Things You Should Definitely Know About Attestation and Apostille Services in India

Many people go abroad in search of jobs, education opportunities, or other purposes. If you are one of them, you should know some essential things. You need one more thing than a visa and passport. You should have attested and apostille-certified documents with you. It means that all your documents should be verified with an apostille otherwise you won’t be able to use them for any purposes in the foreign land.

The notable thing about attestation and apostille services in India is that it has abolished the need for foreign document legalization. While every apostille certification is done by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), there are some considerations you might want to take into account when applying for attestation and apostille services Delhi.

In this article, we will outline all those things about the attestation and apostille services. Even though you already know many things about the procedure, the details we have written here are research-based and reliable to apply.

So, let’s delve into the article.

Important things that you need to know about attestation and apostille.

1. When you want attestation and apostille of documents, you should not engage in any kind of forgery. All the documents should be original and authentic. There should not be any kind of forgery in any kind of paper. If you are caught with forged papers, you may be punished by the Indian government.

2. If you apply to get a resident visa, work permit, or educational visa, you will need to apply for the apostille of some documents such as birth certificate, death certificate, marriage certificate, or educational degree.

3. In foreign countries, only the attested and apostilled documents are considered valid and legal.

4. To get the apostille certification from the Ministry of External Affairs, you have to follow the procedure of attestation first. The attestation is done by the state government. Suppose, you have a secondary education certificate from the Rajasthan Board. The attestation will be done by the Rajasthan government only.

5. The attestation procedure varies from state to state. You should have a good knowledge of the attestation procedure in your state before applying for it.

6. No attestation or apostille can verify that the content of the document is true.

How are the documents attested in India?

Check out the following list to know how the documents are attested in India:

1. Commercial Documents

Suppose you are traveling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a commercial purpose and therefore, you have applied for a business visa. But along with a business visa, you should also have attested and apostilled documents with you. You will not get a work permit in the UAE without valid documents. So, you should apply for attestation before you apply for the apostille through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The attestation of your commercial documents will be done by the Chambers of Commerce.

2. Personal documents

If you want the apostille of the MEA on your personal documents such as birth certificate, death certificate, marriage certificate, affidavits, and so on, you should apply for the notary attestation first. Furthermore, the SDM (Sub-divisional Magistrate) can also attest your personal or non-educational documents. In India, the procedure of attestation and apostille is very complicated. Your good knowledge of it can save time and energy.

3. Educational documents

If you are going to get admission to a foreign college, you should go with your certified educational documents. Otherwise, you won’t be able to prove that your documents are valid. For the attestation of your educational certificates, you should apply to the Human Resources Department of your state.

4. Embassy Attestation

After completing the attestation procedure at the state level, one more step is left to complete the attestation of your personal and non-personal documents. The final step of attestation is known as the embassy attestation. Suppose you are traveling to the UAE, you should visit the embassy of the UAE in New Delhi to get the embassy attestation. In this way, you will complete the attestation procedure. Now, you can head to the apostille certification from the Ministry of External Affairs.

How are the documents apostilled in India?

Go over the following paragraphs to learn how you can get the apostille on your documents easily:

1. E-Sanad website

E-Sanad is a government-approved website that asks the online submissions of documents for apostille documentation. You can submit the digital copy of your attested personal, commercial, and educational documents for the apostille. This website only accepts digital documents. The physical copies of documents are not accepted. This website will get the apostille of the Ministry of External Affairs for you.

2. Regional Authentication Centres

If you don’t possess digital copies of your personal, educational, or commercial documents, you should visit the Regional Authentication Centres (RACs) for the apostille. These Regional Authentication Centres are opened in each Indian state. You have to visit your regional authentication center to submit your documents for apostille certification. Thereafter, the Regional Authentication Center will verify the attestation of your documents. Then, your attested documents will be sent to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the apostille. You will receive your documents back within a few days at your postal address.

3. Outsource Service Providers

The Indian government has made some outsourcing service agencies valid for this purpose. These outsourced services agencies have eased the procedure of the apostille services very easily. You don’t need to go to New Delhi for this. You have to visit the nearest outsourced service agency with the attested documents for the apostille certificate. The documents that you will submit for the apostille will be sent to the Branch Secretariat or RPOs for attestation verification. Thereafter, your personal, educational, or commercial documents will be sent to the Ministry of External Affairs for the apostille services.

The Closing Thoughts

So far, this article has explained to you essential things you should definitely know about attestation and apostille services in India. Now, you will be able to complete the procedure of attestation and apostille services without any ado.