Get Apostille Marriage Certificate in Delhi | Apostille Stamp on Marriage Certificate
- UPDATED A MONTH AGO
Getting your marriage certificate apostille in Delhi is a crucial step if you are planning to move abroad with your spouse for work, study or residence. Whether you are applying for a temporary visa,dependent visa or permanent residence, marriage apostille from the ministry of external affairs is mandatory, if it is a Hague country.
In this guide, we will walk you through the process of getting a marriage certificate apostille in Delhi, required documents, timeline and more.
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 a stamp issued by the ministry of external affairs to legalize your marriage certificate in a Hague country. As a personal document issued by government authorities in India the authenticity of your marriage certificate is not verifiable to a foreign country. An embassy attestation has been the method of verifying the authenticity of documents abroad.However, the process is lengthy and time consuming. Thus, a group of countries joined together to simplify the legalization process of foreign documents. This convention known as Hague apostille convention simplified the legalization procedure for foreign documents.
At present, countries that are members of the Hague Apostille convention use an apostille as a legalization method for public documents. Since India joined the Hague apostille convention in 2005, Indian documents such as marriage certificates are authenticated using an apostille stamp in a Hague country.
Why Do You Need a Marriage Certificate Apostille in Delhi
If your marriage certificates are issued in Delhi, or if you are currently living in Delhi, you may need a marriage apostille in Delhi for the following purposes:
- If you are applying for a dependent visa for your spouse from Delhi.
- If you are planning to travel abroad with your spouse for a long term stay.
- If you are applying for a temporary residence permit in a Hague country with your spouse
- If you are applying for a permanent residence permit in a Hague country with your spouse.
- If you are applying for a citizenship of another country along with your spouse
- If you want to register your Indian marriage in a foreign country. In countries such as the Netherlands, you need to register your marriage with the local authorities there.
Requirements for Apostille Marriage Certificate in Delhi
If you are applying for your marriage certificate apostille with Secure Apostille Services in Delhi, you need to submit following documents:
- Your original marriage certificate issued by government authorities.
- Photocopy of the passport of both husband and wife
- A document submission form confirming that we have received your documents for apostille.
Apostille for Marriage Certificate Issued by Religious Authorities in Delhi
You can only get an apostille for marriage certificates issued by government authorities. If you have married at a religious institution in Delhi, you may have receipts or certificates of marriage. This marriage certificate is valid for internal purposes such as property inheritance, child custody etc. However, these religious marriage certificates are not valid abroad and thus you cannot get an apostille on it. Thus, if you have a marriage certificate or documents mentioned below, it is mandatory to get a government issued marriage certificate by visiting a nearest registrar’s office in Delhi:
- Nikah Nama issued by Qasis or Jamats recognized by the Delhi Board of Waqf.
- Marriage receipt issued by a hindu temple in Delhi confirming the marriage ritual
- Church marriage certificate issued by any of the churches in Delhi
- A jain temple note confirming the marriage ritual as per jain religious ritual
- A Gurdwara receipt confirming the marriage as per the rituals of Sikh religion
How to Get a Marriage Certificate in Delhi
Before applying for apostille authentication, you should obtain a government issued marriage certificate issued in Delhi. Here is how to get a marriage certificate in Delhi:
Registration Under Hindu marriage or special marriage Act.
- If you were married in Delhi, your marriage can be registered under Hindu marriage or special marriage act.
- Registration is done at the marriage registrar’s office in the district where either spouse resides.
Online Appointment via e-District Delhi Portal
- Visit https://edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in
- Register to apply for a marriage certificate in Delhi
- Book an appointment at the respective sub registrar’s office.
- On the appointment day, both the spouses should be present with witnesses and documents
Documents Required to Apply for a Marriage Certificate in Delhi
- Aadhaar Card/ID Proofs of both partners
- Passport-size photographs
- Wedding invitation or temple/marriage hall receipt
- Proof of residence
- Marriage photograph
- Witness ID proofs
Once issued, this Delhi marriage certificate becomes eligible for apostille legalization.
Apostille for Marriage Certificate Affidavit in Delhi
An affidavit is a notarized self declaration by the individual itself. A marriage certificate affidavit is stating that the person is married to the person mentioned in the affidavit on the date, time and place mentioned in it. If you have lost your marriage certificate and you don’t have time to reissue it, you can make a marriage affidavit. Similarly, if you do not have a government issued marriage certificate and you do not have time to register marriage at the registrar office, you can make a marriage certificate affidavit. Unlike your religious marriage certificate, an affidavit is accepted for apostille.
You need to personally visit a public notary in Delhi along with required documents to make a notarized marriage affidavit.
The documents accepted by notary for verifying your marriage are:
- A government issued ID card where the name of the spouse is mentioned. If you have lost your marriage certificate and your passport mentioned your spouse’s name it is sufficient as a proof.
