Marriage certificate apostille is the process of obtaining certification from Ministry of external affairs for the purpose of International Use. This marriage certificate apostille indicates that the document is genuine and given by the rightful authority. Marriage certificate apostille is valid for the use outside india, specifically in hague countries.
Marriage Certificate Apostille to Marriage is needed for dependent visa and to register the marriage in foreign country.Marriage certificate is a special certification given by MEA India. Here we will learn complete details of the apostille process.
Meaning of Marriage Certificate Apostille
Apostille is basically a stamp that the Ministry of External Affairs in India places at the back of the document that is to be attested. To legalize a document to use in a foreign country, it is essential to get the apostille. With apostille, the documents become authentic and ready to present in a foreign country. Marriage Certificate Apostille lets the foreign country understand that the two-person mentioned on the certificate share marital status.
The meaning of Apostille of marriage certificate is getting a Ministry of External affairs attestation on the marriage certificate. This attestation proves the foreign organization that the marriage certificate is genuine and the contents in the marriage certificate are true.
Steps that are performed to get a Marriage Certificate Apostille
The steps that are performed by an apostille service provider to get the Marriage Certificate Apostille are easy but lengthy. It requires in-depth knowledge as all the certificates are to be presented to MEA. Let’s see the steps:
- Notary Attestation
- SDM/State Attestation
- Ministry of External Affairs
MEA is the last step for all the countries that are among one of the members of the Hague Nations. However, an extra step which is Embassy attestation is done for other countries or when some countries specifically ask for attestation from Embassy.
Before 2012, a person can go to the authorities to have an apostille stamp on the documents. But this led to more people at the authorities. So, they decided that only the apostille service provider can visit and get the document apostilled. Now, an individual has to find a trustworthy apostille service provider for documents apostille.
Reasons to get Marriage Certificate Apostille
- Flying on dependent VISA
- Going on Work VISA
- Getting PR done in other country
- For dual citizenship
- An individual who is going abroad on a family visa
- To get the property ownership
- To apply for passports for the children
Ways to get Marriage Certificate Apostille
Basically there are two ways of getting apostille from MEA
- Through State Verification
- Through SDM Verification
State / Home Department Attestation for Marriage Certificate
All the documents issued in India relates to the state in which it is issued.
Here, the State government has to verify the document’s authenticity first.
State authentication will be done by the secretariat of the district in which the document is issued.
The apostille Marriage certificate is provided only after state verification is done.
There are many government bodies are involved in this process.
This process will take 30 working days to complete the whole process
SDM verification for Marriage Certificate Apostille
State attestation takes a lot of time, there is a shorter way to get apostille marriage certificate from MEA through SDM verification.
Here, your documents are submitted to Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM).
The attestation of marriage certificate generally from SDM takes 3 to 4 days. Whereas, the same documents when attested from the state take 3 to 4 weeks.
Once the SDM verification is done then the document is submitted to MEA for apostille. This is the most crucial step in the entire apostille process.
Time required to finish this kind of apostille depends on the package you choose on our website.
Time required to complete varies from 3 days to 14 days
process of State home department attestation for marriage certificate Apostille
All the documents issued in India relates to the state in which it is issued.
Here, the State government has to verify the document’s authenticity first.
State authentication will be done by the secretariat of the district in which the document is issued.
The apostille Marriage certificate is provided only after state verification is done.
There are many government bodies are involved in this process.
This process will take 30 working days to complete the whole process.
State verification in detail
Both the apostille are legally accepted in hague nations (113) countries.
However, for Italy and Austria MEA Apostillation has to be done through state verification only.
For Non hague nations (nations which are not in the hague nation list)
All the documents must go through state verification to get MEA apostille and then legalization from the Embassy of the destination country.
How does our company help MEA ?
MEA apostilles thousands of documents everyday, In 2012 there was a boom in number documents that MEA received. It was very hard for MEA to keep track of all the documents.
So this job was outsourced to us. The collection and distribution of documents is our job.
Finally MEA has the right to apostille the document.
MEA no longer accepts the documents directly from citizens.
Apostille Stamp
Apostille stamp is a way to legalize a document by putting a sticker that is in a square shape on the top of the document. The stamp is placed so that foregin countries come to know that the marriage certificate apostille is real and correct. A thorough check of all the major and supporting documents is done and after proper verification, the embassy attests to all the certificates.
Which one is better SDM or state ?
If your Destination country is in Hague naton list, Except Italy and Austria then you should go for SDM attestation since this costs less and takes less time.
However if your documents belong to Punjab, Haryana and Goa the SDM costs are different there is extra verification for documents from these states.
Your destination country does not belong to Hague nation State attestation has to done then MEA apostille after that Embassy attestation(only for non hague nations).
Fees an applicant has to pay for apostille marriage certificate India?
There are several charges that are added to know about the exact charges for attestation of the marriage certificate. The fee depends on the type of document, various fees are charged at several levels of apostille that are discussed above, and a nominal fee is charged by the apostille service provider. The amount increases if the documents are more. So, these all are the charges that an applicant has to pay to get an apostille on a marriage certificate.
Validity of Apostille marriage certificate?
Apostille marriage certificate or apostille in general which is provided by MEA will have a validity of 6 months. Other countries have different validity. Indian apostille have 6 months validity.
How much time does it take to get the apostille marriage certificate India?
In a marriage certificate apostille, there are numerous steps involved. This is a simple but a little lengthy process as all the documents are checked by keeping every small detail in mind. There are various authorities so the certificate is verified for at least 3-4 times to avoid any mistake as after an apostille the document is regarded as legal and valid in foreign countries.
For the complete process, the estimated time is 3-4 days. However, the time also depends on the place where the certificates were issued. To know the exact time for the process, contact a trustworthy and genuine apostille service.
How do I apply for MEA Marriage Certificate Apostille or any certificate?
Steps involved in Apostille
- Registering online for apostille
- Sending the documents for office/or visitting our office to deposit the document
- Online payment for apostille
- Receiving the tracking number for the documents
- Check updates online
- Get emails regarding the apostille status
- Receive / collect the documents after apostille
Following are the details an Apostille contains:
- Name of country from which the document was issued.
- Name of the Person to whom document is issued.
- Name of person signing the document.
- Designation of the singed person.
- Place of certification date of certification.
- Number of certificate.
- Seal or stamp of authority issuing certificate.
- Signature of authority issuing certificate.
Apostille for Marriage Certificate Affidavit
What happens once I apply for apostille?
Once you apply for apostille we will check the document for authenticity and will check the document with concerned departments for correctness.
if the document submitted to us is proper we will process it further to SDM.
After SDM signs the document it will be processed through MEA for apostille. We will check the details of the apostille itself like your name date and seals. If there is any correction required we will process the document again.
Checkout Marriage Certificate Apostille for the following countries-
France Oman Germany Netherland Poland
Norway Estonia Spain Austria Japan
FAQ
How do I apostille my marriage certificate in India?
Getting a marriage certificate apostille in India has 4 steps
- firstly the document needs to be verified by the local authority who issued the document.
- Secondly the document must get notary attestation
- The document should be submitted to Sub divisional magistrate and get the SDM Seal
- Finally the document should be submitted to MEA office for apostille.
Is apostille done on original documents?
Apostille can be done on both the original documents as well as certified copies. Its always better to get apostille on the original document since the authorities to whom you will be submitting will request for original document apostille. However in some cases if you need apostille on the photocopies then it can be done with special permission from the MEA.
How much time does the apostille take?
Apostille can be done within 3-4 working days with all the attestations included namely,
1) Notary attestation
2) SDM Attestation
3) MEA Attestation
4) Apostille Attestation
