Applications
The apostille process for Indian educational documents
In short
Individuals cannot submit documents to the Ministry of External Affairs directly. Educational documents are first authenticated by the designated state authority, then deposited with one of the MEA-authorised outsourcing agencies, and collected from that agency once the apostille sticker is affixed. The MEA fee is Rs 50 per apostille, plus the agency's service charge.
Apostille is the step that turns an Indian degree certificate into a document a foreign authority will accept at face value, and it is the step most often left until the visa appointment is two weeks away.
The procedure is published by the Ministry of External Affairs. The part that varies, and the part worth planning around, is the state authentication before it.
The three steps
Authentication first: documents are authenticated by the designated regional authentication centre or state nodal authority. Which department that is depends on your state, and it is not consistent: in some states it is the higher education or general education department, in others the home department, the general administration department or the resident commissioner.
Deposition second: the authenticated documents are submitted to one of the MEA-authorised outsourcing agencies. The ministry currently lists BLS International, Superb Enterprises, IVS Global Services and Alhind Tours and Travels.
Collection third: the apostilled documents are returned by the same agency. Since January 2019 the service has been decentralised to branch secretariats and passport offices across sixteen cities.
Fees, and what is not accepted
The MEA apostille fee is Rs 50 per apostille sticker, with normal attestation free of charge. The authorised agency charges a service fee of Rs 84 per document, plus a small per-page charge.
Photocopies are not legalised. The documents you submit are the originals, which is itself a reason to start early rather than in the week you need them for an application.
Once a document carries an apostille, no further attestation or legalisation is required within India, per an MEA office memorandum of November 2020. Agencies that offer additional embassy attestation on top of an apostille for a Hague Convention country are selling you something you do not need.
| Item | Charge |
|---|---|
| MEA apostille sticker | Rs 50 per document |
| MEA normal attestation | Free |
| Authorised agency service fee | Rs 84 per document |
e-Sanad, where it applies
e-Sanad is an online verification route for documents held in a digital repository, which removes the physical authentication step. Its coverage is limited and began with central board school records, so most university degrees still follow the physical route.
Check whether your awarding university participates before assuming either path. The time difference between them is weeks.
How early to start
The MEA publishes no official turnaround, saying only that the ministry needs time and that applicants should apply well in advance. In practice the state authentication is the unpredictable leg, and it is the one you cannot chase from abroad.
Treat document preparation as a parallel track to the application rather than a step after it. Our application timeline piece sets out where it belongs, and the glossary entry on apostille is the short version of this page.
Related questions
Can I get my documents apostilled myself at the MEA?
No. The MEA does not accept documents directly from individuals. They must come through an authorised outsourcing agency after state authentication.
Does every country need an apostille?
An apostille works for countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention. For others, the document goes through embassy legalisation instead, which is a different process.
Do I need to apostille mark sheets as well as the degree?
It depends on what the receiving institution or authority asks for. Check their list before paying for documents nobody has requested.