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What is Apostille Attestation - Fees, Procedure & Documents Required

An Apostille Attestation is a process recognised in 117 member countries of the Hague Convention. When a document is Apostilled in one member country, it is accepted in all the other 117 member countries. 

This is especially helpful for students planning to study abroad, or people from India willing to work in other countries as it eliminates the need to get documents attested separately for each country. 

Many countries accept Apostille-attested documents, but it's important to know what an Apostille means first. This article will explain the meaning of Apostille and guide you through the application process if you need to submit your documents.

Apostille Meaning in Simple Terms:

In simple terms, an Apostille is a type of attestation where documents are legalized in a specific format. This process is used for personal documents like birth, death, and marriage certificates, Power of Attorney, and Affidavits, as well as educational documents like diplomas, degrees, and school certificates.

An Apostille is accepted and recognized in 117 countries that are part of the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961. These countries have eliminated the need for further legalization of foreign public documents and introduced the Apostille attestation instead.

Once a document is Apostilled in one member country, it is accepted in all the other 117 member countries. This is especially helpful for students and professionals, as it eliminates the need to get documents attested separately for each country.

What is the Apostille Attestation procedure?

Procedure for Apostille Attestation: (For Students)

Students planning to study abroad must apostille their documents. Learn about the process of Apostilling your documents:

1. To obtain attestation, applicants are required to use e-Sanad, an electronic service introduced by the Ministry of External Affairs.

2. Applicants must then upload their documents and pay the standard fee set by the e-service provider.

3. A digital verification is then conducted by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) and the General Administration Department (GAD), Government of India (GOI).

4. A digitally signed / pre-approved document is then verified by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

5. In the final step, attested documents are sent to the applicant along with Apostille stickers

Kindly note: To obtain an attestation/apostille by MEA, all documents must be submitted and collected from the attestation/apostille agency, as MEA does not accept documents directly from applicants/individuals. Detailed information can be found on the MEA, GOI's website.

Step By Step Apostille Attestation Procedure:

Step 1: Document authentication: Applicants must have their documents authenticated by the Regional Authentication Centers.

  • 1. Authentication of personal documents can be done by the Home / General Administration Department of a State / Union Territory.
  • 2. An educational document can be authenticated by the education department of the state or union territory in which it is located.
  • 3. The authentication of the commercial documents can be done by the Chamber of Commerce, registered with the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to issue a Certificate of Origin

Step 2: Depositing documents with an authorized service provider

  • 1. The applicant has to visit the outsource agency center that is nearest to their place of residence to deposit the verified documents
  • 2. Upon completion, the outsource agency submits documents to the Branch Secretariat / RPO that has jurisdiction over it

Step 3: Receiving apostille / attested documents from the outsourcing agency

  • 1. An outsourcing company receives duly legalized documents from a branch secretariat or RPO
  • 2. The applicants then receive their legalized documents

What is the Apostille Attestation Fee?

Every Apostille of a document is charged Rs. 50 by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. However, since the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) cannot accept documents directly from applicants or individuals, all documents that need to be apostille by MEA must be submitted and collected from outsourced agencies.

A service fee of Rs. 90/- and a scanning fee of Rs. 3 per page will be charged by the outsourced agencies per document for delivering it to MEA for apostille attestation.

What is the Apostille Attestation Fee?

Every Apostille of a document is charged Rs. 50 by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. However, since the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) cannot accept documents directly from applicants or individuals, all documents that need to be apostille by MEA must be submitted and collected from outsourced agencies.

A service fee of Rs. 90/- and a scanning fee of Rs. 3 per page will be charged by the outsourced agencies per document for delivering it to MEA for apostille attestation.

What are the documents Apostilled by E-Sanad?

The e-Sanad service can authenticate or apostil documents for personal, educational, or commercial purposes. An attestation/apostille can be obtained via the online e-Sanad services if the document is available in the digital repository.

If e-Sanad does not recognize your document, the applicant must approach the Regional Authentication Centres (RACs) to upload it and then submit it to the outsourced center for verification and apostille.

Sample Apostille Attestation 

The following is a picture of your document after it has been Apostilled. Apostille stamps are computer-generated square stickers that the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India pastes on the back of documents.

Netherlands attestation

Apostille for the Netherlands - sample

A unique identification number is printed on the stamp created by a computer. The unique identification number can be used by any member of The Hague Convention to check the authenticity of the Apostille stamp online.

Apostille Documents

Below is the list of the documents that can be attested. The list is not extensive and can include more documents.

Educational Documents:

  • - School leaving certificates
  • - College leaving certificates
  • - Mark sheets
  • - Degree certificates
  • - PG degree certificates
  • - Diploma certificate
  • - Transcript certificate
  • - Transfer certificate
  • - Engineering certificate
  • - Nursing certificate

Personal Documents:

  • - Birth certificate
  • - Marriage certificate
  • - Registration certificate
  • - Power of Attorney certificate
  • - Marriage Affidavit certificate
  • - Medical certificate
  • - Bonafide certificate
  • - Adoption Deed

Commercial Documents:

  • - Certificate of origin
  • - Invoices
  • - Certificate of incorporation
  • - Memorandum of Association
  • - Power of Attorney

Which are the countries included in the Hague Convention?

Countries under Hague Apostille Convention: There are 117 nations that are members of the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, which introduced the Apostille attestation:

Albania Andorra Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina Armenia Australia
Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas
Bahrain Barbados Belarus
Belgium Belize Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil
Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burundi
Cape Verde Chile China, People's Republic of (Hong Kong & Macao Only)
Colombia Cook Islands Costa Rica
Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic
Denmark Dominica Dominican Republic
Ecuador El Salvador Estonia
Fiji Finland France
Georgia Germany Greece
Grenada Guatemala Honduras
Hungary Iceland India
Ireland Israel Italy
Japan Kazakhstan Korea, Republic of
Kosovo Kyrgyzstan Latvia
Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein
Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia
Malawi Malta Marshall Islands
Mauritius Mexico Moldova, Republic of
Monaco Mongolia Montenegro
Morocco Namibia Netherlands
New Zealand Nicaragua Niue
Norway Oman Panama
Paraguay Peru Poland
Portugal Romania Russian Federation
Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe
Serbia Seychelles Slovakia
Slovenia South Africa Spain
Suriname Swaziland Sweden
Switzerland Tajikistan Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey
Ukraine United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Uruguay
Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela

 

Can an Apostilled document be rejected?       

Candidates often wonder if they can be rejected for their Apostilled document. It is important to note that in most cases the process is authentic and cannot be rejected. It is possible to reject Apostilles if and when the following conditions are met:

  • - The origin of the Apostille cannot be verified
  • - A Model Certificate annexing to the Convention differs significantly from the formal elements

Validity of Apostille Attestation

What is the validity of your Apostille Attestation? Most apostille issues are acceptable at any time after the date of issue. Some documents may need a recent apostille, however. Checking your criminal record is one example.

In many cases, candidates are required to apostille their birth certificates and academic transcripts. Some may suggest that an older apostille is acceptable as your academic qualifications and birth date have not changed.

posted on 27 May, 2024.

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