Marriage Certificate Apostille in Mumbai | Legalization of Marriage Certificate
- UPDATED A MONTH AGO
Are you planning to move abroad from Mumbai with your spouse for work, study or residency? If so, you will likely need a marriage certificate apostille in Mumbai. This process of legalization is mandatory to prove the authenticity of your marriage certificate to international authorities. Here is everything you need to know about marriage apostille including the process of getting an apostille stamp for marriage certificate, time required, cost, and where to get it.
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
What is a Marriage Certificate Apostille?
A marriage certificate is an important personal document issued by the government authorities proving your marriage status. As a document issued in India, authorities from another country have no way to check its authenticity or originality. An apostille becomes relevant in such a scenario.
A system of checking the authenticity of foreign documents has been in practice for a long time. However, earlier, documents from any country required an attestation from the embassy to legalize them in another country. The process was lengthier and time consuming. However, with the Hague apostille convention, member countries only require an apostille obtained from the designated authority for legalization of documents.
India joined the Hague apostille convention in 2005 and entrusted the ministry of external affairs, India with the duty of issuing an apostille for Indian issued documents.
Thus, a marriage certificate apostille is a certificate/stamp affixed on the backside of your original marriage certificate to legalize the use of it in any Hague apostille country.
Why Do You Need A Marriage Certificate Apostille in Mumbai?
You need to get an apostille stamp for your marriage certificate in Mumbai, whenever you need to submit your marriage certificate in a foreign country. Given below are the most common reasons:
- To apply for a dependent visa as spouse
- To travel abroad along with your spouse
- To apply for temporary residence permit in a Hague country with your spouse
- To apply for a permanent residence in another country with your spouse
- To apply for the citizenship of another country.
- To register your Indian marriage with the local authorities in another country.
Requirements for Apostille Marriage Certificate in Mumbai
You need to submit following documents to Secure Apostille Services in Mumbai to get your marriage apostille:
- Original marriage certificate in English issued by the government authority.
- Photocopy of the passport of both husband and wife as supporting document
- An online document submission form as a proof of document submission.
Apostille for Marriage Certificate Issued by Religious Institutions
You may have marriage certificates issued by religious institutions in Mumbai or anywhere else in India. Though it is considered legally valid in India it is not valid for international purposes. Thus, it is necessary to get a government issued marriage certificate, if you have only one of the following documents as a proof of marriage:
- Nikah Nama issued by Qasis or Jamats recognized by the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf.
- Church marriage certificate
- Temple receipt of marriage.
In the above cases, you need to visit a nearest marriage register along with your spouse and witnesses and register the marriage as per Hindu marriage act or special marriage act. You will get a marriage certificate after a few days.
Apostille for Marriage Certificate Affidavit in Mumbai
An affidavit is a written sworn statement by an individual. A notarized affidavit is considered as a legally valid document. Thus, if you have lost your marriage certificate or if you don’t have one government issued marriage certificate, you can make a notarized affidavit. It is eligible to get an apostille. However, your presence in India in front of the notary is mandatory to make such an affidavit.
You need to submit documents proving your marriage in front of the notary to get the affidavit notarized. Following documents are accepted as proof of marriage:
- A government issued ID card where the name of the spouse is mentioned. A passport with the spouse’s name is the perfect choice.
- Marriage Photo preferably during the marriage ritual if it is a religious marriage.
- Marriage invitation
- Joint bank passbook, utility bill or rental agreement showing the same address for both husband and wife.
- Nikah Nama/ temple/church marriage certificate
- If you lost the marriage certificate, photocopy of the lost marriage certificate.
Authorities Involved in the Marriage Apostille in Mumbai
In India only the ministry of external affairs has the authority to issue an apostille. Thus, the final signature on the marriage certificate apostille will be by the officials of the ministry of external affairs. However, an apostille is a computer generated sticker and no official will individually sign the document. The designation mentioned in the MEA apostille sticker will be one of the MEA officials mentioned below:
- Under Secretary, CPV Division, MEA
- Assistant Section Officer, CPV Division, MEA
Though the final apostille is issued by the MEA, we cannot directly get an apostille from MEA. We need to do initial verification and attestation from other government officials. The authorities’ attesting varies depending on the method of authentication you choose. There are two methods of authentication available for a marriage certificate apostille before submitting to the MEA. They are:
Given below are the authorities involved in the attestation process:
- Public Notary
- Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM method ) or Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary, or Section Officer, of the home state home department (State method)
Steps to Get Marriage Certificate Apostille in Mumbai
Given below are the steps Secure Apostille Services follows to get an apostille stamp on marriage certificate in Mumbai:
- Notarization: This is the first step common for SDM and state attestation methods. In this step, we will submit your marriage certificate to a public notary in India. The notary is an official authorized for authentication of documents. The notary checks whether the signature of the marriage certificate is original and the document issued person is competent authority to do it. Then, the notary attest the marriage certificate.
- SDM/State Attestation: In this step, depending on the method you opted, we will submit your marriage certificate to the state home department or sub divisional magistrate.
The SDM will verify the document and attest it with seal and signature. This is a faster process compared to state attestation. We will get your document from SDM after attestation within 2 days.
If you want to opt for the state attestation method, we will submit the marriage certificate to the home department of the state where the marriage was registered. The state home department delegates the verification duty to the district secretary of the district where marriage was registered. The district authority will check with the office of the registrar where the marriage happened. The registrar’s office will confirm whether the signature and seal are original after checking the record. The secretary of the district will then report back to the state home department regarding the authenticity of the marriage certificate. Finally, the officials from the home department will attest the marriage certificate.
MEA Attestation: In this step, we will submit your documents to the ministry of external affairs located in Delhi. The ministry will verify and attest your marriage certificate. Finally, the ministry pastes an apostille sticker on the back side of the marriage certificate.
MEA India apostille for your marriage certificate is an essential service, if you are planning to move abroad with your spouse. Although MEA India is in Mumbai, with the help of an authorized and trust worthy apostille services agency, you can get your marriage certificate apostille in Mumbai fast and securely.
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Frequently asked questions
All over India, only the ministry of external affairs has the authority to issue an apostille stamp on your marriage certificate. Thus, you can get help from an authorized apostille service provider in Mumbai to get an apostille.
You can get your marriage apostille in Mumbai within 2 to 14 days depending on various factors such as method of authentication and choice of service.
No. you cannot directly apply for an apostille if your marriage certificate is in Marathi. You need to translate it into English before applying for an apostille. MEA India apostil only documents in English.
No. Since MEA India outsourced apostille services to private agencies, people cannot directly apply for an apostille. You need to apply for an apostille through an agency. Moreover, MEA apostille is not a single step process. You need to get other attestations before the apostille.