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Apostille for Greece - MEA India Attestation

The Hellenic Republic / Greece joined the Hague apostille convention which abolished legalization of foreign documents on 19 March 1985. Hence, an Indian citizen traveling to Greece for work, education or business purposes needs to get an apostille from the ministry of external affairs to authenticate its use in Greece. 

4 Simple steps to get MEA Apostille on your Documents 

  1. Register on Apostille Portal 
  2. Collect all  Documents you want to Apostille 
  3. Submit the Original / Photocopies of documents
  4. Receive Documents with Apostille Directly to your home
Apply for MEA Apostille

What is an Apostille?

Apostille is a certification issued by a designated authority(MEA in case of India) in a country to legalize the use of that document in a foreign country. It came into force as a result of the Hague apostille convention. Until then, there were multiple steps and authorities involved in the legalization of a document issued in one country to use in another country. 

Hague apostille convention abolished lengthy multiple step process  and recognised an apostille as a legalization method to use a foreign issued document. India and Greece are members of the Hague convention. Thus, an apostille on your document issued in India should be submitted to legalize it in Greece. 

List of Hague Apostille Countries

Why Do You Need an Apostille for Greece?

An Indian citizen may need an apostille for the following reasons: 

  • To study in Greece
  • To work in Greece
  • To start a business or expand your business in Greece.
  • To get a dependent visa to Greece
  • To marry in Greece.

Documents that Require Apostille for Greece

The documents you need to get an apostille may vary depending on the purpose of your visit. Below are the documents that you need to get apostille attestation for Greece for each type of visa;

List of Apostille Documents for Greece on Student visa

The educational certificates that need apostille may vary depending on the level of education you are pursuing. Usually, an apostille will be required for the recent educational qualification only. It can be any of the following:

You may also need apostille for the following personal documents:

You may also need to get an apostille on sponsorship certificate if required. 

List of Documents that Require Apostille for Greek Work Visa

For Indians traveling to Greece on work visa following are the documents that require apostille: 

  • PCC Certificate
  • Degree Certificate.
  • Experience certificate

List of Documents that Require Apostille for Greek Dependent Visa

If you are traveling to Greece as a dependent of your spouse or daughter/son you may need to provide apostille for the following personal documents: 

Following financial documents may also be required depending on the circumstances:

  • Sponsorship Letter from primary visa holder
  • Affidavit of support stating financial support

Documents that Need Apostille for Marrying in Greece

  • Birth Certificate – Proof of age and identity.
  • Single Status Certificate  – Confirms that you are free to marry.
  • Divorce Decree (if applicable) – Required if previously married and divorced.
  • Death Certificate of Spouse (if applicable) – If widowed, proof of previous spouse’s death.

Some of your documents need to be translated into Greek by a certified translator. You can check with the authorities in Greek to learn more about translation requirements.

List of Documents that Need Apostille for Each Type

Visa Type Document Require an Apostille
Student Visa / Long-Stay Study
Educational certificates / transcripts / degree certificates, Police Clearance Certificate, Birth certificate (for minors), , Possibly medical certificate (if required)
Work Visa / Employment Permit
Educational / qualification certificates, PCC, Medical certificate, Birth / marriage certificates
Family Reunification / Dependent Visa
Marriage certificate, Birth certificates (for children or dependents), PCC

How to get an apostille for Greece?

There are two methods to get an apostille for Greece in India. They are:

State Attestation Method for MEA Apostille

State attestation method of getting an apostille is usually required for personal and educational documents.  Since those certificates are issued by a department or authority under state government, a state level verification at origin is required to check authenticity. Following are the steps involved in the state authentication method of receiving apostille: 

Notarization

The first step in this process is notarizing the document by a public notary. The notary will verify the document and paste a stamp/signature on the document. 

State Level Verification

In this step, the state department will verify the document at the origin.

If it is an educational document the verification with the university is needed. Then the human resources department of the state will attest the document. 

In case of personal documents such as birth certificate verification and attestation are done by the home department of the state. 

MEA Verification

After the attestation by the state department, the document should be submitted to the Ministry of external affairs through an apostille service provider. The MEA will verify the document as the final step of verification.

MEA Apostille

MEA will affix an apostille stamp/certificate which will be a legalizing document for your personal, educational and commercial certificates to use it in Greece.

SDM Attestation Method for Greek Apostille

SDM attestation method is faster compared to state authentication method. It is a court procedure which will take from 6 to seven days. Following are the steps involved in the SDM authentication method of receiving an apostille for use in Greece. Following are the steps involved in the SDM attestation method of receiving apostille:

Notarization

This step involves the verification and attestation of documents by a public notary.

SDM verification

In this step, sub divisional magistrate verifies and attest the document for its authenticity.

MEA Apostille

In this step the Ministry of external affairs makes the final verification and affixes a certification/stamp known as apostille. This certification makes your document issued in India legal and valid to use in Greece. 

List of documents Needed to Apply for an Apostille

Following are the list of documents you need to submit to your apostille service provider to get an apostille on your documents:

  • Original document or documents that need an apostille
  • Photocopy of your passport as a supporting document.

