What is Hague Apostille Convention?
The idea of apostille is the result of the Hague Conference on Private International Law on 5 October 1961 known as Hague Convention on Apostille. The convention abolished the requirement for the legalization of foreign public documents.
The purpose of the convention was to unify the procedure for the legalization of a document issued in one country for the use in another country. Until the conference came into existence, the legalization of a document for use in a foreign country was a chain of certification by multiple authorities from both the countries involved.
What is the Meaning of Apostille
An apostille is a certificate authenticating the validity of a public document for use in a foreign country according to the Hague Apostille Convention. An apostille certificate is used when a person from a Hague nation needs to use his document as a legal document in another Hague country.
The word apostille is derived from the French word “Apostiller” which means a marginal or bottom note. Apostille attestation is done on the backside of the original document. Hence the term.
4 Simple steps to get MEA Apostille on your Documents
- Register on Apostille Portal
- Collect all Documents you want to Apostille
- Submit the Original / Photocopies of documents
- Receive Documents with Apostille Directly to your home
Hague Convention Apostille Countries List
Africa | Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, South Africa, Tunisia |
Asia | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea/South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan |
Europe | Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United kingdom |
North America | Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States |
Oceania | Australia, New Zealand |
South America | Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela |
Issuing and Verifying of Apostille
As per the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille attestation certificate will be issued by the competent authority decided by the member countries. The Hague Permanent Bureau does not issue or verify apostille certificates.
The competent authority will issue the apostille attestation certificate after they check the authenticity of the signature or seal on the public document. In India the Ministry of External Affairs is the competent authority in India to affix the apostille stamp on the document.
The MEA needs to keep the register of the issued apostille to check it later as and when required.
Is India a Member of Hague Apostille Convention?
India has been a member of the Hague Apostille Convention since 2005. Hence, Indian nationals traveling to other Hague nations can use apostille attestation as a means of legalizing their documents.
However, Indians traveling to non-Hague nations need to attain embassy attestation.
Hague Convention Apostille Process in India
In India, the Ministry of External Affairs is in charge of issuing Apostille certification as agreed with the Hague Apostille Convention.
There are two ways to get an apostille attestation stamp from the MEA in India. They are:
State Attestation Method for Apostille
In the state attestation method, initially the state government verifies and attest the document. This is required because certain documents such as educational certificates are issued by the state government. Hence, the verification of the authenticity also should go through the state level.
At first the secretary of the district where the certificate was issued verifies the authenticity of the document as an agent of the state government. This method of apostille attestation goes through multiple government departments. Therefore, it is time consuming. It takes around 30 working days to finally receive the Apostille Stamp on the document.
SDM Attestation Method for Apostille
SDM attestation is done for all kinds of documents, unlike the state attestation method specific to the state issued certificates.
Since state attestation is time consuming, SDM attestation method is used as an alternative to receive apostille attestation faster. SDM attestation is also required in case of embassy attestation for non Hague nations.
The SDM method begins with the notarization of documents by a public notary. Then the Sub Divisional Magistrate verifies and attests the documents. At the end, the MEA verifies and provides the Apostille attestation certificate.
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Frequently asked questions
A country which is a member of the Hague convention on apostille is known as the Hague Apostille Country. Among these countries, apostille attestation stamping is the method to verify the authenticity of a public document.
Yes. India has been a member of the Hague Apostille convention since 2005. Therefore, an apostille is required for Indians traveling to other Hague apostille countries to legalize their document.
Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, and United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq.
Indians travelling to these countries need to obtain embassy attestation to legalize their document.
In India the Ministry of External Affairs is authorized to provide an apostille attestation stamp on the public documents.