MEA Attestation Services in India
What is MEA Attestation and Why Is It Required?
Why Do You Need MEA Attestation?
Below are common situations where MEA attestation is required:- Higher Education Abroad: Universities abroad often ask for attested degree certificates as part of the admission process.
- Employment Visa & Work Permits: Employers in countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Europe, and the US require attested certificates for visa processing.
- Migration & Residence Visas: If you’re applying for long-term visas, personal documents like birth, marriage, or divorce certificates must be attested to verify their authenticity.
- Overseas Business Setup: To open a branch, set up a business, or conduct legal transactions abroad, commercial documents like company incorporation, board resolutions, or power of attorney must be attested and legalized.
Important Note:
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) offers two types of attestation services:- Apostille: Valid in countries that are part of the Hague Convention (1961). No additional embassy attestation is required.
- Normal Attestation: Used for non-Hague countries. This requires further legalization from the concerned embassy or consulate.
What is MEA Attestation Process in India?
MEA Attestation Process in India
Getting a document attested can seem complex, but we handle the entire process from start to finish. Here is the step-by-step process we follow for MEA attestation, apostille, and embassy legalization:
1. Pre-Attestation by Notary (if required):
Notary Public must certify the document first; a notary stamp (and sign) on your document is an initial confirmation that the document is genuine.
2. State Authentication – HRD/Home Department/Chamber of Commerce:
All documents must be first authenticated by the respective state government authority before MEA will attest them. Depending on the type of document, this state authentication is done by different departments:
Educational Certificates:
The State Education Department or HRD (Human Resource Development) Department of the state that issued the certificate must authenticate. For example, a degree from Bangalore University will require authentication from Karnataka’s Higher Education Department (often via a HRD attestation at the regional HRD office).
Personal (Non-Educational) Documents:
The State Home Department or General Administration Department (GAD) of the state must attest these. Some states have a designated Home Department attestation section, while others use the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) or Commissioner’s office for this purpose.
Commercial Documents:
These need pre-authentication by the respective Chamber of Commerce in India. A letter or stamp from an authorized Chamber of Commerce will verify the document for business use abroad.
Note: Each state in India has its own process and requirements for authentication. For instance, Tamil Nadu’s Home Department in Chennai and Karnataka’s HRD in Bangalore have specific procedures. We assist you in obtaining the required state attestation – you don’t have to run to government offices; our team will handle it through our HRD Attestation and Home Department Attestation services.
3. MEA Attestation or Apostille by Ministry of External Affairs:
Central Government Attestation – After the document is authenticated by the state, it is submitted to the Ministry of External Affairs for central attestation. The MEA’s Consular Services Division will verify the state authentication and then attest the document at the national level. There are two possible outcomes at this MEA stage:
MEA Apostille:
If your target country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, the MEA will affix an Apostille sticker on your document. An apostille is a square-shaped, computer-generated sticker with a unique identification number, applied to the back of your original document. This indicates India’s certification of authenticity. No further attestation is required after an Apostille for it to be valid in any of the 100+ Hague Convention countries.
MEA General Attestation:
If your destination country is NOT part of the Hague Convention, MEA will issue a regular attestation stamp and seal on the document. This is commonly called MEA attestation in the narrow sense. However, for these countries, MEA attestation is not the final step – the document must also be attested by the embassy of the destination country to be recognized there.
4. Embassy/Consulate Legalization:
For documents destined for non-Hague countries, an additional step is required after MEA attestation. The document needs to be legalized by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in India. This usually involves submitting the MEA-attested document to the consular section of the respective country’s embassy. The embassy will verify the MEA attestation and then stamp or affix their embassy attestation on the document. This final embassy stamp/legalization signifies that the document is now officially authenticated for use in that specific foreign country.
Our Attestation company handles everything from state-level authentication to MEA attestation/apostille and foreign embassy legalization. You will receive your documents back fully attested and ready for use overseas. We also maintain digital tracking at each step, so you know exactly where your document is and we keep you updated throughout.
Common Document Timeframes:
- Standard Processing: 7-9 working days
- Express Service: 5-6 working days
- Super-urgent Service: 4 working days
Expert MEA Attestation Services Across India
Since 2012, our team of certified document specialists has successfully processed over 50,000 MEA attestations and apostilles for educational, personal, and commercial documents. Our ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27701 certified processes ensure your documents receive proper authentication for use in 120+ countries.
Our Document Attestation Process
- Document Collection & Verification: Our specialists collect your original documents from your location and conduct a thorough 18-point checklist to ensure they meet all country-specific requirements.
- Notary Authentication: We handle the notarization process with authorized notaries who are familiar with international document requirements.
- State-Level Authentication: Depending on your document type, we process it through HRD (for educational documents), Home Department (for personal documents), or SDM office (for commercial documents).
- MEA Submission & Processing: We submit your documents directly to MEA through our authorized channels and use our daily submission privileges to ensure fastest processing.
- Embassy Legalization: For countries requiring embassy attestation, we handle the submission to the respective diplomatic mission with proper documentation.
- Quality Assurance Verification: Our QA team conducts a thorough examination of all stamps, seals, and signatures before releasing the documents.
- Secure Document Delivery: We return your attested documents via secure courier or personal delivery with tracking.
Document Expertise & Coverage
Our team includes specialists with backgrounds in educational verification, legal documentation, and international relations to handle the following document types:
Educational Documents
- Degree & Diploma Certificates
- Academic Transcripts
- School Certificates
- Professional Qualification Certificates
Personal Documents
- Birth & Marriage Certificates
- Death Certificates
- Medical Documents
- Police Clearance Certificates
Commercial Documents
- Certificates of Incorporation
- Power of Attorney
- Board Resolutions
- Commercial Invoices & Contracts
Service Locations & Timeframes
We operate in Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kerala, and 25+ additional cities with free pickup and delivery. Our service partners in 120+ countries ensure proper attestation for UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and other destinations.
Why Our Attestation Service Is Trusted
- Direct MEA Liaison: Our staff includes former Embassy employees who understand the internal verification processes.
- Transparent Documentation: Detailed attestation certificate explaining the authentication chain for each document.
The MEA attestation process requires specific expertise for each document type and destination country. Our attestation specialists provide personalized guidance based on your exact requirements to ensure proper document legalization.
Looking for MEA Attestation or MEA Apostille Services?
We are recognized experts in MEA certificate attestation and work closely with various departments including the MEA Apostille department, MEA document verification offices, Embassy/Consulate legalization cells, and HRD and SDM (Sub-Divisional Magistrate) authorities to ensure smooth and timely document processing.
GloboPrime Attestation Services offers fast and reliable document legalization in Chennai & across India. Our service points are conveniently located near major landmarks including:
Service Locations:
-
Chennai:
Phoenix Marketcity mall, T Nagar, Anna Nagar, Tambaram, Adyar -
Bangalore:
Koramangala, Indiranagar, Whitefield, Jayanagar -
Delhi:
Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Nagar -
Mumbai:
Andheri, Bandra, Dadar, Thane -
Kerala:
Ernakulam, Kakkanad, Trivandrum, Calicut -
Hyderabad:
Banjara Hills, Gachibowli, Ameerpet -
Tamil Nadu all Cities:
Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Salem, Erode, Vellore -
Other Cities:
Vijayawada, Vizag, Pune, Nashik, Surat, Nagpur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad
We handle documents for over 120+ countries including UAE, USA, UK, Canada, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Singapore, and more. Whether it’s for visa processing, higher education, family sponsorship, or job applications we ensure your documents are attested legally and quickly.
Contact us today to get started with government-approved MEA attestation and apostille services in India.
