Apostille services refer to attesting documents, which show that the document is legally accepted. However, attestation services are there. But, the Hague Convention member countries require apostilled documents. It has around 92 members, which are recognised worldwide.
A square-shaped stamp on the back of your visa or immigration document states that your documents are apostilled or valid. It also carries the signature of the Ministry of External Affairs officer.
India has been a part of this Hague Convention since 2005. It was however started on October 5, 1961. Once implemented, it eliminated the requirement of further attestation by state & central ministries and then, the embassy. This type of legalization of documents is accepted all across the world.
Can you apostille all types of documents in India?
Certainly, yes. All types of documents are legalized in India. But, citizens or NRIs should first understand the categorization of documents for it. Here are the categories to understand:
- Personal papers or documents, such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, NABC, single status certificate etc..
- Education-based papers or documents, such as transcript, mark sheet, degrees, provisional, and many other ones.
- Commercial papers or documents, such as compliance, company agreements, & business deals etc..
The documents belonging to these categories may be required to notarize beforehand. In that case, the applicant should discover the concerned departments. Let’s come across the main concerned departments in accordance with the categories of documents.
- Home/ General Administration Department of the State/ Union Territory for personal documents
- Education Department of the State/ Union Territory for educational documents
- Chamber of Commerce of the State/ Union Territory for business-based or commercial documents
How can you get your documents apostilled in India?
The following steps can guide you on how to get it done in India.
Go to Regional Authentication Center (RAC)
The Indian government has set up regional authentication centers or RACs all across India. Since there are over 28 states and 8 union territories, people may face hassles in apostilling services. So, these centers are located in many different states. Here is the list of those locations where RACs are.
If you still face any problems, Services 2NRI is here to help you. We have been providing online apostille services in India for over a decade now. The non-resident community trusts us.
Submit Your Documents to Support
Your request for legalizing documents would be administered once you deliver the notarized documents. These documents can be any of the aforesaid categories. You need to enclose all documents in original and photocopies for attestation.
No Direct Request Can Be Administered
Unfortunately, there is no provision to directly request for legalizing your documents with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It is where the branch secretariat or RPO verifies the authenticity of your documents. As he does, the verified documents are sent to the registered agents. Here is the list of those agents. Or, you may contact us for getting off any hassles and online requests. Carefully select the agent in accordance with your state or locality. And then, send your documents via a courier or scanned copies.
No Provision to Apply Directly
Before July 2012, people could apply for apostille services directly with the authority. But now, the RPO does not accept any in-person request for apostille solutions at the Ministry of External Affairs Counter at CPV Division, Patiala House, New Delhi.
So, it is suggested to enclose the original document/true copy directly to us with photocopies of your documents like the passport.
Location of RPOs in India
Since the decentralisation of attestation services in January 2019, the Branch Secretariat is administering these requests. He sits in any of the nearest RPOs, which are located in 35 cities. The location of these centers are- Ahemdabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Chandigarh, Cochin, New Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Panaji, Raipur, Thiruvanantapuram, etc..
How long does it take to apostille in India?
If your documents are authentic and have no errors, it hardly takes 10 days to administer your apostilling request. It is noteworthy that the Secretariat won’t check the authentication unless there is any possibility. However, the state administration examines this aspect deeply & carefully.
How much does apostille cost in India?
- The MEA asks to pay INR Rs 50 for the Apostille of document via debit card or cashier cheque.
- It excludes the fee for the outsourced agent, which costs per document. In all, a document’s apostilling costs INR 90/- (Service Fee) and Rs 3 per page (Scanning Fee).
Documents to enclosed
- Any of the aforementioned documents
- Valid visa photocopy
- Original visa approval notice, if any
- Original passport and photocopies of first & last two pages
Summary
The non-residents or citizens of India can have apostille services. The RPOs offer these services. They are the competent authorities located in 35 cities of India. They have hired four agents like Services2NRI for addressing such requests with the Branch Secretariat/ RPOs.
