Search “apostille charges in India” and you will find quotes between ₹1,500 and ₹7,000 for the same piece of paper. None of the pages carrying those numbers explain the gap. This post does.
The government’s share is ₹143
Three fees, all published, all fixed:
| What | Amount | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| MEA apostille fee | ₹50 per document | Ministry of External Affairs, published on mea.gov.in |
| Authorised-channel collection fee | ₹84 per document | The MEA’s outsourced collection arrangement |
| Scanning | ₹3 per page | Same |
| Typical total | ₹143 | 1-page document + 2-page passport copy |
That is the entire government cost of an apostille in India. A one-page birth certificate with a two-page passport copy comes to ₹50 + ₹84 + ₹9 = ₹143.
Worth knowing: the ₹50 is specific to apostille. General attestation — the non-Hague route, for countries like the UAE — carries no MEA fee at all. Most sites in this market do not distinguish the two, which is one reason quoted “government fees” vary so wildly.
So where does ₹2,500 come from?
Everything above ₹143 is service. That is not a criticism — there is real work in it — but you are entitled to know what you are buying:
- Getting the document to the SDM and back. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate has to pre-authenticate before the MEA will act. That is a physical submission, a 3–7 working day wait, and a collection.
- Notarisation, where the document needs it. Affidavits, powers of attorney and employer letters are private documents. A Notary Public must attest them before the SDM will look at them.
- Deposit through an authorised channel. This is the part you cannot do yourself, and it is the reason agencies exist at all — see below.
- Checking the document before it moves. A laminated certificate, a name that does not match the passport, a hospital slip instead of a municipal certificate. Catching these before submission is worth more than the fee.
- Courier, both ways.
The part nobody can skip
mea.gov.in states plainly that no document is accepted directly from an individual at the Ministry. Collection was outsourced to a small number of authorised agencies, and that is the whole reason this is a service business rather than a form you fill in.
You can do everything else yourself. Obtain the certificate, arrange the notary, take it to the SDM, queue, collect it. The last step is closed to you.
Anyone who tells you they have a special relationship that speeds up the MEA is describing something that does not exist. The apostille takes 1–2 working days after deposit for everyone.
What we charge, and why we publish it
₹2,100 per document, flat. Government fees included at cost. Courier quoted at actual cost before you pay.
The same price for all thirteen personal documents — a birth certificate and a power of attorney cost the same, because the chain is the same. The same price regardless of page count, which matters if you have a multi-page divorce decree.
We publish it because the alternative is what this market currently does. The site that ranks first for these searches shows no price at all. The site with the best cost calculator in the market puts an email form in front of the answer — on a search whose literal intent is “how much does this cost”. One competitor publishes the ₹50 / ₹84 / ₹3 government figures accurately and then omits its own service fee, so you still cannot work out a total.
Two things that are genuinely extra
Courier. We quote it at actual cost rather than folding a padded figure into the headline price. Domestic transit varies by city; international varies by a lot more.
Notarisation, for documents that need it. Affidavits, powers of attorney, single-status declarations and certified ID copies all need a Notary Public first, and stamp-paper values are set by your state. We confirm this at order rather than guessing.
Before you compare prices at all
Check that an apostille is the right thing. It is only valid for Hague Convention countries. If your document is going to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Malaysia, Iraq or Iran, an apostille has no legal effect there and you need embassy attestation instead — a different, longer and more expensive process.
Several sites in this market list the UAE as an apostille destination. It is not one, and a cheap apostille for a country that will reject it is not cheap.
Full breakdown, including which documents need a notary first: Apostille Charges in India.