Understand What Is Apostille Attestation in India, How Long the Process Takes, Fees, and Documents Required

Apostille is not an Indian word. It comes from the French language. The basic meaning of Apostille is verification and legalization of documents for different international purposes.

Apostille is needed when you:

• travel abroad
• get married abroad
• apply for employment visa
• apply for family reunion visa

It is also required for business and commercial work, such as:

• exporting products to other countries
• registering a company in another country
• doing international legal procedures

Apostille is accepted only in Hague Convention countries. This means if the country is part of The Hague Agreement, then they ask for Apostille on your documents.

Which Certificates Should Be Apostille Attested and What Are the Reasons for Doing It?

All Indian Government certificates and many private certificates can be Apostilled from the Ministry of External Affairs in India. But that does not mean you must Apostille every document. It fully depends on your purpose, your visa type.

Some common examples:

Educational certificates

• Degree certificate is usually required for working abroad
• Diploma or mark sheets may be required for job purpose or higher studies abroad

Personal certificates

• Birth certificate is required for applying visas and many legal procedures
• Marriage certificate is required for family visa to take your spouse or family overseas

Commercial and business documents

• GST certificate is required for registering company abroad
• Agreement between two companies is required for export business
• Power of Attorney is needed when you give legal authority to another person to work on your behalf

So, the requirement of Apostille depends on why you are applying and which country you are going to.

What Other Documents Are Required to Submit for MEA Apostille Along with the Document You Need to Apostille?

When you submit your documents for MEA Apostille, you also need to prepare some extra papers. Along with the original document, you must submit a passport copy or Aadhar card of the person whose name is written on the certificate.

If you don’t have a passport copy, you can give a small written application to MEA explaining that you don’t have a passport yet and you have already applied for it. In that case, you can submit the passport application receipt instead.

For commercial documents, MEA always requires:

• Company seal on each paper
• Passport copy of the signing authority

What Procedure Needs to Be Followed to Get an Apostille Stamp in India?

MEA Apostille is always the last step. Before that, MEA has a rule that every document must be verified by a local authority. The Apostille process is different for educational, personal, and commercial documents.

Before starting the process, first check that the name on your passport and the name on your certificate are the same.

Process for Educational and Personal Documents (Degree, Diploma, birth, Marriage and PCC etc.)

• State HRD Attestation

  Documents must be verified from the State HRD where the document was issued. Countries like Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Portugal may ask for HRD stamp.

• SDM Attestation (New Delhi)

  2.If you are not able to do HRD, you can do SDM attestation in New Delhi. SDM attestation is accepted in many European countries.

• MEA Apostille

  3.After HRD or SDM, documents go to MEA for Apostille.

Commercial Documents (Company papers, Agreements, POA)

• 1.Chamber of Commerce attestation
• 2.MEA Apostille directly

How long time does it take to complete the process for Apostille stamp?

The total time for Apostille fully depends on the type of verification you choose — State HRD /GAD or SDM.

If you go through GAD / State HRD attestation, it takes more time because:

• educational documents must be verified from the university, and
• birth or marriage certificates must be verified from the Collector office

This process can take around 15 to 20 working days, sometimes more.

But if you choose the SDM Apostle route, the process is much faster. SDM attestation + MEA can be completed in around 2 to 3 working days if you submit documents before 11 AM to MEA.

How Does the MEA Apostille Stamp Look and Where Is the Apostille Done – Is It a Certificate or a Sticker?

Apostille is not a certificate. It is only a common sticker issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). This sticker is always fixed on the back side of your original certificate.

On the Apostille sticker, all main details are written, such as:

• person’s name
• where the document was verified first
• date of issue
• unique reference number for overseas verification
• digital QR code for online verification
• name of the country (India)
• official seal and signature of the MEA authority

What Is the Cost of MEA Apostille in India and How Much Do You Need to Pay for Each Document?

Generally, Apostille charges depend on which certificate you want to Apostille and which state the document was issued from, because local verification fees are different in every state.

The total cost also depends on the procedure you follow, like SDM or HRD, and also depends on the type of document (personal, educational, commercial).

Another factor is how many documents you have. Sometimes, if you have only one document, the cost becomes higher because it travels alone for verification and the courier charges are the same. But when you have multiple documents, they go in the same envelope, so courier charges reduce and the cost becomes cheaper per document.

At present, the average cost for a single document is around ₹4,100 to ₹5,100 depending on process and location.

If you have more documents, you can write us and we will check the current rate and give you the best price.