Document Attestation
Notarial, state and ministry attestation of educational and personal documents.
Attestation is the chain of verifications that makes an Indian document acceptable to an authority in another country. A degree certificate, a birth certificate or a power of attorney issued in India carries no automatic standing abroad — attestation is what supplies it.
The chain depends on the destination. Countries party to the Hague Convention accept an apostille, which is a single certification. Countries outside it require consular legalisation, which means the destination country’s embassy attests the document after the Indian authorities have.
Charges on enquiry
This service is quoted case by case, because the work depends on your documents, the authority involved and the timeline you need. Send us a short note and we will confirm the professional charges and the government fees in writing before starting.
Apostille or embassy legalisation
This is the first thing to establish, because the routes diverge early and doing the wrong one means starting again.
For a Hague Convention country, the document is authenticated at state level and then apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs. For a non-Convention country — the UAE and most Gulf states among them — the document goes through the Ministry and then to that country’s embassy in India.
The state-level step comes first
- Educational documents are verified by the State Education Department or the issuing university
- Personal documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates go through the State Home Department or General Administration Department
- Commercial documents are attested by a Chamber of Commerce before the Ministry
- Some documents require notarisation before any of this begins
Documents commonly attested
- Degree, diploma and school leaving certificates, for employment or study abroad
- Birth, marriage and death certificates, for family visas and residence
- Power of attorney, for property or business matters abroad
- Affidavits and declarations
- Medical certificates and police clearance certificates
- Commercial invoices, certificates of origin and board resolutions
- Company incorporation documents, for establishing a branch abroad
Practical points that save time
Attestation is done on the original document in most cases, so you will be without it for the duration. Where the document cannot be spared, a notarised copy is sometimes acceptable, but this depends entirely on the destination authority.
Requirements also change. Embassies revise their attestation rules with little notice, so the position should be confirmed at the time of submission rather than assumed from a previous experience.
How we handle it
- 1 Establishing the route We confirm whether the destination requires an apostille or embassy legalisation, since the chains differ.
- 2 Notarisation Where the document type requires it, notarisation is completed first.
- 3 State authentication The document is authenticated by the relevant state department or the issuing institution.
- 4 Ministry attestation The Ministry of External Affairs attests or apostilles the document.
- 5 Embassy legalisation For non-Convention countries, the destination embassy attests the document.
- 6 Return The attested original is returned to you with the chain of seals intact.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between apostille and attestation?
An apostille is a single certification accepted by countries party to the Hague Convention. Attestation for a non-Convention country requires the additional step of legalisation by that country’s embassy in India.
Do you need my original document?
In most cases yes, because the seals are applied to the original. Some authorities accept a notarised copy, but that depends on the destination and should be confirmed first.
How long is an attestation valid?
The attestation itself does not expire, but many receiving authorities want documents attested within the last six months. Check the requirement before starting.
Can educational documents be attested without the university?
Generally no. The issuing university or board must verify the certificate before the state and Ministry steps, and university verification is often the slowest part of the chain.
What if my document is in a regional language?
A certified translation is usually required, and the translation itself may need to be notarised and attested alongside the original.
What is not included. Government fees, statutory charges, stamp duty, court and registry fees, digital signature costs and any third-party professional charges are separate and payable at actuals. GST applies on professional fees where indicated. Prices shown are indicative and may change without notice; we confirm the total in writing before any work begins — see our terms on pricing.
Talk to us about Document Attestation
Share your requirement and our team will confirm the documents needed, the exact charges and a realistic timeline — usually the same working day.
- Expert document checking before submission
- Regular status updates on WhatsApp
- Transparent professional charges
- Assistance in Marathi & English
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