Frequently Asked Questions about Indian Apostille services
- Can Indian documents be legalized by Apostille?
- What types of documents can be legalized in India for use abroad?
- How can I obtain an apostille for an Indian birth, death or marriage certificate?
- How long does it take to obtain an apostille on a document in India?
- How can I obtain an apostille for an Indian Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)?
- I need an apostille for my Indian birth, death or marriage certificate - do I need to provide an original certificate?
- I need an apostille for my Indian criminal record certificate - do I need to provide an original certificate?
- How can I obtain an apostille for my Indian University Degree and Transcripts?
- How can I obtain an apostille for an Indian Power of Attorney?
- Where can I see reviews of Isarey's Indian Attestation and Apostille Services?
- How can I obtain a copy of an Indian birth, marriage or death certificate?
- How can I obtain an Indian Apostille on a Certificate of Single Status?
- How can I obtain an Indian Police Clearance Certificate for use abroad?
- Do Indian Criminal Record Certificates have an expiry?
Can Indian documents be legalized by Apostille?
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 - Zambia - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.
For further information 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.
What types of documents can be legalized in India for use abroad?
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
How can I obtain an apostille for an Indian birth, death or marriage certificate?
Apostilles can be obtained for Indian birth, marriage and death certificates from the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi. If the original certificate is in English, an attested true copy of the certificate can be made from a good quality scan. This copy is then attested by the Magistrate and an Apostille affixed. The whole procedure takes less than one week.
See: India birth, death and marriage certificates
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.
How long does it take to obtain an apostille on a document in India?
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
How can I obtain an apostille for an Indian Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)?
The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi issues apostilles to certify Police Clearance Certificate (PCC). The process normally takes 3 - 5 working days. We need to submit the original certificate in Delhi. PCCs can usually be obtained outside India through an Indian Embassy or Consulate.
If you need to submit your certificate in a country where English is not an official language, we offer certified translations recognised by authorities in Italy, Spain, France, Germany and many other countries.
For further information about obtaining Apostilles on Indian Police Certificates, please see:
Indian Police Clearance Certificates
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.
I need an apostille for my Indian birth, death or marriage certificate - do I need to provide an original certificate?
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
I need an apostille for my Indian criminal record certificate - do I need to provide an original certificate?
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. Please contact us.
How can I obtain an apostille for my Indian University Degree and Transcripts?
Isarey can obtain Apostilles on Degree Certificates issued by Indian Universities for presentation abroad. Apostilles are obtained by presenting the original certificates to the Ministry of External Affairs.
Additional procedures and criteria apply when certifying Indian higher education documents for presentation in United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
For further information about obtaining Apostille stamps on Indian university diplomas and other academic certificates, please see:
Apostille Indian university degrees
How can I obtain an apostille for an Indian Power of Attorney?
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.
Where can I see reviews of Isarey's Indian Attestation and Apostille Services?
You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:
How can I obtain a copy of an Indian birth, marriage or death certificate?
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
How can I obtain an Indian Apostille on a Certificate of Single Status?
Apostilles on Affidavits and Certificates of Single Status issued in India can be obtained from the Ministry of External Affairs. Certificates requiring an Apostille stamp should be certified before an Indian notary. They can then be attested by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and authenticated by the Ministry of External Affairs. Certificates of single status required for submission in countries which do not have English as their official language will need to be translated. Translations can be certified in India with an additional Apostille stamp or certified in the destination country.
For further information about our Indian Apostille services for Affidavits of single status, please see:
Single Status Affidavits
How can I obtain an Indian Police Clearance Certificate for use abroad?
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 - 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
Do Indian Criminal Record Certificates have an expiry?
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.
How can I get a quote to certify my documents?
To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:
- By email: info@isarey.co.uk
- Using our Secure Online Quotation Form
- WhatsApp: https://wa.me/447822013390
If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.
Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files (PDF, Office Documents, RAR folders) and provide us with the passwords separately.
PERSONAL DATA: If your documents contain personal data belonging to people outside your household, please ensure that you are authorised to share this data before uploading your documents. If your documents contain sensitive personal data, such as biometric data, medical data or data on criminal convictions, please ensure that you indicate this when prompted, upon submitting your documents. For further information on our processing of personal data contained in uploaded documents, please see:
Privacy Policy (Customer Inquiries)
For further information on confidentiality in our handling of document content please see:
Confidentiality (Client Content)