Apostille Requirements for Indians Applying for U.S. Green Card
If you are an Indian citizen applying for a US green card, it is essential to understand the apostille requirements for Indian documents. In this article, we will cover:
- What is Apostille?
- Why Does Apostille Matters for Indians Applying for a US Green Card?
- Which Indian Documents Need an Apostille US Green Card Application?
- How to Apply for Indians Apostille for US Green Card While Living in the USA?
- Documents Required to Apply for Indian Apostille to Use in the US
- Step by Step Process to Get Indian Apostille
- State Attestation Method for Apostille
- SDM Attestation Method for Apostille
What is Apostille?
An apostille is a certification on a public document issued in one country so that the document is accepted legally in another country. However, both countries should be part of the Hague Apostille Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public 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 Does Apostille Matters for Indians Applying for a US Green Card?
Here is the reasons for the requirement of apostille for Indians applying for US Green card:
- India joined the Hague apostille convention in 2005. Thus the MEA India issues an apostille stamp for Indian documents that are submitted to another country.
- US Joined Hague Apostille Convention in 1981. Since then any foreign document required by US authorities such as immigration department is accepted with an apostille without further legalization.
- The US Green card application process involves submission of various personal and educational documents. For Indians who are submitting them to US immigration department, obtaining an apostille is mandatory.
Which Indian Documents Need an Apostille US Green Card Application?
Indian documents that need to get an apostille for US green card application are:
- Birth certificate
- Marriage Certificate
- Divorce Decree if required
- Degree certificate/Diploma
- Police Clearance Certificate
The US agencies such as USCIS or the US consulate handling immigrant visa interviews will determine which documents need to be submitted and which need to get an apostille.
How to Apply for Indians Apostille for US Green Card While Living in the USA?
It is possible to apply for an Indian document apostille while living in the USA with the help of service providers such as Secure Apostille Services. SAS handles the entire MEA India process once you send your documents to one of the SAS offices in India. Once all the verifications and attestations are completed, we will send you the documents back to your US address.
Documents Required to Apply for Indian Apostille to Use in the US
Following are the documents that need to submit to Secure Apostille Services to apply for an apostille:
- Original Indian issued documents that you need to submit for your green card application
- Copy of the passport
Step by Step Process to Get Indian Apostille
In India, the ministry of external affairs is the only authority issuing an apostille stamp. Thus, to get an apostille stamp, a document should go through the MEA India located in Delhi. However, before submitting the document to the MEA, it should be verified by lower levels of authorities. Based on who attests the document after the initial verification, there are two methods to get an MEA India apostille. They are:
Both methods are equally valid in the US. However, the state attestation method is time consuming. Thus, it is better to follow SDM attestation, if you have time constraints.
State Attestation Method for Apostille
In this method, at first the secretary of the district where the document was issued verifies the authenticity of the certificate. If it is a personal document, the state home department verifies and attests the document. At the final stage the MEA verifies and affixes the apostille stamp on the document.
In case of an educational certificate the verification starts from the issued university followed by the HRD ministry of the state. Since there are multiple departments involved in this method of apostille, it may take up to 30 days to finish the process.
SDM Attestation Method for Apostille
SDM attestation is a faster method which can be finished within six to seven days. The following are the steps involved in the apostille attestation with SDM attestation Method:
- Notary Attestation: Attestation by a public notary is the first step of the SDM method. The notary verifies your document and attests the document in this step.
- SDM Attestation: In this method Sub Divisional Magistrate verifies and attest the document for its authenticity and originality.
- MEA Apostille: Final step in this process is the verification and pasting of the apostille stamp on the document.
The SDM method is a court process which does not involve many government departments. Thus, a faster and easier method to receive an apostille is the SDM method.
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Frequently asked questions
No. Since the US and India are Hague countries, any document submitted to the US authority needs to get an apostille to legally accept it.
No. Since US is a Hague country, there is no requirement 0f legalization with embassy attestation. An apostille from MEA India is enough.
Apostille India services in the USA is available through Secure Apostille Services. You can visit the official website and apply for the apostille. Our expert will give you guide you through the entire process.