MEA Attestation in Chennai
What is apostille in simple terms?
An apostille is a french term that implies certification. So, any document that needs to be presented in a foreign country should have an apostille stamp. With this stamp, the document is legalized and is ready to be used in a foreign country. In India, there is a procedure that is followed to get this apostille stamp. Firstly, the document is presented to the notary, then further to the state or SDM, and finally to the Ministry of External Affairs. But to get all this procedure done an individual has to take an MEA Attestation in Chennai. As this work needs expertise so it is better to hire a person who is efficient and has complete knowledge about it.
These are all the details that an individual will find on an apostille document. Have a look:
- Certificate No: A special number is written
- Certificate issued Date: 21/21/2211(date and time)
- Account Reference: AN ALPHA CODE FOR REFERENCE
- Unique Doc. Reference: ALPHANUMERIC CODE
- Purchased by: APPLICANT NAME
- Description of Document: ARTICLE 4 AFFIDAVIT
- Description: AFFIDAVIT
- Consideration Price (Rs.): ZERO
- First Party: NAME OF PERSON
- Second Party: N/A
- Stamp Duty Paid By: NAME OF PERSON
- Stamp Duty Amount(Rs.): AMOUNT
MEA Attestation in Chennai
What are the documents that are needed to get an apostille certificate?
There are many documents that a person should have with themself to get the apostille stamp. Let’s have a look:
- Original Certificate that needs to be attested such as death certificate, birth certificate, PCC, degree certificate, etc
- A photocopy of the passport. Make sure that you have a photocopy of both the front and back of the passport.
- Aadhar Card photocopy.
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Which documents can a person get apostilled if a person hires an MEA Attestation in Chennai?
There are generally three types of documents that need an apostille. However, there are several subcategories under these types. So, register here to know more about the document and apostille service.
- Personal Documents- Birth Certificate, death certificate, police clearance certificate, etc.
- Educational Document- Degree Certificate, Diploma Certificate, etc
- Commercial Document- Certification of Incorporation, power of attorney, commercial invoice, etc.
Which authorities are involved in the attestation procedure of the documents?
There are three authorities that are involved in the attestation procedure of the document. Let’s have a look at them:
- Notary Attestation
- State/SDM Attestation
- Ministry of External Affairs
Note: There is an additional step of embassy attestation for all the countries that are not a part of the Hague Convention. Also, there are some nations that also demand it. So, for all that countries, there is an additional step which is attestation from the embassy is performed.
Explain all the steps in an easy way to get the documents attested by authorities.
For all the countries that are a member of the Hague Convention, there are three steps that need to be done to get the documents attested. Read all the points carefully to have complete knowledge of the procedure.
- Notary Attestation: This is the first step to beginning the attestation procedure. Here are the documents that are examined by the notary cautiously. When the notary finds the certificate real and authentic. The documents are signed by them.
- SDM/State Attestation: Further, the certificate is sent to SDM or State for attestation. Both authorities work in a similar manner. However, a person has to choose one. When compared with time. The time taken by the Sub Divisional-Magistrate attestation is far less than the State attestation. The SDM finishes the entire work in three to four days. Although at the State level, the same work takes three to four weeks.
The chosen authority will verify the details that are written in the document. When the authority found that all the mentioned information is 100% correct. Then only any of the authorities sign and stamp the certificate.
- Ministry of External Affairs: This is the third stage of the attestation process. Being one of the essential steps. All major and supporting documents are analyzed by the MEA. An apostille stamp is placed when the verification of the documents is completed. A stamp is a form of surety that the certificate is real and genuine. The apostille stamp is a kind of approval from the MEA. This is the last step for attestation for the Hague Nations.
Is an apostille document can be used after a year of attestation?
The document that has been attested is basically accepted in a foreign country if it is less than six months old. But there are some countries that might take the certificate which is more than six months old in some cases. So, an apostille service provider can guide better about the validity of the stamped document. To know the exact validity, register for apostille as a few questions might be needed to ask to find out the validity of a document.
What are the charges that are paid for an apostille birth certificate?
There are many charges that are attached to getting an apostille birth certificate. Let’s see all of them carefully:
- The amount depends on the number of the document that needs to be apostilled and also it varies from one place to place.
- The fees that are charged by an experience apostille service provider may differ from one to another.
- Additional services such as home collection of documents, or any other may also add up to the total amount.
- Lastly, the amount that is paid at each level of attestation at authorities also increases the total amount.
To know the charges of the apostille documents, contact a genuine and trustworthy apostille service provider.
How can a person get a MEA Attestation in Chennai documents done?
A person has to follow specific steps to get the MEA Attestation in Chennai documents done:
- Firstly, all the major and supporting documents are to be gathered.
- Then, Finalize the type of apostille you want to get
- Moving ahead, get the registration done for the chosen apostille service
- Last, all the documents are to be submitted that an apostille service requires.
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Frequently asked questions
Apostille or Attestation on Educational Documents by Ministry of External Affairs in India Can be done by Submitting the original Documents or True Copies of Original Documents Issued from the relevant School Boards / Universities.
Steps to get Apostille on your Educational Documents:
- Register for Apostille
- Submit the documents with us.
- Pay for the Apostille
- Receive documents after Apostille to your Address.
Apostille Attestation is Legalization of your documents from Ministry of External Affairs in India. Apostille can be given for the documents issued in India by any authority or issued by any Indian authorities outside the country like Embassy / Consulate. Apostille from MEA can be used in any particular country apart from India.
Check out this article more details on what is apostille .
Apostille and Attestation are similar words. But Apostille will be given from the Ministry of External Affairs in India. Attestation has a broader meaning. Attestation from MEA is called Apostille. Attestation can be given by State Government or Embassy.
For Educational documents attestation from state government is called HRD attestation.
For Non Educational documents such as Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Affidavits state attestation is called home department attestation.
Attestation for any documents from Indian Embassy is called Embassy Attestation.
Read here for further details on how to get apostille.
Ministry of External Affairs Attestation ( Apostille ) can be done in 2 ways.
- State Authentication / Attestation,
- Sub Divisional Magistrate ( SDM ) Attestation / Authentication.
State Attestation Process takes longer time compared to SDM attestation. It’s better to do SDM Apostille since it is fast.
If you are travelling to Italy or Austria, then state attestation is required. For all the other Hague nations SDM Apostille is enough, legal, valid and accepted.
Procedure to get Apostille on your Documents:
- Register for Apostille
- Submit the documents with us.
- Pay for the Apostille
- Receive documents after Apostille to your Address.