MEA Apostille tends to be a crucial element in the move abroad, in case you are moving for employment, education, permanent residency or starting and expanding a business abroad. In its absence, your Indian documents might not be legally valid in the country you are going to.
The documents that you are submitting to facilitate the move abroad must be certified by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Government of India, by a process called Apostille. It makes your entry into any foreign country stress-free by guaranteeing that the documents are in line with the lawful requirements of that country.
MEA Apostille is a form of legal verification used to authorise the legitimacy of a document to be used internationally. It is in the form of a sticker, which is generated by a computer with a unique code and is stuck on the back of your original documents.
It is only applicable when you are utilising documents in countries which are members of the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961. After the apostille has been executed by the MEA, your document will be legally accepted in other countries. Apart from MEA-apostille, you do not have to acquire additional foreign embassy attestation.
Whether you want to live abroad, work or study in a foreign country, you will need to use apostille services on numerous occasions. The following are the most prevalent situations when an MEA Apostille is required;
The apostille ensures your documents meet international standards of authentication, making them acceptable without additional verification.
Although the process of MEA Apostille itself is standard all over India, the nature of a document defines what authorities should validate the document prior to offering the apostille sticker by the MEA. Here is a detailed breakdown of the steps involved;
State HRD Authentication
MEA Apostille
Home Department Authentication
MEA Apostille
Chamber of Commerce Authentication
MEA Apostille
Note : No embassy attestation is required once a document is apostilled for use in Hague Convention countries.
For a quick and hassle-free MEA apostille procedure, the candidates need to submit certain documents. It generally includes the following;
Make sure all your original documents are intact and free from any damage for an effortless process.
Yes, when you are applying to a university in a Hague Convention member country, then you must have an apostille on your academic documents.
No. Your document should be certified by the State authority (in most cases the Home Department, HRD or Chamber of Commerce) before MEA can proceed to issue the apostille.
Normally, this process requires a duration of 7 to 15 business days, depending on the type of document and destination country. There can be delays depending on document conditions or other requirements.
Theoretically, an apostille sticker does not expire. Nonetheless, the apostille may have to be current (within 3-6 months); otherwise, some countries may not accept it.
The apostilled document can only be used in the countries belonging to the Hague Apostille Convention. Sufficient attestation in cases of non-Hague countries is mandatory.