To make sure that the documents are authenticated, the process of attestation is done. If any of your documents solely belong to you, it may be assumed that you are the authorized possessor of these documents – but this is not applicable in all cases. In certain cases, in the law courts, the Indian citizen may be required to verify the documents with their handwriting or signatures. Legalizing and verifying documents is the main reason to carry out the process of attestation.
There are several documents that may be needed to get the stamp of authentication – and this process varies from one document to another. For example, to travel overseas or for the purpose of a government job, the central government does the attestation of documents, done by an authorized individual – but at certain times, it is to be done at a local level by themselves.
Why is the attestation of a document done? What is the sole purpose?
To state it simply, the process of attestation is done to authenticate the documents. Also, it is in the Law of India that demands attestation of documents for certain purposes. According to Section 90 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 – if a person possesses any important document, the court would be officially under the impression that the document belongs to that person if the document is signed by that person or any part of the document has been attested with that person’s signature – though, such assumptions are not to be carried in detention cases as according to Section 90A(2) of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, as the written statements are dependent upon the person who files the case.
Another reason to do the document attestation is to make it evident that the person who claims the authority of the document has a stable mind and is aware of the agreement they are about to enter – an attested document is a workable proof for this under Section 70 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
What are the various types of attestation of documents?
Attestation of documents is of several types depending upon the purpose. The types are listed below:
– Attestation by Local Notary: For any sort of legal procedure, this type of document attestation is the most basic one. Also, this marks the first stage of the entire attestation process. This is executed through a signature – to be done by a local notary.
– Attestation by Home Department: When it comes to attestation of personal documents, this type is used and executed by the authorized personals. The personal documents could be a marriage certificate, death certificate, birth certificate, etc.
– Attestation by the Human Rights Department: For the documents and certificates that are educational, this type of attestation is done to verify them. This attestation is mainly for the ones who have applied for a job or the students who want to pursue higher education.
– Attestation by Sub-Divisional Magistrate: This type is the same as the HRD attestation but this works independently. This type of attestation is a substitute for the HRD attestation but in some cases, it gets mandatory for the documents to get attested by the HRD.
– Attestation by Chamber of Commerce: For the attestation of the commercial documents, the Chamber of Commerce is an organization made by local businessmen/businesswomen. When this attestation is done, it proves that the business is founded and functioning under the legal guidelines.
– Attestation by MEA: When the attestation of the foreign-related documents is to be done, it is executed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When all the checks are done, the MEA stickers or stamps are put onto the documents or certificates.
– Attestation by Embassy: This is regarded as the final stage of attestation where the concerned foreign country’s embassy executes the verification checks of the documents. For example, consider a scenario in which an Indian needs to go to Japan, so here, the Japanese Embassy will do the verification of documents.
– Apostille Attestation: This type of attestation is executed by the Ministry of External Affairs if the concerned foreign country is a member of the Hague Convention. There are about 105 nations that are already a part of the Hague Convention. If the apostille attestation is done for one of the member countries then it will be valid for all the member countries. The documents that might need to pass through the apostille attestation could be personal documents like a death certificate, birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc – or they could be educational documents like a diploma certificate, degree, etc.
How does a document get attested?
If an individual is intending to travel to a foreign country – be it for an educational purpose, or for some business reason, or any personal pursuit – they need to get their documents attested so that they can prove their authenticity to the visiting country. For example, if you are an Indian student who is wishing to go to Australia to pursue higher education, then you must get your educational documents attested to get the required permission to travel to Australia and enrol for the course you desire.
The process of attestation is done by the department or the authorized individual through their official sign and seal. Through this process, the authorized department or person can authenticate the documents and in case any fake information is provided, it can be revealed too. There are different departments meant for the attestation of several respective documents – that are as follows:
– For attestation of personal documents: The General Administrative Department or the Home Department does the document attestation.
– For attestation of educational certificates: These documents are verified by the authorized bodies of the state government or the union territory government. After this, the documents are sent to the Ministry of External Affairs for the further authentication process. It should be noted that the MEA cannot be held responsible for the document’s content.
– For attestation of commercial documents: Once the Chamber of Commerce does the verification check, the documents can head towards the Ministry of External Affairs for the next level of authentication.
How is the attestation of an educational document done?
The country that issues the educational documents, does the attestation. In India, the MEA and the concerned HRD do the attestation and then the documents are attested by the concerned foreign country’s embassy. Even if the person whose certificate needs to be attested, is not currently in the country. For the attestation of educational documents, the documents required are as follows:
- Passport Copy
- Visa Copy
- Original Certificate
- Authorization Letter
- 2 Passport Size Photographs
How is the attestation of a personal document or certificate done?
The personal documents include – medical certificate, single status certificate, employment experience certificate, death certificate, marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc., that are needed to get attested by the authorized bodies for the stamp of credibility. For the attestation of personal certificates, the documents required are as follows:
- Passport Copy
- Visa Copy
- Original Certificate
- Authorization Letter
- 2 Passport Size Photographs
Which are the places in India where the attestation of personal documents is done?
The attestation of documents is done by the state government/union territory government first before reaching the Ministry of External Affairs. Following is the list of states/union territories where document attestation can be processed and done:
- Maharashtra
- Delhi
- Andhra Pradesh
- Haryana
- Kerala
- Gujarat
- Punjab
- West Bengal
- Karnataka
- Tamil Nadu
Which are the Indian regions where the attestation of educational documents is done?
For any academic-related purposes, the attestation of educational documents is done by the state government or the union territory government – the list of regions is as follows:
- Tamil Nadu
- Andhra Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Punjab
- Gujarat
- Uttar Pradesh
- West Bengal
- Karnataka (Only Bengaluru)
- Delhi
- Madhya Pradesh
Which are the embassies in India that execute the document attestation process?
Just after the certificates or documents are attested by the state government/union territory government and the Ministry of External Affairs, the embassy of the concerned foreign country needs to attest those documents. Following is the list of the embassies in India for document attestation:
- Kuwait
- Qatar
- UAE
- Philippines
- Indonesia
- Morocco
- China
- Egypt
- Saudi Arabia
- Yemen, and others
Final Say – Conclusion
The process of attestation is a very important one as it is the proof of the credibility of a person’s documents. To make foreign visits for any specific purpose, a person needs to get their documents attested in order to obtain visa approval. We discussed all the types and stages of the attestation and also came across the documents required and the regions where the document attestation can be carried out.
