Get Marriage Certificate Apostille in Bangalore | Legalization of Marriage Certificate
- UPDATED A MONTH AGO
If you are planning to move abroad with your spouse for study, work or permanent residency, a marriage certificate apostille in Bangalore is an essential authentication service. Especially in a city like Bangalore with the largest share of the expatriate population, legalization of marriage certificates with an apostille stamp from MEA India is a commonly sought after service. In this article, we will go through everything you need to know about the marriage certificate apostille in Bangalore including how to get it, where to get it, and the processing time.
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 apostille is the process of legalizing your marriage certificate for use in a Hague Apostille country. A Hague apostille country is a country that joined the Hague apostille convention of 1961 which abolished the requirement for legalization of foreign public documents. Until the convention, people from all countries were required to get embassy attestation for legalizing their documents in a foreign country. The procedure was a bit complicated. However, with the Hague apostille convention, member countries only need an apostille from a competent authority to legalize documents abroad.
India joined the Hague apostille convention in 2005. Thus, as an Indian travelling to another Hague country, you only require an apostille to legalize your marriage certificate. In India the ministry of external affairs is the only competent authority eligible to issue an apostille stamp.
Why Do You Need a Marriage Certificate Apostille in Bangalore?
You need to get apostille stamp for Marriage Certificate in Bangalore for the following purposes:
- To apply for spouse visa
- To join your spouse who is already in Hague country
- To apply for permanent residence in a Hague country
- To apply for a Hague apostille country citizenship
- Claim inheritance or property located in a Hague Convention country after the death of the spouse.
- Registering Indian marriage with the local authorities in a foreign country.
Requirements for Apostille Marriage Certificate in Bangalore
To get an apostille stamp on marriage certificate from Bangalore, you need to submit the following documents:
- Original marriage certificate issued by the government authority.
- Copy of passports of both spouses
What If You Don’t Have a Government-Issued Marriage Certificate?
If you got married in Bangalore under the following conditions, you may not possess government issued marriage certificate:
- You got married in a Mosque and registered with Karnataka State Board of Auqaf (Waqf Board), Bangalore. You may possess the Nikah Nama.
- Married Churches Registered under the Indian Christian Marriage Act. The church will maintain marriage records and issue certificates.
- For marriages performed in temples, they will issue marriage receipts or letters confirming the ritual.
In all of the above mentioned cases, the marriage certificates issued by religious institutions are not valid for the apostille process. You need to visit your local registrar office to register under Hindu Marriage act/special marriage act. They will issue a marriage certificate within a few days. You can use this certificate for the apostille process.
Legalization of Marriage Certificate: Process
An apostille stamp is the legalization requirement for your marriage certificate to use it abroad. However, you cannot get an apostille directly from the Ministry of External Affairs. Your marriage certificate needs to go through multiple verification and attestation procedures before submitting it to the MEA. In India there are two verification procedures for a marriage certificate apostille. They are:
MEA does not make any distinction between state and SDM attested documents. Certain countries may ask you to get state attestation for apostille. Thus, the requirement depends on the country you are travelling to. However, state attestation is mostly required for educational documents. Thus, if it is not required by the foreign authorities where you are submitting documents, you can do SDM attestation. This is a faster and cheaper way of getting an apostille.
Steps to Get Marriage Certificate Apostille in Bangalore
Secure apostille services follow the below steps to get an apostille stamp on your marriage certificate:
- Notary Attestation: Notary is a government authorized official to authenticate documents. We will present your marriage certificate to a public notary. The notary verifies the sign and seal on the marriage certificate for its authenticity. Then, signs on the backside of the certificate with the official seal.
- SDM/ State home department Attestation: This step will vary depending on the method you have chosen. If you choose SDM attestation, we will submit your marriage certificate to the sub divisional magistrate. It is a court procedure. The SDM checks the document and attest with official seal and signature.
If you want to get state attestation, we will be submitting it to the home department of the state where your marriage is registered. The department will assign respective district authority to conduct verification. The district office verifies with the office of registrar where the certificate was issued. Once verified the sign and official capacity of the person who issued the marriage certificate, they will report back to the state home department. The state home department then will attest your marriage certificate with a sign and seal.
- MEA Attestation: Finally, we will present your marriage certificate before the ministry of external affairs located in Delhi. Officials from the MEA also verifies the document details and attestations on it. Firstly, the MEA will attest the certificate. Then, paste an apostille stamp on the backside of the document which includes the name and details of the applicant as well as the attested officials. The name appearing on the apostille may contain the name of the husband or wife irrespective of who applied for the apostille. This is totally at the discretion of the ministry. Even if it contains the name of the spouse, you can use it and it is legally valid.
