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:

AlbaniaAndorraAntigua and Barbuda
ArgentinaArmeniaAustralia
AustriaAzerbaijanBahamas
BahrainBarbadosBelarus
BelgiumBelizeBolivia
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazil
Brunei DarussalamBulgariaBurundi
Cape VerdeChileChina, People's Republic of (Hong Kong & Macao Only)
ColombiaCook IslandsCosta Rica
CroatiaCyprusCzech Republic
DenmarkDominicaDominican Republic
EcuadorEl SalvadorEstonia
FijiFinlandFrance
GeorgiaGermanyGreece
GrenadaGuatemalaHonduras
HungaryIcelandIndia
IrelandIsraelItaly
JapanKazakhstanKorea, Republic of
KosovoKyrgyzstanLatvia
LesothoLiberiaLiechtenstein
LithuaniaLuxembourgMacedonia
MalawiMaltaMarshall Islands
MauritiusMexicoMoldova, Republic of
MonacoMongoliaMontenegro
MoroccoNamibiaNetherlands
New ZealandNicaraguaNiue
NorwayOmanPanama
ParaguayPeruPoland
PortugalRomaniaRussian Federation
Saint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the Grenadines
SamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and Principe
SerbiaSeychellesSlovakia
SloveniaSouth AfricaSpain
SurinameSwazilandSweden
SwitzerlandTajikistanTonga
Trinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkey
UkraineUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandUruguay
UzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela

 

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.


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