MEA ATTESTATION

MEA - Ministry Of External Affairs

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) attests original documents//true copies of documents for use abroad. Attestation done by the Ministry of External Affairs is of two types:

1. MEA Apostille Attestation
2. MEA Attestation

MEA Apostille Attestation:

India, since 2005, is a member of the Hague Convention that abolished the requirement of legalization of foreign public documents. Apostille is acceptable in 105 member-countries of the Convention . Apostille is done for personal documents like birth/death/marriage certificates, Affidavits, Power of Attorney, etc. and educational documents like degree, diploma, matriculation and secondary level certificates etc. Any document Apostilled in one member country is acceptable in all the other 104 member-countries, signatory to the referred convention of 1961 thus greatly simplifying the process of attestation by making it needless to get the documents attested in each or for each of the countries separately.

MEA Attestation:

This is done for all the countries which are not a member of Hague Convention and where Apostille is not accepted.

Steps for Attestation/Apostille:

Step 1: Authentication of documents: All original documents/copies requiring attestation or Apostille should be first authenticated by the designated authorities of the State from where the document has been issued. In case of personal documents, Home/General Administration Department of the concerned State Government are the designated authorities. In case of educational documents, the documents should first be authenticated by the Education Department of the concerned State Government. Commercial Documents are to be pre-authenticated by the respective Chambers of Commerce.

Step 2: Legalisation of documents: The Ministry of External Affairs thereafter, legalises the documents on the basis of the signature of the designated signing authorities of the State Government/Chambers of Commerce. Hence it does not take responsibility of the contents of the documents.