You need a doctor's certificate if you cannot attend an exam due to illness and in connection with certain applications for exemption. A doctor's certificate is a written statement by your doctor. The certificate is a medical assessment of your state of health, illness or other medical conditions based on one or several consultations with a doctor.
The content requirements for a doctor’s certificate vary depending on the type of exemption you are applying for. The board of studies will determine whether the documentation constitutes sufficient basis for granting an exemption.
Generally speaking, a doctor's certificate can be used as documentation if it includes the following four components:
The period that the doctor's certificate covers should be clearly stated.
What is the illness/diagnosis? Specifying a diagnosis is not a requirement, but an unspecified reference to "illness" or similar may be attributed significantly less importance when the board of studies makes its decision, compared with specifying the exact illness.
Note that the board of studies and the administration are subject to a duty of confidentiality, and there is therefore no risk associated with being open and honest about any medical condition. It is in everyone's interest that your application be treated fairly and justly on the basis of your circumstances, but this is only possible if the necessary information is provided.
It is important to the processing of your case that the doctor's certificate is comprehensive and issued by a medical doctor who’s legal capacity/impartiality cannot be questioned. As a general rule, the Nat-Tech Studies Administration will not accept doctor's certificates issued by immediate family members/relatives.
This means that you cannot, for example, submit a doctor's certificate issued by a closely related family member/relative, even if this person is your general practitioner or similar. You should instead contact a doctor who is not an immediate family member/relative in order to receive a doctor's certificate from an impartial doctor.