University side: printing, signing, posting
This is the slow, unpredictable part. Degrees are printed in batches, signed and then posted, often around convocation. There's no fixed national timeline, so go by your university's notice. Until the university gives you a Speed Post number, India Post has nothing to track.
Postal side: usually a few days
India Post's published Speed Post delivery norms are 1–2 days for local delivery, 1–3 days metro to metro, 1–4 days within the same state or between state capitals, and 4–5 days for the rest of the country. Delivery through a branch post office takes one extra day. See our Speed Post delivery time guide.
No movement for several days past the norm? Act
Call the delivery post office named in the tracking, then raise a complaint. India Post accepts a complaint once the delivery norm has passed, within 60 days of booking.
A worked example: your university in Chennai posts your degree on a Monday and you live in Gorakhpur. That's "rest of the country", so 4–5 days is normal, plus a day if your village is served by a branch post office. If it's still sitting at a sorting hub the following week, it's time to call.
What You See vs What To Do
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| University gives no number | Not posted yet | Write to the degree section; ask for the dispatch date and number |
| "Consignment details not found" | Booking data not uploaded yet, or a typo | Recheck the number; try again after a day or two |
| Booked / bagged / dispatched | Moving through the network | Wait for the delivery norm to pass |
| Out for delivery | The postman has it today | Stay reachable; keep someone at home |
| Delivery attempted / addressee not available | Back at your delivery post office | Collect it with photo ID as soon as possible |
| Returned / sent back to sender | Going back to the university | Ask for re-dispatch or in-person collection (below) |
| Delivered, but you don't have it | Handed to someone else, or a wrong entry | Ask family, neighbours and security; complain the same day |
For every other scan, see Speed Post tracking status meanings. If the "not found" message lasts more than a couple of days, read "Consignment Details Not Found".
Returned to the University? How to Get It Re-dispatched
This is a common way for a degree to "go missing", and it's the easiest to fix. Under the Post Office Regulations, 2024, an undelivered item is ordinarily kept at the post office it's addressed to for seven days after attempts to find the addressee have failed. After that it goes back to the sender, if the sender's name and address are on the envelope. University envelopes normally carry the university's address, so your degree goes back to the university.
Usual reasons: an old hostel or rented address, a missing flat number or PIN code, or nobody at home when the postman came. If your tracking shows a failed attempt, get to the post office within that week.
Confirm it reached the university
Tracking will show the return scans. Screenshot them, with dates, and send them to the degree section along with your enrolment number.
Give a corrected, complete address
House or flat number, street, landmark, city, district and PIN code, plus a mobile number. Our address guide shows the format postmen find easiest.
Pay the re-dispatch charge if asked
Some universities charge again for posting a returned degree. The University of Calicut, for example, lists a ₹60 postal charge to re-issue an undelivered degree certificate within five years, and a much higher service charge after five years. Check your own university's fee notice.
Or collect it in person
If you're short of time, ask whether you or an authorised person can pick it up from the university with photo ID and an authorisation letter. Honestly, for a visa or job deadline, this is often faster than waiting for a second dispatch.
Lost in the Post? Complaint First, Then a Duplicate
Don't jump straight to a duplicate degree. It's slow and costs money. First make India Post look for the article, because a "lost" envelope can turn up at a sorting office or the delivery post office.
Step A: Complain to India Post
- Call India Post's toll-free number 1800 266 6868 (call centre agents 8 AM to 8 PM; the automated IVRS line works round the clock; both except gazetted holidays) with the Speed Post number.
- Register a complaint online on indiapost.gov.in once the delivery norm has passed, and within 60 days of booking. Note the complaint number. Our Speed Post complaint guide walks through the form.
- Escalate if it isn't settled in a reasonable time: India Post's guidelines say you can approach the Circle Nodal Officer, and after that the Directorate of Public Grievances in the Cabinet Secretariat.
- Tell the university at the same time. The university is the sender, so ask them to follow up with their booking post office too.
About compensation: India Post's published rule for a lost Speed Post article is double the Speed Post charges or ₹1,000, whichever is less. That won't replace a degree, but it's worth knowing. Details in our compensation claim guide.
Step B: Apply for a duplicate degree
If India Post can't trace it, apply to your university for a duplicate. Each university sets its own rules, but the paperwork is often similar. IIT Kanpur and NIT Tiruchirappalli, for example, both ask for:
| Document | What it is |
|---|---|
| FIR or police report | Filed at the nearest police station for the lost certificate. NIT Tiruchirappalli also asks for a non-traceable certificate from the police. |
| Newspaper notice | An advertisement about the loss. NIT Tiruchirappalli asks you to wait 15 days after it appears before applying. |
| Notarised affidavit | Prepared before a notary on non-judicial stamp paper. NIT Tiruchirappalli's format includes an undertaking to return the duplicate if the original turns up. |
| Application and copies | A signed letter (IIT Kanpur: to the Assistant Registrar, Academic; NIT Tiruchirappalli: to the Associate Dean, Academic), with a copy of the degree if you have one. NIT Tiruchirappalli also wants attested copies of your marksheets and photo ID. |
| Fee | Varies widely: NIT Tiruchirappalli lists ₹1,000 plus ₹200 mailing within India; IIT Kanpur lists ₹5,000. |
Use the postal paperwork. Attach the Speed Post number, tracking screenshots and your India Post complaint number to the FIR and the duplicate application. It shows the loss happened in transit, not through your carelessness, which helps if you ask the university to waive or reduce the fee.
Need It Urgently? Check DigiLocker First
Many universities upload degrees and marksheets to the National Academic Depository (NAD), which you access through DigiLocker. In DigiLocker, go to the Education category, pick your university, enter your roll or registration number and year, and fetch the document. NAD says these records are at par with original physical documents under the IT Act, 2000, and UGC asked institutions in January 2022 to accept degrees and marksheets in DigiLocker.
Not every university or year is uploaded, and some employers or embassies still insist on the paper original. But for a joining formality, a digital degree can buy you time. If yours isn't there, ask the university whether it has been uploaded.
Tips So Your Degree Arrives the First Time
- Give an address where someone will be home for the next few weeks, not your hostel. Speed Post can be delivered to an authorised person or at the address, so a parent's home often works best.
- Write the full address with PIN code. The University of Calicut specifically asks applicants to state the district and PIN code clearly because certificates go by Speed Post. A wrong PIN can send it to the wrong post office; see what happens with a wrong PIN code.
- Pick in-person collection if you can. GITAM, for instance, charges ₹160 postage for posting transcripts within India and nothing if you collect them from the office. For an irreplaceable document, collecting it yourself removes the postal risk entirely.
- Keep your phone number current on the university portal, so you get the dispatch SMS and the postman can call you.
- Scan everything the day it arrives, degree and transcripts, and store copies safely. If it's ever lost later, a scan makes the duplicate process much easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Do Right Now
- Find the Speed Post number: portal, email, SMS, then the degree section.
- Got it? Track it below and keep your phone on.
- Delivery attempted? Go to the post office with photo ID within the week.
- Returned? Email the university a corrected address and ask for re-dispatch or in-person collection.
- Stuck or lost? Complain to India Post, check DigiLocker for a digital copy, and only then start the duplicate process.
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