Apostille MEA India: Everything You Need to Know
The increasing international travel, education, business, and employment opportunities made Apostille MEA India an essential service. India joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 26 October 2004. Since then an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs is the requirement to legalize Indian issued documents to use in any Hague country.
What is Apostille from the MEA India?
Apostille is a certificate issued by a designated authority, MEA in case of India,legalize the use of documents abroad . This process is acceptable in countries which are part of the Hague Convention Apostille of 1961. The convention abolished the requirement of international documents through embassy attestation. Since India is a Hague apostille member, the ministry of external affairs provides an apostille on the document to authenticate its use internationally.
After following an established procedure to check the originality and authenticity of a document, the Ministry of external affairs affixes an apostille stamp on the document. This stamp acts as a legalizing certificate of your Indian issued documents.
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
Why Do You Need an Apostille MEA India
You need an apostille from the Ministry of External affairs for various purposes, including:
Education Abroad: Universities and colleges sometimes demand academic certificates such as degree certificates and transcript to be apostilled to be accepted as authentic documents.
Employment Abroad: Employers in foreign countries which are part of Hague convention request apostille on degree certificates and work experience certificates.
Immigration: When Indians apply for a visa to another Hague country apostille is required for personal certificates such as birth certificates and marriage certificates.
Business Abroad: To start a business abroad or to export, an Indian citizen may need to get an apostille for documents such as MoU and power of attorney.
Legal Purpose: In order to resolve legal issues abroad an apostille may be required for the court orders.
List of Documents that Require Apostille MEA India
Indian citizens traveling to any other Hague country may need to submit their documents with an MEA apostille. Depending on the purpose of visit and the country the documents that need to be apostilled may vary. Given below are the list of documents that require Apostille MEA India for each purposes:
Documents that Require Apostille MEA India to Study in Another Hague Country
Documents that need Apostille MEA India for a student visa to any other Hague country may vary depending on the level of education you are pursuing. In most cases the apostille is required for your latest educational qualification. However, some universities may demand an apostille for all levels of education you obtained. Following are the list of certificates that need Apostille MEA India for a student visa:
- Degree certificate Apostille MEA India
- Transcript Apostille MEA India
- Diploma apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs India.
- Tenth or Twelfth Mark list if applicable
Documents that Require Apostille MEA India for a Dependent Visa to Another Hague Country
To travel another Hague country on a dependent visa you may need the following documents with an apostille:
- Birth Certificate
- Marriage Certificate Apostille
- Police Clearance Certificate / PCC
Documents that Require an Apostille MEA India for Work Visa to another Hague Country
The requirement of apostille on documents for a work visa may vary depending on country, job profile and the company. However, following are the documents usually required to be apostilled for a work visa.
- Transcript Apostille
- Degree Certificate Apostille
- Police Clearance Certificate
- Experience Letter Apostille
Documents that Require an Apostille to Start Business in a Hague Country
For an Indian citizen to start a business in another Hague country you may need to get an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs. Following are the business related documents that need apostille attestation from the MEA:
- GST certificate
- AOA (Article of Association)
- Memorandum of Association/understanding
- Registration Certificate
- Board Resolution Apostille
- Power of Attorney Apostille
- Packing list
- Certificate of Origin
- Commercial Invoice
Steps to obtain an Apostille MEA India
In India there are two ways to obtain an apostille from the ministry of external affairs. They are:
Let us explore the steps involved in both methods in detail.
State Attestation Method of Apostille MEA India
The state attestation method for MEA apostille involves the verification of documents at state level before obtaining an apostille stamp from the MEA. Following are the steps involved in the process:
Notary attestation: A public notary verifies and attest your documents for its authenticity.
Verification and attestation by the state: In case of educational documents, the state ministry of HRD verifies and attest the documents. Personal documents are attested by the state home ministry and commercial documents by the state chamber of commerce respectively.
MEA Verification: The ministry of external affairs conducts a final verification of documents.
MEA Apostille: in the final step, the ministry of external affairs affixes an apostille stamp or certificate on the document.
Since the state attestation method of apostille MEA involves many departments, it is time consuming. To finalize the process and receive an apostille stamp, it will take up to 30 days.
SDM Attestation Method of Obtaining MEA Apostille
The SDM method follows court procedure to obtain an apostille from the MEA. It is a faster method which will take around six to seven days to receive an apostille stamp. If you need to get an apostille faster and your employer/university has not specified about receiving state attestation SDM method is the best option.
Following are the steps involved in the SDM attestation method:
Notary attestation: A public notary verifies and attests the document in this step.
SDM Attestation: In this step Sub Divisional Magistrate verifies and attests the document.
MEA verification: This step involves the final verification by the Ministry of external affairs.
MEA Apostille: Finally, the ministry of external affairs pastes an apostille stamp on your document.
Now you know the process and requirement of apostille attestation from the Ministry of external affairs. Still have doubts? Call our Apostille MEA India helpline to talk to an apostille expert.
Register for Online MEA Apostille
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Frequently asked questions
The cost of the apostille attestation from MEA varies depending on the type of document, number of documents and the method you choose to obtain the apostille.
Fill the Apostille Application Form to talk to our executive about the price details
The validity of apostille from the MEA India is six months. However, you can check with your employer or university to know if they accept older apostille certificates.
The time required to receive an MEA attestation in India depends on various factors such as:
- Number of documents to be apostilled.
- Type of documents
- Method of apostille attestation process you choose (SDM/State)
- If state attestation is chosen, time for state attestation varies with state.
- Type of apostille attestation service you choose (Standard, Tatkal or slow process)
In India the ministry of external affairs is the only authority who has power to provide an apostille on your document. Hence, if you are traveling to a Hague nation and your destination country has demanded an apostille, the ministry of external affairs alone can provide an apostille.