Apostille for Marriage Certificate Affidavit
You can get an apostille for a marriage certificate affidavit in case:
- You lost your marriage certificate
- You don’t have a marriage certificate
In such cases, you can visit a public notary and make a marriage certificate affidavit. However, you may need to submit proof of marriage to get a notarized marriage certificate affidavit. Following are the documents that are accepted as proof of marriage:
- Wedding invitation card and wedding photo
- Govt issued ID card with spouse name preferable, passport.
- Joint utility bills, rental agreement, bank passbook showing same address
- Temple/religious marriage certificate
- Photocopy of the lost marriage certificate
It is mandatory for the person getting a marriage certificate affidavit to be present in India, before the notary to get the affidavit.
Details in a Marriage Certificate Apostille
- Title: “APOSTILLE” followed by the phrase “ Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961”
- Country of Issue; India in this case
- Name of the Person Signing the Document; Marriage registrar’s name
- Capacity in Which the Person Has Signed ; usually sub registrar or marriage registrar
- Place of Apostille ; New Delhi, India
- The date the apostille was issued.
- Apostille Number ;A unique alphanumeric reference number that can be used to verify the document online via MEA’s verification portal.
- A round seal of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
- Signature of designated MEA Official
- QR Code, if it is a QR code apostille
Marriage certificate apostille is required as a proof of marriage to use it in a Hague country. Whether it is for a dependent visa as a spouse or to register your Indian marriage with a local authority in a foreign country, legalization of marriage certificate is compulsory. Without an apostille stamp from MEA India, your marriage certificate will not be valid abroad. With the help of a trustworthy and authorized apostille service provider, you can get your marriage certificate apostilled in Bangalore without travelling anywhere.
Marriage Certificate Apostille Services in Bangalore
| Apostille Service Center | Contact Number |
|---|---|
Abbigere | |
AECS Layout | |
AGS Layout | |
Akshya Nagar | |
Amrutha Halli | |
Ashok Nagar | |
Attibele | |
Austin Town | |
Avalahalli | |
Banashankari | |
Bannerghatta | |
Bapuji Nagar | |
Basavanagudi | |
Basaveshwara Nagar | |
Bellandur | |
BEML Layout | |
Benson Town | |
Bommanahalli | |
Bommasandra | |
Brookefield | |
BTM Layout | |
Chikkaballapur | |
Chmarajpet | |
Chandra Layout | |
CV Raman Nagar | |
Defense Colony | |
Electronic City | |
Frazer Town | |
Hebbal | |
Hennur | |
HSR Layout | |
Indiranagar | |
Jalahalli | |
Jayanagar | |
JP Nagar | |
Kammanhalli | |
Kanakapura | |
Kalyan Nagar | |
Kasturi Nagar | |
Koramangala | |
Madiwala | |
Majestic | |
Malleswaram | |
Marathahalli | |
Nagarbhavi | |
Narayanpura | |
Peenya | |
Ramamurthy Nagar | |
Shanti Nagar | |
Shastri Nagar | |
Shivajinagar | |
Sanjay Nagar | |
TC Palaya | |
Ulsoor | |
Vijayanagar | |
Whitefield | |
Wilson Garden | |
Yelahanka | |
Yeshwathpur |
Register for Online MEA Apostille
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Frequently asked questions
No. Religious marriage certificates such as Nikah Nama, church issued certificates or temple receipts are not eligible to get an apostille. Only government issued marriage certificates can get a marriage certificate apostille stamp. Thus, you need to register your marriage at the local registrar office to get a government issued marriage certificate.
You can get marriage certificate apostille in Bangalore within two to14 days, depending on following factors:
- Method of authentication
- Service you choose.
- If a marriage certificate is issued by the Indian consulate abroad, the verification will take more time.
- State of issuance if choosing home department attestation
No. MEA attestation is for submitting a marriage certificate in a non-Hague country. After MEA attestation, you need to get embassy attestation to legalize marriage certificates. On the other hand, MEA apostille is used in a Hague country.
If you have lost your marriage certificate, you can reissue the marriage certificate or make a notarized affidavit stating all the relevant details related to your marriage including date, place etc.
Yes. Irrespective of who applied for the marriage certificate apostille, MEA may mention one of the spouse’s names. It is random and you cannot make a request to mention your name itself. Thus, even if your spouse’s name is mentioned, you can use it and it will be legally accepted for your purposes in a Hague country.
No. If your marriage certificate is in Hindi, you cannot directly apply for an apostille. MEA India accepts only documents in English for apostille. You need to first get a certified Hindi to English translation of your marriage certificate.
Fill the apostille application form online and you will get a direct call from an executive specializing in marriage certificate apostille near you.