- Marriage Photo preferably during the marriage ritual if it is a religious marriage.
- Marriage invitation letter
- Joint bank passbook, utility bill or rental agreement showing the same address for both husband and wife. This alone is not sufficient.
- Nikah Nama/ temple/church marriage certificate/ Gurudwar receipt
- If you lost the marriage certificate, photocopy of the lost marriage certificate.
The Government Authorities involved in the Apostille Marriage Certificate Process
In India, only the ministry of external affairs has the authority to issue an apostille. However, the ministry can not conduct the entire verification process. Thus, the ministry accepts documents with attestations after verification of the authenticity of documents. There are two main authorities that conduct verification and attestation of the documents. Depending on which attestation you choose, the time and cost of the process will vary. In both methods, first you need to get a notary attestation. The two methods of authentication available are:
- Delhi Home Department Authentication , if your marriage certificate is not issued in Delhi, you need to submit the document to the respective state home department.
- SDM Authentication. Since this is a court procedure, there is no strict jurisdiction. Even if your documents are not issued in Delhi, you can get attestation from the SDM in Delhi.
Thus authorities involved in the entire marriage apostille process includes:
- A public notary (For both methods)
- Sub Divisional Magistrate in Delhi (If choosing SDM method)
- Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary, or Section Officer, of Delhi home department (if choosing state attestation)
- Under Secretary, CPV Division, MEA or Assistant Section Officer, CPV Division, MEA
Home department attestation involves multiple state government officials and it may take more time. Moreover, it is costly. However, some countries may specifically ask for a state government attestation. Unless specified, you can do the SDM authentication.
Step by Step Process of Getting a Marriage Certificate Apostille in Delhi
Given below are the steps secure apostille services follows to get a marriage apostille in Delhi:
- Notarization: This step is common for SDM and home department attestation methods. In this step SAS Apostille will give your marriage certificate to a public notary. The notary as an official authorized for authentication of documents will verify the particulars in your marriage certificate. Once the notary finds the certificate is valid, he will attest it.
- SDM/ State home department attestation: In this step we will submit your marriage certificate either to the Delhi home department or sub divisional magistrate. The SDM will verify and attest the document within two days.
If your marriage certificate is submitted at the Delhi home department, the home department may take more time to verify the document at its origin. The designated authority from the Department of Home, Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, will first verify the documents genuinity. Then, they will send the document to the registrar who issued the certificate for further verification. Once the department receives the report from the registrar’s office, the Delhi home department will paste a sticker on the back side of the marriage certificate.
- MEA Attestation: We will finally submit the marriage certificate to the ministry of external affairs in Delhi. The ministry officials will check the authenticity of the document and attestations in it. Finally they will attest the document followed by an apostille stamp for marriage certificate.
Details in an Apostille Stamp for Marriage Certificate
- 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 in Delhi is an inevitable service if you are planning your travel abroad with your spouse for work or residence. Even though, MEA India is located in Delhi, you cannot directly go and get your marriage apostille directly from MEA. MEA has outsourced apostille services to private entities and taking the help of an authorized and trust worthy apostille service provider is necessary. Moreover, your marriage certificate needs to get other attestations after verifying the authenticity. Then only, it will be accepted for an apostille. Thus, don’t keep the document authentication process until the last minute. Visit our website and fill the apostille application to get a call from an expert for marriage apostille near you in Delhi or visit the Delhi Branch of SAS Apostille.
Register for Online MEA Apostille
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. If you are submitting your marriage certificate for visa application, you need to get an apostille for marriage certificate. It is a mandatory requirement to authenticate your marriage certificate in a Hague apostille country.
Yes. With the help of an apostille service provider in Delhi such as Secure Apostille services, you can get an apostille for a marriage certificate issued outside Delhi. However, if you want to get state attestation for your marriage certificate, we need to send it to the respective state home department for attestation before apostille stamping.
You can get your marriage certificate apostille in Delhi the same day itself if you are choosing faster service and getting SDM attestation. However, if you want to get state attestation, it will take more time. Typically, you will get a marriage apostille in Delhi within 2 to 14 days.
First level of verification will be done by a public notary. Then, the home department of Delhi or SDM will verify the document. Finally, the ministry of external affairs will also verify the marriage certificate.
No. You can not get an apostille stamp on your marriage certificate by visiting the MEA. The ministry does not accept documents from individuals for apostille. You need to take the help of an authorized apostille service provider such as Secure Apostille services.
No. A notarized marriage certificate cannot get an apostille stamp directly from the mEA. You need to get either SDM or Delhi home attestation to get an apostille marriage certificate.
Where is the MEA apostille center located in Delhi?
No. MEA does not accept marriage certificates in other languages for apostille. If your marriage certificate is in language other than English, you need to get a certified English translation. MEA will give an apostille stamp for the translated version of your marriage certificate.