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Apostille

Apostille Attestation Service in India

An apostille is one sticker of the Ministry of External Affairs that countries in the Hague Apostille Convention accept. After the state has attested your document, the MEA adds the apostille, and no embassy follows. We take your document through the state and the MEA and return it apostilled.

  • No embassy step
  • Fee confirmed before you start
  • Updates on WhatsApp
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Notice: Trueway provides independent documentation support and is not affiliated with any council, embassy or government authority.

Where the apostille sits

The chain for an Apostille Convention country.

  1. Notary

    First, for personal documents.

  2. The state

    HRD for educational documents, Home Department or SDM for personal ones.

  3. MEA ApostilleThis page

    The apostille sticker and the MEA seal.

  4. Used in the country

    No embassy stamp follows.

What an apostille looks like

The back of a birth certificate after the apostille. Three offices, and no embassy.

MEA Apostille

The back of a birth certificate with a notary seal, an SDM seal and the MEA Apostille sticker and seal. Names and numbers are hidden.View larger

  1. Notary seal

    A notary public attests the document first.

  2. SDM seal

    The office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate adds its seal and signature. For some countries the state step is the HRD or the Home Department.

  3. Apostille sticker

    The sticker of the Government of India with the word Apostille. It names the kind of document, who signed it and in what capacity, the place and the date, and carries a number and a QR code.

  4. MEA seal and officer's stamp

    The round seal of the Ministry of External Affairs and the stamp and signature of the officer. No embassy stamp follows.

A real case, shown with the names, numbers and signatures hidden.

Who needs an apostille?

Anyone taking an Indian document to a country in the Apostille Convention.

  • Educational certificates

    Degree, diploma and school certificates, for study or work.

  • Non-educational certificates

    Birth, marriage and other personal documents, for a family or residence visa.

  • Commercial documents

    The documents of a company, for business abroad.

How we handle it

Who does what, from your first message to the attested document.

  1. Step 1: Tell us the document and the country

    You

    We confirm the offices, the fee and the expected time for your case before you send anything.

  2. Step 2: We collect your documents

    Trueway

    The original document and a passport copy, at a branch or by courier. We check names, dates and seals before anything is submitted.

  3. Step 3: The state attests it first

    Authority

    A notary where it is needed, then the state: HRD, Home Department or SDM.

  4. Step 4: The MEA adds the apostille

    Authority

    The Ministry of External Affairs affixes the apostille sticker and its seal, partly on the sticker and partly on the document. Trueway does not control this step. We follow it and send you updates on WhatsApp.

  5. Step 5: We return the document

    Trueway

    At a branch or by courier. It can be used in the country without an embassy stamp.

Where the MEA takes documents for apostille

Since 1 January 2019 the MEA takes documents through its Branch Secretariats and RPOs in 15 cities.

Cities

  • Thiruvananthapuram
  • Cochin
  • Bengaluru
  • Chennai
  • Hyderabad
  • Mumbai
  • New Delhi
  • Ahmedabad
  • Bhopal
  • Chandigarh
  • Guwahati
  • Kolkata
  • Lucknow
  • Panaji
  • Raipur

Country pages

  • Saudi Arabia
  • Oman

You do not go there yourself: we submit the document for you.

Documents required

From you
  • The original document
  • A copy of your passport
For some documents
  • Marriage certificate: the passport copies of husband and wife
  • Birth certificate of a minor: the passport copies of the parents
  • Commercial document: the passport copy of the person who signs for the company

From Trueway's working checklist. Your exact list is confirmed after your enquiry.

Watch: the attestation process explained

Our team explains the whole chain: notary, state, MEA, apostille and embassy.

Certificate Attestation & Embassy Attestation Explained | Complete Process |MEA, Apostille & Embassy

Trueway International on YouTube · 10 min 13 s. The video loads from YouTube when you press play.

More videos

What does it cost?

Connect with the Trueway team for the fee. It depends on the document, the state that issued it and the country it is for. We confirm it on WhatsApp, together with the expected time, before you decide.

Ask the team for the fee

Good to know

  • Only for Convention countries

    A country that is not in the Apostille Convention asks for embassy attestation instead. We tell you the route for your country.

  • On the original

    The apostille is placed on the original document, not on a copy.

  • An embassy cannot issue it

    In India only the Ministry of External Affairs issues the apostille.

Guides

The process, explained in full.

Google reviews

What clients say about their attestation

Google reviews that mention attestation or the apostille. The one about this page comes first.

  • Abishek S Kumar

    Thank you senior customer relations manager of trueway international Mary Jami mam for helping me getting my Saudi PCC and also it's MOFA Apostilation. Very very helpful.

  • GOPIKA KRISHNAN G

    Good service..Thank youTrue way team especially ms.Archana for helping and support throughout my certificate attestation process.

  • Adv. Stephy Walter

    I had a very smooth experience with Trueway International for my certificate attestation. Special thanks to Mary Jemi for her support and guidance throughout the process. Everything was handled quickly and professionally. Highly recommended!

Reviews from Google, shown as written by the reviewers.Read all reviews on Google

Got questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

Clear answers about an apostille.

What is an apostille?

It is a sticker of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, with its seal, that confirms your document for use in the countries of the Hague Apostille Convention. With an apostille, no embassy stamp is needed.

Is an apostille the same as attestation?

No. An apostille is one MEA sticker for the countries in the Apostille Convention. Embassy attestation is for the other countries: the state, the MEA and then the embassy of the country each attest the document.

What are the steps of an apostille?

The state attests the document first: a notary where it is needed, then the HRD, the Home Department or the SDM. Then the MEA adds the apostille sticker and its seal.

Is the apostille done on a copy or on the original?

On the original document.

Can an embassy issue an apostille?

No. In India the apostille is issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

What do I do after the apostille?

Nothing more in India: the document can be used in a country of the Apostille Convention without an embassy stamp. The office that receives it may ask for a translation or a recent document.

Which countries accept an apostille?

The countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. Tell us the country and we confirm the route; our guide lists the countries.

How long does an apostille take?

It depends on the document, the state that issued it and the country it is for. We tell you the expected time for your case before you start, and send updates on WhatsApp.

What does an apostille cost?

Connect with the Trueway team on WhatsApp. The fee depends on the document, the state that issued it and the country it is for, and we confirm it before you decide.

Is Trueway part of the HRD, the MEA or an embassy?

No. Trueway provides independent documentation support and is not affiliated with any council, embassy or government authority.

Get your personalised roadmap

Need an apostille? Tell us the document

We reply on WhatsApp with the steps and the fee.

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