Madurai, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu, is a city of immense cultural and historical significance. From its diverse architectural sites to its vibrant markets and delectable cuisine, Madurai has everything perfect in store for its visitors.
Besides being the third-largest state of Tamil Nadu, Madurai is considered an important industrial and educational hub in south India. Due to its significant development in the past few years, the city is witnessing a growing demand for Apostille services. SPS Global in Madurai caters to this growing demand by extending exceptional service support to the client.
Going through all the necessary legal formalities before travelling can be overwhelming for anyone. One has to go through a super-lengthy process, which is extremely tedious. Furthermore, the verification process also differs depending on the type of document that needs authentication. This entire thing adds to the confusion of a person and is time-consuming at the same time. But with the help of the right kind of assistance, a person can complete the verification process without any difficulty.
We have a team of experienced professionals in Madurai who provide swift and hassle-free services to clients. With our flexible support services, SPS ensures to provide a stress-free experience for the client. We at SPS have a wide experience of handling tedious paperwork, which has enabled us to create a wide client base.
In consideration of the safety measures (for natives and visitors), every country specifies certain guidelines for all its visitors. Every willing aspirant who is planning to travel abroad must have fulfilled certain legal formalities. These formalities are a mandatory requirement without which a person is not permitted to travel abroad. The legal requirements differ from country to country. If you are someone planning to travel to a country that is a part of the Apostille Convention, then it becomes important to get an Apostille for the documents.
An Apostille is a certificate that helps to establish the legitimacy of a person's documents. It is a type of attestation that authenticates the origin of a particular document. It is a type of legal formality mandated by all member countries of the Hague Convention.
An Apostille is issued at the back of the original documents of a person. It can be issued in various forms, including a stamp, a sticker, or even in the form of a seal. An Apostille can be issued in two ways:
In whatever way an Apostille is issued, it will be recognised as legal by all member countries.
An Apostille is mandatory for all those who are planning to travel to a country that is a member of the Apostille convention. The requirement for which a person needs an Apostille stamp depends on the purpose for which they are travelling for. For instance, when a student is travelling to enrol in a higher education programme at an international university, he/she needs an Apostille for their educational documents.
A joint treaty has been signed by many countries to simplify the legalisation of documents. A convention called the Hague Convention abolished the requirement for document legalization and instead adopted a document called the Apostille. According to this convention, an Apostille issued in a country will be recognized by all those who are members of it.
1) Personal Documents
Apostille of personal documents is needed for different purposes. For a family visa or marriage in a foreign country, one has to get their personal document Apostilled.
PROCESS
Step 1- Notary Step 2- Attestation from Home Department or SDM
Step 3- Apostille stamp from Ministry of External Affair
2) Educational Documents
Apostille of education documents is mandatory if one plans to study abroad or for employment opportunities abroad.
PROCESS
Step 1) University Verification
Step 2- Home Department Attestation
Step 3- HRD attestation/GAD attestation
Step 4- Apostille stamp from MEA
3) Commercial Documents
Apostille of the commercial document is needed when one plans to establish their business abroad.
PROCESS
Step 1) Notary Attestation
Step 2) Attestation from respective Chamber of Commerce
Step 3) Apostille stamp from MEA
An Apostille is a French word that means Certification and it’s Pronounce as “ah-po-style”. An Apostille is simply the name for a specialized certificate, issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. The Apostille sticker is pasted on the backside of original document to verify it is legitimate and authentic, so it will be accepted in one of the other countries who are members of The Hague Apostille Convention.
The Apostille Convention is an international treaty that simplifies the legalization procedure for foreign public documents. It allows a Government body to certify a document issued in its own country as valid for other countries without further certification by the destination state. The Convention has 126 contracting states as of November 2023, including the United States and Canada.
The Apostille Convention provides the simplified certification of public (including notarized) documents to be used in countries that have joined the convention. Documents destined for use in participating countries and their territories should be certified by one of the officials in the jurisdiction in which the document has been executed.
