Being someone who has accomplished the objective of acquiring an apostille for my document in India, I am privileged to be the one who shares the information and experience that I have been through with you. The apostille process, which is the worst-case scenario for the ones whose documents are to be utilized in foreign states, which are Hague Convention members, is a very laborious and monotonous one. This manuscript can help you with everything from the documentation of your birth to capturing of the marriage certificate in India. Thus, you fill up the document application form, submit all the necessary documents, and pay the service fee.

• 1. Understand What Apostille Means

To be the first to know an apostille is, in fact, a matter of relevance. The apostille is a means of authorization, which is used in countries that have joined a treaty in 1961 by the Hague. It is a certificate that proves the document is authentic and belongs to you.

• 2. Check if You Need an Apostille

It is very important to check the document requirements of the country, which you desire to use in it for legal purposes, and make sure that an apostille is needed. In most cases, people will need to use their apostille documents in different countries, so it is important to study this information before making any critical decisions. This may or may not apply to your country. However, it is advised to check the same early on before lodging any application.

• 3. Gather Your Documents

These are all the documents you need to gather before getting them apostilled. These are:

• Educational certificates
• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Commercial documents
• Power of Attorney
• Affidavits

• 4. Get Your Documents Notarized

The initial stage of the apostille procedure is getting your papers attested by a Notary Public. One or even all these parts of the process can be completed in one go. Note that different ones may also apply to you. One such requirement is the need for the stamping of the certificate by the notary public.

• 5. State-Level Authentication

At this stage, after notarization, you have to go to the Home Department of the state you came from, to keep a general check. This step will prove the notary’s signature and seal are legitimate and thus the authenticity and the realness of the issued document have been confirmed.

• 6. MEA Authentication

After this, you will be required to take your state-authenticated documents to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi for the final processing. The MEA is the sole authority in India that can issue apostilles.

• 7. Submit Your Application

You can go in person to any of the approved agency services or the following documents would typically be needed 

• Certified copy of the document to be apostilled
• A copy of the document
• A copy of the passport
• The apostille request form

• 8. Pay the Required Fees

Affixing of an apostille to a certain document is a paid service provided by the State. The fee itself may change and will be different depending on the type and the number of documents. It is important to first make sure to know the actual fee, as it varies across different companies, and then to go to the MEA website to verify the current fee schedule.

• 9. Wait for Processing

Apostille process time can be different, depending on which type of document is to be apostilled. It is generally between 3 to 5 working days but could be longer when there are a lot of other cases in the queue.

• 10. Collect Your Apostilled Document

Once your apostille is completed, you can either pick it up directly from MEA's headquarters in New Delhi or it can be delivered to you if you have used a service provider like apostille services Kolkata.

Additional Tips

Here are some of the extra pieces of advice I can give you after following my own journey:

Plan ahead so that you will not be in a hurry when you need the documents while also giving enough time