If you are planning to study, work, settle, or do business abroad, apostille of Indian documents is often a mandatory requirement. In India, apostille is issued only by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). However, many applicants are confused about how the MEA apostille process actually works.
This guide explains the complete MEA apostille process step by step, from initial verification to final approval, in simple terms.
MEA apostille is an official authentication issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, under the Hague Convention. It confirms that a document issued in India is genuine and legally valid in Hague Convention countries.
MEA apostille is required for three main categories of documents:
Degree certificates
Mark sheets
Diplomas
Transcripts
Birth certificate
Marriage certificate
Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
More details of Marriage certificate attestation
Commercial Documents
Power of Attorney
Board Resolution
Certificate of Incorporation
Before MEA apostille, documents must be verified by the concerned authority:
Educational documents → State Education Department / University
Personal documents → State Home Department / SDM
Commercial documents → Chamber of Commerce
This verification confirms the authenticity of the document.
Once verification is completed, documents are submitted to the Ministry of External Affairs through authorized channels. Direct walk-ins are not accepted.
MEA checks:
Issuing authority details
Signature and seal authenticity
Document condition and clarity
After successful verification, MEA affixes a computer-generated apostille sticker on the document. The sticker includes:
Country name
Document type
Apostille number
Date of issue
This sticker makes the document valid in all Hague Convention countries.
Once apostilled, the document is approved for overseas use and returned to the applicant via courier or collection.
Document verification: 5–15 working days
MEA apostille: 1–2 working days
The timeline depends on document type and issuing authority.
MEA apostille is valid only for Hague Convention countries, including:
USA
Germany
France
Italy
Netherlands
If your destination country is non-Hague (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar), apostille is not sufficient and embassy attestation is required instead.
Applying apostille for non-Hague countries
Submitting laminated or damaged documents
Name mismatch between passport and certificate
Waiting until visa deadlines
The MEA apostille process is straightforward once you understand the verification stages and approval flow. Knowing which authority verifies your document and how MEA finalizes apostille can save time, cost, and unnecessary rejections.
Starting early and following the correct process ensures your documents are accepted abroad without complications.
For a complete overview of attestation services, visit
https://pecattestation.com/attestation