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Apostille for HSC and SSLC in India | MEA Apostille for Tenth and Plus Two Marksheet

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Apostille is an essential legalisation requirement for Indians travelling to a Hague Apostille country. Whether you are travelling abroad for study, work or residency, submitting your personal and educational documents to the foreign authority is mandatory. Your documents issued in India are not valid in a foreign country without getting an apostille stamp from MEA India. Apostille for HSC and SSLC is a usual requirement for students who are planning to pursue their graduation in a Hague country. In this article, we will discuss in detail about Apostille for HSC and SSLC including the requirement, process, cost, processing time and more.

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
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What is an Apostille?

An apostille is a certification issued on a document to legalize the use of that document in another, Hague, country. A certificate issued by authorities in India is a foreign document for another country. That country cannot ensure the validity and originality of a document by themselves. Thus, a certification or attestation serves as a method of authentication.

Earlier, every document submitted in a foreign country needed to get an embassy attestation. The process was tougher and took a lot of time. However, with the Hague apostille convention eased the process. At present, the Hague Apostille Convention Countries only need an apostille from a designated authority from each country to legalize it in another Hague country. 

India joined the Hague Apostille convection in 2005. Thus, whenever an Indian document is submitted to the authorities from another Hague country an apostille is sufficient to authenticate it.

Why Do You Need an Apostille for SSLC and HSC

An apostille for HSC and SSLC are required for the following purposes: 

  • Pursuing higher education abroad, usually for graduation or diploma courses abroad.
  • Applying for student or dependent visas, if travelling as a dependent of parent after SSLC or HSC
  • Proof of educational qualification, if you are travelling to a Hague country and latest education is SSLC or HSC
  • Proof of age and identity, SSL certificate is usually considered as the proof of identity and age.
  • School admissions for minor dependents, if you are taking admission to schools for HSC in a foreign country as a dependent, an SSLC apostille is required.

Documents Required for Apostille of HSC and SSLC Certificates

To get your SSLC or HSC certificates apostilled, you’ll need to submit:

  1. Original Certificate (HSC or SSLC)
  2. Photocopy of Passport (first and last pages)
  3. Document submission form

Apostille Process for SSLC and HSC Certificates in India

The apostille in India is issued by the ministry of external affairs alone. However, MEA does not conduct the entire verification process. For that purpose MEA has authorized judicial and state level officials. There are two types of verification methods for educational certificates such as SSLC and HSC. They are: 

  1. State Attestation Method
  2. SDM Attestation Method

SDM method is commonly used because of its fast delivery and lower processing cost. However, if the country you are travelling to has specifically mentioned about getting an HRD attestation, you should get it. Your document with SDM attestation may be rejected in such cases, even if it has a valid apostille. Following are the steps to get an apostille for HSC and SSLC in India: 

  1. Notary attestation: In this step, a public notary will verify your HSC and SSLC certificates and attest it. 
  2. SDM/State HRD Attestation: Depending on which attestation method you have chosen SAS Apostille will submit your certificates to the SDM or state HRD department. If it is an SDM method, the process is simpler. The SDM will verify the HSC and SSLC certificates and attest it with official seal and signature. It will take up to 2 days to get an SDM attestation. However, for the state attestation method, you need to submit it to the state where your certificate was issued. This is the case with state board certificates only. On the other hand, if it is a CBSE or ICS certificate, it needs to get attestation from Delhi HRD. The HRD department will verify with the respective board and attest the document. HRD attestation will take more time as it involves the verification of documents with the document issued authority. 
  3. MEA Attestation and Apostille: in this stage, SAS Apostille will submit your documents to the ministry of external affairs located in Delhi. The ministry will check the details in the certificate as well as the attestation. Once they ensure the validity of the document, the MEA will attest the document. Finally, the MEA officials will affix an apostille stamp on the HSC and SSLC certificate. 
Apostille stamp sample for HSC and SSLC Apostille

Time Required for HSC and SSLC Apostille

Time required for HSC and SSLC apostille may vary depending on: 

  • The method of authentication; you can get an apostille faster, if you are following the SDM attestation method. 
  • State of issuance; If you are following the state attestation method and certificate was issued by a state board it will take more time. 
  • Choice of service: We have services for 3 to 4 days, 7 to 8 days and 14 days. If you want to expedite the apostille process, you can choose a faster method. 

Embassy Attestation for HSC and SSLC

If you are submitting your SSLC and HSC in a non Hague country, you need to get an embassy attestation instead of an apostille. Given below are the steps SAS apostille follows to get an embassy attestation in India:

  1. Notarization
  2. SDM/State Attestation
  3. MEA Attestation
  4. Embassy Attestation

HSC and SSLC apostille is a mandatory requirement for students who are planning to study abroad after their higher secondary education. Whether it is for engineering, MBBS, diploma or a regular degree, if you are travelling to a Hague country an apostille is mandatory. As the admission process is competitive and time bound, do not wait for the last minute for the authentication process. Get your HSC and SSLC apostilled with the help of an authorized apostille service provider.

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Frequently asked questions

HSC apostille refers to the apostille for Higher Secondary Certificate (class 12th marksheet or certificate). It is required when you need to submit your HSC to a foreign authority. The most common requirement of an HSC apostille is for graduation, MBBS or diploma admission abroad.

You can get SDM attestation instead of HRD attestation to get an HSC apostille. However, if the country you are travelling to has specifically asked for an HRD attestation, you can not avoid it. It may lead to the rejection of your application

Yes. Unless the authorities from foreign country mandates an apostille on the original document, you can get it done on a photocopy. Similarly, if it is a duplicate HSC or SSLC, it should be issued by the respective board with an official seal.

Yes. If your destination country is a Hague apostille country, you need to get an apostille for your HSC and SSLC to apply for an MBBS. Without an apostille, a foreign country will not accept your certificates. If it is a non Hague country, you need to get an embassy attestation for your SSLC and HSC.