Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood

A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood or Certificate of Degree of Alaska Native Blood (both abbreviated CDIB) is an official U.S. document that certifies an individual possesses a specific fraction of Native American ancestry of a federally recognized Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community.

Information collected for the filing is held confidential by privacy laws, except if the CDIB is related to assigned duties.

For example, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians requires at least 1/16 degree of Eastern Cherokee blood for tribal membership, whereas the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Higher Education Grant for college expenses requires a 1/4 degree minimum.

[2] A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood does not establish membership in a tribe.

[3] The CDIB is controversial, from a racial politics perspective,[4] and because non-federally recognized tribes are neither eligible for the card nor for the benefits which require one.