Attestation/Apostile of Documents

by MEA - Ministry of External Affairs Attestation/Apostile

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Posted on January 1, 2018 at 12:00 PM

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Apostille

The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, the Apostille Convention, or the Apostille Treaty, is an international treaty drafted by The Hague Conference on Private International Law. It specifies the modalities through which a document issued in one of the signatory countries can be certified for legal purposes in all the other signatory states. A certification under the terms of the convention is called an apostille from Latin post ill and then French: a marginal note). It is an international certification comparable to a notarisation in domestic law, and normally supplements a local notarisation of the document. If the convention applies between two countries, such an apostille is sufficient to certify a document's validity, and removes the need for double-certification, by the originating country and then by the receiving country.

Birth Certificate Apostille

Birth Certificate Apostille could be completed from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA, Patiala House Court), New Delhi:India after the Attestation of the Birth Certificate from the competent officer or Government Agency designated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The competent officer who can attest the Birth Certificate could be the Section officer, Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner etc. of the government agency like Human Resource Development Department (HRD), Regional Attestation Center (RAC), General Administrative Department (GAD) or Home Department. The Apostilled Birth Certificate is required when the person is going to a Hague Conventional Country (HCC). The Apostilled Birth Certificate needs to be translated into the National language of the county to be visited. But there are some specific country which is required the translated Apostilled Birth Certificate. Also be informed that there is no mandatory rule to translate the Birth Certificate in another language, however if the Birth Certificate is in any Indian Language like Hindi, Punjabi, Mathathi, Bengali, Gujrati, Kannad etc, then the English transition is required for the Apostilled Birth Certificate. Birth Certificate Apostille process was started on 5th October 1961 Globally. However, in India the Apostille process was come into action on 14th July 2005. Apostilles are affixed by proficient establishment designated by the Government of India which is party to the convention. A list of these authorities is maintained by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Examples of designated authorities are Embassies or Consulates, Ministries, Courts etc. but in India only and only the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has the power to Apostille the Birth Certificate. Apart from the Degree Certificate Apostille, Diploma Certificate Apostille, Birth Certificate Apostille or Marriage Certificate Apostille there are also some documents which to be Apostilled as Birth Affidavit Apostille, Marriage Affidavit Apostille, Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) Apostille, Divorce Certificate Apostille, Singleness/Unmarried/Bachelorhood Certificate Apostille etc.

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