What is an apostille? Do we need one? If so, why? How do we get it? And what is apostille attestation? In this article, we will be discussing these questions regarding apostille in India and how to get apostille attestation in India.
What is an apostille?
As we know, to go anywhere out of the country, we need to go through a lengthy procedure and need a lot of different documents to prove that we have legal permission to go outside India. Some of the most important things we need to go abroad are a passport, a VISA, and documents stating our purpose to visit that specific country. An apostille in India is a document that relieves us from verifying those documents to visit a country that is also part of the Hague convention just like India. An apostille attestation in India will help you avoid the time taking verification procedures.
Why do we need an apostille certificate?
Getting an apostille on any of the official or legal documents can help you immensely if it concerns legalization or proof of authentication. For example, your birth certificate. If you need to prove that whatever information your birth certificate displays is genuine, it will be a wise choice to get an apostille attestation. That way you do not ever need to worry about your documents being suspected as fake. There are several benefits to apostille attestation.
- Helps in proving identification – Most of the documents that are usually required to be apostille attested are related to personal identification. Like birth certificates, death certificates, degrees, or adoption papers. Apostille services may help in giving concrete proof of the authenticity of these papers.
- Less illegal activities – before the Hague convention or the introduction of the apostille, many transactions were carried out illegally, for example, trading overseas. By getting documents apostilled, people will be bound to do business with other countries in a legal manner. This way, there will not be any corruption and the economy will rise as well.
- International acceptance of apostille attestation – Many countries are part of the Hague convention, including India. That means, if you produce any document that is apostilled from India to a country also part of the convention, you will be able to avoid tedious verification processes in this way.
It is important to keep in mind that only countries that are part of the convention can accept apostille from each other.
Procedure to get apostille attestation in India
Getting an apostille certification is not very difficult but can be tricky. The ministry of external affairs is responsible for giving apostille attestation. For this, you need to submit all your original documents online and then they will be verified by the general department of the state or union territory. The verification takes some time but after it is verified by the state, it will be again verified by MEA before being attested, signed, and sent back to the applicant. The apostille fee is not much in India, just fifty rupees. This way you can get your documents apostilled.