The Hague Convention requires that all Apostille be numbered consecutively, with individual numbers applied to each Apostille issued. The recognized standard Apostille contains a seal and 10 mandatory references: name of country from which the document emanates, name of person signing the document, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted, in the case of unsigned documents, the name of the authority that has affixed the seal or stamp, place of certification date of certification, the authority issuing the certificate, number of certificate, seal or stamp of authority issuing certificate and signature of authority issuing certificate. Prior to the introduction of Apostille certificates the burden on international courts and authorities to judge foreign documents as authentic was quite considerable. On the October 5, 1961 the Hague Convention abolished the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents. The Convention reduces all of the formalities of legalization to the simple delivery of a certificate in a prescribed form, entitled “Apostille”, by the authorities of the Ministry where the document originates. This certificate, placed on the document, is dated, numbered and registered. The verification of its registration can be carried out without difficulty by means of a simple request for information addressed to the authority which delivered the certificate.
Apostille Process depends that if the documents are Educational, Non Educational or Commercial. Educational Certificate Apostille is required if you are going for Job or Study in any of The Hague Convention Countries. Non Educational documents like Marriage, Birth Certificate Apostille services are required for your dependents, if you want them to accompany you in that country. Commercial documents Apostille is required if you want to send shipment, open a branch in Hague country of have to do some business collaboration. We will try to explain process for you.
First step of the Process is getting the Notarization of document done. Notary can be done from anywhere in India. And it can be done from Delhi also. Doing Notary from Delhi will save some time, as documents has to come to Delhi only for Apostille.
After the Notary is done, next step in Sub Divisional Magistrate. SDM attestation is done in Delhi. It’s same for Educational and Non Educational documents. If you leave few countries, this SDM Stamping is valid in all the countries. Some countries Like, Italy, Switzerland and Austria might ask for State HRD for Educational Documents and State home Department/GAD for Non Educational documents. So, if you are planning for these countries please get complete knowledge from office HR or local bodies who are applying your case. SDM Stamping is done in 1 day and on the backside of the original Document.
Last and most important part is getting the document attested from Ministry of External affairs. After Notary and SDM Stampings are done Documents are submitted in Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi for Apostille. Just like Notary and SDM, Apostille Sticker is pasted on the back side of the document. Apostille sticker will have your name and current date. It also have unique number and contain name and designation of the person who have signed it. After Apostille sticker, the process is completed the documents are ready for use. When you receive the Apostille document, first please check that all the spellings and dates are fine. As sometimes there can be some mismatch in the spelling. If there is some spelling mistake then it has to submit in correction department. That will take another 1 day
If you are going through State Attestation Process then it might take more than a month. As for Educational documents, first stamp from University is required and then from State HRD Department. And for Non Educational Documents, First Stamp is required from Local DC office and then from State GAD/Home Department. If you go through SDM Apostille process then processing time is only 5 to 6 working. This Process takes less time and is less expensive as well.
Apostille Sticker has a validity of Six Months. Means you have to use this Apostille within 6 months, after that whole life you can stay in that country. But if you want to change the country after 6 Months then Apostille needs to done again. Don’t worry if there is no space on the backside of the document. New Apostille Sticker can be applied on the expired Sticker.
Original Documents are very important part of our Life. Sometimes it takes several months to obtain new documents. So security of documents is most important for us. You can do live tracking of the process daily. Currently document is in which city and in which department, you can check with just one click. Whenever you handover your documents to any of our office, a link is shared to you on mail. With that you can track the whole process, till documents are delivered back to you.
If you are travelling outside India to any of The Hague convention Country for Study or Work, then Apostille is required on your Educational documents. And if you are applying dependent visa for your spouse or children, then their Marriage and Birth Certificate will be required to get Apostille. Still if you have any query, you can get in touch with SPS Team @9920111362
