What is Apostille Attestation - Fees, Procedure & Documents Required

If you want to use important Indian documents like birth certificate, marriage certificate, or degree in another country, you need to get them apostilled. An apostille is an official stamp that makes your documents valid in countries which are part of Hague Convention.

Apostille attestation is a process that verifies the originality and authenticity of a public document, so that it can be used those documents internationally. But what is apostille? It is a certification that proves your public documents are real, like birth certificate, marriage certificate, or degree. It makes sure these documents are recognized abroad.

In India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) does the apostille process. They verify documents before giving the apostille. You can apply for Apostille attestation by making an online appointment on the official website appointment.apostille.gov.ph. One must note that you may only avail the online appointment facility if you are a document owner or a document of immediate family members, or, Authorised Representative that are not family related to the document owner (i.e. liaison officers).

The cost of obtaining an apostille in India generally involves a nominal fee per document, INR 50. Understanding the details of apostille attestation can help one in their international travel, work, or study. The article will help you understand the meaning and the procedure for applying if submissions are to be made.

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What is the meaning of Apostille?

An apostille is a special stamp or certificate that proves a document is real and valid. An Apostille is not just a round stamp. It is a square-shaped Sticker that is pasted on the back side of your original document. It contains a unique number.

• It is accepted in roughly 120 countries (these are called Hague Convention Countries).
• Major countries like Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, UK accept Apostille.

Note: If you are going to UAE, Qatar, or Kuwait, you do not need Apostille. You need Embassy Attestation. That is different.

How to apply for Apostille Attestation

You cannot just walk into the Ministry office and ask for a stamp. There is a proper chain. In India, there are basically 3 main steps.

Step 1: Notary Verification

First, you take your documents to a local Notary Public (Advocate). They will check it and put a stamp and signature. This is the basic first step to say "Yes, this photocopy or document looks real."

Step 2: The State Level Check (SDM vs HRD)

This is the most confusing part. After Notary, your document must be checked by the State Government. You have two options here:

Option A: SDM Attestation (Faster & Cheaper) Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Delhi does this. This is very fast. Most countries like Italy or Germany accept this happily for student visas. It takes only 2-3 days.

Option B: HRD Attestation (Strict & Slow) This is done by the Education Department of your state (like Maharashtra or Punjab). They verify the degree with your University. This takes very long time (sometimes 1 month). Do this only if your university abroad specifically asks for "HRD Attestation".

Step 3: MEA Apostille (Final Step)

After SDM or HRD is done, the document goes to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). They will check the previous stamps and put the final Apostille Sticker. Once this sticker is there, your document is valid globally.

What are the documents Apostilled by e-Sanad?

Documents ranging from personal, educational or commercial groups can be authenticated/apostilled using e-Sanad services. The document should be available in the digital repository for getting attestation/apostille via the online e-Sanad services. In case your document is not recognized by e-Sanad, the applicant is required to approach the Regional Authentication Centres (RACs) to upload their documents and then submit them to the nearest outsourced centre for getting the documents verified and Apostilled.

Attestation of Documents that are not covered under e-Sanad

Step 1: Authentication of Documents: Applicants are required to get the documents authenticated from the Regional Authentication Centres.

• The personal documents can be authenticated by the Home / General Administration Department of State / Union Territory.
• The educational documents can be authenticated by the education department of the concerned state/union territory.
• The authentication of the commercial documents can be done by the Chamber of Commerce, registered with the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to issue a Certificate of Origin

Step 2: Deposition of Documents with Authorized Service Provider

• Applicants are required to visit the outsource agency centre that is near to his / her place of residence in order to deposit the verified documents
• After this, documents are submitted by the outsource agency to the Branch Secretariat / RPOs having jurisdiction over it

Step 3: Receipt of Apostilled / Attested documents from Outsource agencies

• Outsource agency receives documents from Branch Secretariat / RPO duly legalized
• After this, the legalized documents are received by the applicants

Sample Apostille Attestation 

This is what your document would look like after being Apostilled. The Apostille stamp is a square-shaped computer-generated sticker stamp that is pasted on the back of the document by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. It is a unique computer-generated stamp having a unique identification number. Any member of The Hague Convention can check the authenticity of the Apostille stamp online through this unique identification number.

What is the Apostille Attestation Fee?

The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, charges a fee of Rs. 50 for the Apostille of each document. However, as the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is not accepting documents directly from the applicant/individual, all documents for Apostille by MEA are to be submitted and collected from the designated outsourced agencies. The fee chargeable by the outsourced agencies per document for its collection and delivery for Apostille Attestation by MEA will be Rs. 90/- as a service fee and Rs. 3 per page as a scanning fee.

Documents That Can Be Apostilled

Given below is the list of the documents that can be attested. The list is not extensive and can include more documents.

Educational Documents

• School leaving certificates
• College leaving certificates
• Mark sheets
• Degree certificates
• PG degree certificates
• Diploma certificate
• Transcript certificate
• Transfer certificate
• Engineering certificate
• Nursing certificate

Personal Documents

• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Registration certificate
• Power of Attorney certificate
• Marriage Affidavit certificate
• Medical certificate
• Bonafide certificate
• Adoption Deed

Commercial Documents

• Certificate of origin
• Invoices
• Certificate of incorporation
• Memorandum of Association
• Power of Attorney

Also Read: What is a Gap Certificate?

Countries That Accept Apostilled Documents

The 105 nations that belong to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, that introduced the Apostille attestation are:

Can an Apostilled document be rejected?

A lot of times candidates are left wondering whether their Apostilled document can be rejected or not? Well, in most cases the process is authentic and cannot be rejected. However, Apostilles may only be rejected if and when

• The origin of the Apostille cannot be verified
• The formal elements differ radically from the Model Certificate annexed to the Convention

Apostille Attestation Validity

Does your Apostille Attestation come with validity? In most circumstances, an apostille should be accepted at any time after issue. However, there are some circumstances when a recent apostille may be requested on a document. One example is a criminal record check. A lot of times candidates are required to provide a recent apostille on birth certificates and academic documents. It may be argued that this is not necessary and an older apostille should be accepted as your birth and academic qualifications have not changed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid for Apostille Attestation

Please be careful about these small things:

• Laminated Documents: You generally cannot put a sticker on a laminated paper. You might need to remove lamination first. It is risky, so do it carefully.
• Fake Agents: There are many fake agents who just put a rubber stamp and say it is Apostille. Always check if there is a square sticker with a generated number.
• Wrong Country: Check if your country is in the Hague Convention list. If you get Apostille for Canada (which recently joined) it is okay, but for some countries, the rules change often. Always check official embassy website first.

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