No Objection Certificate Apostille
- UPDATED A MONTH AGO
No Objection certificate apostille is an essential document required for purposes such as employment, education, immigration, and business. When using NOC in a foreign country, you need to legalize it with an apostille from MEA India. An apostille stamp from MEA India makes your NOC legally valid in a Hague apostille country. This article provides a detailed guideline on the possible requirements of NOC, the process to get a No Objection Certificate Apostille and more.
4 Simple steps to get MEA Apostille on your Documents
- Register on Apostille Portal
- Collect all Documents you want to Apostille
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What is a No Objection Certificate?
No Objection Certificate is an official document issued by an organization, business, institution or sometimes an individual to state that they have no objection in the holder performing a specific activity. This document is generally used for educational admission and employment.
Why Do You Need to Get an Apostille for NOC?
When you need to submit a No Objection certificate issued in India in a foreign country, you need to get an apostille to legalize it. This requirement came into existence after the Hague Apostille Convention. Thus if you are travelling to any of the Hague Apostille Countries, you need to get an apostille on the backside of your documents to legalize them.
Until the Hague convention, embassy attestation was required for legalizing documents abroad. However, after the convention only non member countries require embassy attestation as a legalization requirement.
India joined the Hague Apostille convention in 2004. Thus, as an Indian citizen you need to get an apostille for your NOC to legalize it in a Hague country.
When is a no Objection Certificate Required?
You may need to get a no objection certificate for various purposes. We have listed below most of the situations where an NOC is required:
NOC for Employment Abroad
Some companies may require you to submit an NOC from the previous employer stating that they have no objection to you working anywhere. You may need to get an NOC from your employer in the following situations:
- When you need to change job while working abroad
- When applying for a work visa in another country. Getting a No Objection Certificate Apostille is mandatory in such cases.
- If you resign from a company in India to join a foreign company.
NOC for Higher Education and Scholarships
For students an No Objection Certificate Apostille may be required for the following reasons:
- When applying for international scholarships and sponsorship an NOC stating that the student will return to home country after the scholarship period is required.
- When transferring from one educational institution to another institution
- While travelling abroad for exchange programs, you may need to get NOC from your Indian institution.
- For minors travelling abroad for studies, sometimes an NOC from parents is required.
Visa and Immigration Procedures
- When a minor travels abroad without parents or legal guardians, an NOC from parents is required. This includes when a minor travels abroad for sports tournaments and matches abroad without parents.
- When one parent relocates to a foreign country with a minor kid.
- When an individual sponsors a visa for a family member, an NOC stating that the individual will take financial and legal responsibility of the dependent is required.
- When one parent travels abroad with a kid, an NOC from the other parent is usually required.
Business or Trade Expansion
Business owners may need to get an NOC from board members and other concerned authorities to establish a branch in a foreign country.
Process of Obtaining No Objection Certificate Apostille
Once you obtain a No Objection Certificate from the concerned person/authority, you need to get an apostille to legalize their use in a foreign country. In India the ministry of external affairs is the only authority who can provide an apostille. However, the documents should go through a verification process before submitting it to the MEA. Mainly, there are two methods of verification for an apostille attestation. They are:
The steps followed for obtaining an apostille using both methods are the same except the one mentioned above. No Objection Certificate Apostille obtained through both authentication methods are equally valid. However, some countries may need you to get an attestation from the state department. Unless specified by your travelling country, it is better to choose an SDM authentication method for apostille.
Step by Step process of NOC Apostille
Given below are the steps involved in obtaining an NOC apostille in India:
- Notarization: In this step, a public notary verifies and attests your NOC. This is the first step common to both authentication methods.
- SDM/State Authentication Method: Based on the authentication method you have chosen your NOC will be submitted to the SDM or state department.
If you have chosen the SDM attestation method, your apostille service provider will submit your documents to the sub divisional magistrate. SDM will verify and attest the document with a sign and seal.
If you have chosen the state attestation method, your documents should be submitted to the home department of the state where NOC was issued. The home department will conduct verification of the authenticity of the documents at the origin. Then, the home department will attest with a sign and seal.
3. MEA Apostille: Finally, your documents will reach the ministry of external affairs. The ministry will conduct a final verification and affix an apostille stamp on the backside of the NOC.
Now you can use your No Objection Certificate as a valid document in any Hague country.
Processing Time for No Objection Certificate Apostille
The time required to get a No Objection Certificate Apostille may vary depending on various factors. Usually, it will take from 4 days to 15 days. However, it may vary depending on:
- The state of Issuance if home department attestation is required.
- Method of authentication
- Type of NOC
- Choice of service(Standard, Fast or Tatkal delivery service)
Documents Required to Apply for a No Objection Certificate Apostille
You need to submit following documents to your apostille service agency to get a no objection certificate apostille:
- Notarized original no objection certificate. If it is an NOC from an official authority, it should be in their official letter head.
- Scanned copy of the applicant’s passport copy preferably the passport front and back page.
- If NOC for minor kids who are travelling abroad, passport copy of parents also are required.
- Similarly, if one parent is travelling with a kid and another parent provides the NOC, the passport copy of the travelling parent is required.
If you require a no objection certificate for use in a Hague apostille country, it is mandatory to get an apostille stamp on it. A no objection certificate apostille is required from institutions in India for working or studying abroad. Similarly, an NOC from parent/parents is required, if a minor child travels alone or with one of the parents. Whatever is the purpose, getting your NOC apostilled will make sure it is legally accepted in a foreign country.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. With the help of an authorized apostille service provider, you can get your no objection certificate apostille. They will take care of the entire process including notarization, SDM attestation and MEA apostille.
No. If you want to submit your No Objection certificate in a non Hague apostille country, you need to get embassy attestation. Your NOC will go through the following steps to get embassy attestation:
- Notarization
- SDM/State Attestation
- MEA Attestation
- Embassy Attestation
Yes. If your destination country does not accept documents in English, you need to translate your documents into their official language.
The cost varies based on:
- State of issuance of NOC
- Method of authentication
- Speed of processing
- Additional services such as courier and translation
No. If you are travelling to a Hague country with a minor kid without your spouse, you need to get an NOC apostille. Without an apostille NOC from your spouse will not be valid abroad.