Attesting Indian Documents (FAQs)

Yes - India is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Indian documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When Indian documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.

For further information about Apostille certification in India, see:
India Apostille Services

Exceptions to Apostille Convention (Documents required for Germany)
Germany has objected to the accession of certain States to the Apostille Convention (including India), so that the Convention does not apply between Germany and India. Indian documents required for use in Germany may also require additional attestation by the German embassy or by the Indian embassy in Berlin.

Official documents that can be attested with an Apostille in India from the Ministry of External Affairs include:

• India birth, death and marriage certificates
• Indian Police Clearance Certificates
• Indian university diplomas
• Single Status Affidavits
• Divorce decrees
• Incorporation certificates
• Trade documents

Other documents, such as contracts, powers of attorney and affidavits can be legalized after certification by an Indian notary.

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in India, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Indian apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Indian documents, see:
India Apostille Services

Apostilles on most Indian documents, including Police Clearance Certificates and birth and marriage certificates, can be obtained in 3 - 5 working days. Where additional attestation is required at the embassy or consulate of the recipient country (for example, documents required for the United Arab Emirates or Qatar), processing times vary depending on the embassy.

For further information about authenticating documents issued in India, please see:
India Apostille Services

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Indian document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit an Indian birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in India certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in India and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because India is a member of the Apostille Convention, Indian documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If an Indian document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Indian authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in India or non-resident embassy accredited to India).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in India including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
• ISAREY reviews on Google

India Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of Indian documents certified with Apostille stamps:

• Indian Birth Bertificate with Apostille (PDF)
• Indian Police Clearance Certificate with Apostille (PDF)
• India University Degree with Apostille (PDF)

See What does an Apostille look like?

New copies of Indian Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates can be obtained from the municipal corporation office, often online.

• List of municipal corporations in India
• New Delhi - Birth Certificates
• Kolkata - Birth Records
• Goa - Birth and Death Certificates
• Hyderabad - Birth and Death CertificatesMumbai - Birth and Death Certificates
• Chennai - Birth and Death Certificates

If you need assistance obtaining an Indian certificate from outside India, please Contact us.

For further information on Apostilles for Indian Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates, see:
India birth, death and marriage certificates

Apostille stamps on Indian birth, death and marriage certificates can often be obtained from good-quality scans. True copies are attested by a notary and sub-divisional magistrate before submission to the Ministry of External Affairs. To obtain replacement copies of Indian vital records, contact the Municipal Corporation Office. If you need a birth certificate, but the birth was never registered, you can apply for a Non-Availability of Birth Certificate.

For further information about obtaining Apostille stamps on Indian marriage, death and birth certificates, please see:
India birth, death and marriage certificates

It is often possible to obtain an Indian Apostille stamp on a Police Clearance Certificate by presenting a good-quality scan, by making a true copy attested by a notary, but check that the recipient authority does not require the Apostille stamp affixed to the original.

An Indian Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) can be obtained to prove a clean criminal record in India, often required for visa and foreign residency applications. Police Clearance Certificates can be authenticated for official use abroad at the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi after being attested by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate. Apostille stamps can be obtained by submitting the original certificate or a good-quality scan (but if using a scan, you should confirm that the recipient authority does not require the Apostille to be applied to the original PCC)

Police certificates required for countries which have not acceded to the Apostille Convention, such as the UAE, Qatar, Taiwan and Kuwait, will require additional attestation by the recipient country's embassy in Delhi.

• Indian citizens resident abroad are eligible to apply for a PCC using the Passport Seva System through Indian embassies and Consulates:
  Passport Seva at Indian Embassies and Consulates
• Foreign citizens abroad requiring an Indian Police Clearance Certificate may contact the respective Embassy/ Consulate of India office directly:
  Embassies of India
• Applicants in Spain can apply to BLS International
• Indian nationals in India can apply online through Passport Seva
  Passport Seva - Police Clearance Certificate
• Foreign national in India can obtain an Indian Police Clearance Certificate by applying online through the Foreigners Regional Registration Office
  FRRO - Police Clearance Certificate

For further information about our Indian PCC Apostille services, please see:
Indian Police Clearance Certificates

Indian Police Clearance Certificates do not have a specified expiry date, but you should check with the authority or embassy that has asked for the certificate that they do not require a recently issued certificate. Indian PCCs are valid for one destination country only. A new certificate may be required if needed for a country not named on the original certificate.

Powers of Attorney that have have been attested by an Indian notary can be authenticated with an Apostille stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.