Process of Obtaining an Apostille for Commercial Documents

In order to submit an apostilled commercial document for use in Greece, you may need to follow a different method. Most of the commercial documents related to trade and business require an attestation from the chamber of commerce instead of state and SDM attestation. 

Following are the steps involved in receiving an apostille for commercial documents:

  1. Chamber of commerce attestation
  2. Notarization
  3. MEA Verification
  4. MEA Apostille. 

Chamber of Commerce Attestation

  • Prepare your documents and submit them to your local chamber of commerce. 
  • Pay the required fee for attestation to the chamber of commerce
  • The Chamber of commerce verifies the document and pastes a seal/signature on the document.

Notarization

This is an optional step to get an apostille for a commercial document. A public notary will verify and attest the document for its originality.

MEA Verification and Apostille

MEA will conduct the final verification and attest the document with a seal and stamp. The stamp/certificate is known as apostille. The apostille has a unique ID which can be used as a verification number across Hague nations. 

Processing Time for Obtaining an Apostille for Greece in India

Usually the processing time for an apostille is as follows:

  • Apostille done through state verification – 20 – 30 days 
  • Apostille done through SDM Verification – 7 days 

However, the time required for obtaining an apostille for Greece may vary depending on the following factors: 

  • The number of documents that need to be apostilled.
  • The type of documents that require apostille
  • The method of authentication (State/ SDM attestation) 
  • The Service choice (Sow, Standard and Tatkal)

Details on the Apostille Certificate for Greece

The apostille stamp/ certificate issued by the Ministry of External affairs for Greece includes following details: 

  • A unique identification number for the certificate. 
  • The date of issuance of certificate.
  • An alphanumeric number for reference purpose
  • Name of the document holder
  • Official stamp of MEA.
  • The name and designation of the official who issued the apostille

If you require an Apostille for Greece in India, following the correct procedure ensures your documents are legally valid and accepted without issues. Opting for a reliable Apostille service provider can streamline the process and save valuable time.

For professional Apostille services in India, contact Apostille Service.

Register for Online MEA Apostille

Provide applicant details

Frequently asked questions

Apostille on your documents to use in Greece may take time from 6 days to one month depending on the following factors: 

  • Type of documents 
  • Number of documents
  • Method of authentication (State/SDM)
  • Type of service (Slow, Standard, Tatkal)

If your document is not in English or Greek, you may need to translate it by a certified translator. Regarding the Greek translation requirement, do check the check list provided by your employer or university in Greece. 

You need to get an apostille for the following type of documents: 

  • Personal documents- Birth certificate, marriage certificate, single status certificate, Divorce decree, Death certificate.
  • Educational Documents- Degree certificates, Diploma certificates, Masters Certificate, Transcript.
  • Commercial Documents- MoU, Articles of association, GST Certificate, PAN card, Incorporation certificate.
  • Medical documents: Vaccination Certificate, Medical Certificate.

Yes. Greece joined the Hague apostille convention which abolished the requirement for legalization of foreign documents on 19 March 1985. Thus an apostille is sufficient to legalize the use of Indian documents in Greece.

To get degree certificate apostille for Greece from India, you need to submit your original document to the Secure Apostille Services office. SAS can also arrange a pick up of your document if you want.  We will get you following attestations on degree certificates: 

  1. Notary Attestation
  2. SDM Attestation
  3. MEA Attestation
  4. MEA Apostille

Once received the apostille, we will send back your documents to your home address or whichever address you wish to get the documents. 

You can get a marriage certificate apostille for Greece from MEA India, only if it is issued by government authorities. You cannot get apostille for marriage certificate issued by religious authorities. You can apply through Secure Apostille Services official website for a free counselling. Then you can either visit SAS office or hand over document to our pick up person. 

Once received, we will check the authenticity of documents from our side. Then, following attestations will be obtained for your marriage certificate:

  1. Notary Attestation
  2. SDM Attestation
  3. MEA Attestation
  4.  Apostille Attestation

You can get PCC Apostille for Greece from India while you are living anywhere in India. Secure Apostille Services with branches all over India will help you in getting all levels of attestations on your documents for the apostille process. We will do the entire verification process and, get notary, SDM, and MEA attestations. Finally your PCC will get an apostille stamp from MEA India. After finishing entire process we will send your apostilled PCC to home address. 

As Indian citizen, if you are marrying in Greece, a single status certificate with an apostille is mandatory. Firstly, you need to prepare an affidavit. SAS will provide you with the template for affidavit. You can either get it notarized or we will notarize it, if you provide your digital signature. SAS will now proceed with the apostille process.  Following are the steps we will be following in order to get an apostille for your single status certificate:

  1. Notarization
  2. SDM Attestation 
  3. MEA Attestation
  4. MEA Apostille

A birth certificate apostille for Greece is needed if you are taking your children on dependent visa from India. To get an apostille for Greece, birth certificate should be government issued. Once submitted your birth certificate SAS apostille will get following attestations: 

  1. Notarization
  2. SDM Attestation
  3. MEA Attestation
  4. Apostille Attestation