Free tool
Medical leave letter from a doctor. For an employer or a school, on your letterhead.
Free medical leave letter maker for Indian doctors: under treatment since, rest from and to, register entry, identification mark and patient signature.
Letter
Addressed to
Patient
Treatment and rest
Clinic
Logo
Clinic logo only; a photograph of yourself on a letterhead is barred by clause 6.1.2. PNG or JPG, stays in this browser.
Doctor
Layout
Add the doctor's name and registration number to print.
Everything you type is kept only in this browser on this device and is never sent to Vitels. It is not encrypted and anyone using this browser can see it, so press Clear after printing on a shared computer. In the print window choose “Save as PDF” for a file.
Clinic name
Dr. Name
Medical leave letter
Ref. Date
To
Subject: Medical leave for the patient
Dear Sir or Madam,
This is to state that , , of , has been under my treatment since . I examined the patient on .
In my opinion the patient needs rest and should be absent from work for , from to (both days included).
Identification mark
Place ……. Copy kept in the clinic's register of medical certificates.
Preview at reduced size. Prints at full A4.
What the rules say about a doctor's leave letter
The Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, adopted by the NMC in August 2023, treat certificates as legal documents. The criminal law and the central leave rules add to that.
- 2002 Regulations, clause 1.3.3
A leave letter is still a medical certificate
The regulations have no separate rule for a letter. A letter that states illness and advises absence certifies the same things as the Appendix 2 form, so this tool keeps what clause 1.3.3 asks for: a register entry, a copy, the patient's signature or thumb mark, address and at least one identification mark.
- 2002 Regulations, clause 1.3.3 and Appendix 2
Appendix 2 is the recommended form
Clause 1.3.3 ends: "The medical certificate shall be prepared as in Appendix 2." When an employer or school asks for a medical certificate rather than a letter, use the Appendix 2 form in the medical certificate maker linked below. This letter is for those who accept a doctor's letter.
- 2002 Regulations, clause 1.4.1
Registration number on the letter
Every physician shall display the registration number accorded by the State Medical Council or the Medical Council of India in the clinic and on all prescriptions, certificates and money receipts given to patients. The letter prints it under your name and signature.
- 2002 Regulations, clause 7.7
Untrue, misleading or improper
A registered practitioner shown to have signed a certificate, report "or document of a similar character which is untrue, misleading or improper, is liable to have his name deleted from the Register." In our reading, "of a similar character" reaches a letter as much as a form.
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, sections 234 and 235
A false certificate is an offence
Whoever issues or signs a certificate required by law, or one admissible in evidence on a fact, "knowing or believing that such certificate is false in any material point" is punished as if they gave false evidence. Section 235 covers the person who uses it.
- CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972, rule 19 and Form 4
Central government staff need Form 4
Under rule 19(1)(ii) of the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972, a non-Gazetted central government employee's leave application goes with a medical certificate in Form 4 from a CGHS dispensary, a government hospital or an Authorised Medical Attendant. Another registered practitioner is named only in the proviso, for staff away from a CGHS area with no Authorised Medical Attendant within eight kilometres.
What a complete medical leave letter carries
The letter form, with the clause 1.3.3 items that make it stand as a certificate.
Your letterhead with your name, qualifications and registration number
Register entry number and the date of issue
The employer, school or office it is addressed to
Patient's name, age, sex and address
At least one identification mark
The date treatment began and the date you examined the patient
Days of rest advised, with the first and last day
A return date, only if you can give one
The condition, only if the patient agrees to the employer or school seeing it
The patient's signature or thumb impression, taken in your presence
Your signature, a copy kept and the register entry made
The visit record behind the letter
Vitels keeps each patient's visits and prescriptions in one record, printed on your letterhead with the registration number, so the date you examined the patient is on file. Leave letters and certificates are not in Vitels yet; this free tool makes them.
Straight answers
What is the difference between a medical leave letter and a medical certificate?
The form. A medical certificate follows the form in Appendix 2 of the 2002 regulations. A leave letter says the same things as a letter to a named employer or school. Both certify illness and absence, so both carry the clause 1.3.3 items: register entry, copy, patient's signature or thumb mark, address and an identification mark.
When will an employer insist on the formal certificate?
Central government offices follow the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972, which require Form 4 for non-Gazetted staff from a CGHS dispensary, government hospital or Authorised Medical Attendant. Other employers and institutions can set their own forms. If the patient brings a form, fill that one; use this letter only where a doctor's letter is accepted.
Should the letter state the diagnosis?
Only with the patient's agreement. Clause 2.2 bars revealing what a patient entrusts to you unless the law requires it, and clause 7.14 lists the exceptions. Many employers only need to know that the patient was under treatment and needs rest for a stated period. The condition field in the tool is optional and blank by default.
Can I write a leave letter for days before I saw the patient?
The letter carries two separate dates: the day you examined the patient and the days of rest. Write the real date of examination. A letter that implies you examined the patient earlier than you did is untrue, and clause 7.7 and section 234 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita both turn on untrue statements. Our medical certificate rules guide covers this in detail.
Do I need to keep a copy of a leave letter?
Yes, if it certifies illness and absence. Clause 1.3.3 requires a Register of Medical Certificates with full details and a copy of each certificate. The tool prints the register entry number on the letter so the copy and the register line match. Print twice, or save a PDF from the print window and file it.
Does the tool store patient details?
Patient details are kept only for this browser session, unencrypted, on this device; closing the tab or pressing Clear removes them. The letterhead stays for next time. Nothing is sent to Vitels, so as the treating practitioner you are responsible for what is typed here.
This tool only lays out a letter. It does not check who is using it or whether the contents are true. Only a registered medical practitioner who has examined the patient may sign it, and the practitioner alone is responsible for what it states (clause 7.7). This page summarises the 2002 regulations as adopted by the NMC, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972; it is general information, not legal advice. Sources read and checked on 26 Oct 2026.
Related tools and pages
Medical certificate maker
The Appendix 2 sick leave certificate, for employers who want the formal form.
OpenMedical certificate rules in India
Clause 1.3.3, Appendix 2, CCS (Leave) Forms 4 and 5, and BNS section 234.
OpenSchool leave certificate
The Appendix 2 form with class, school and parent, for a child's absence.
Open