Apostille Questions,
Answered Straight

Three stages. A privately-made document (affidavit, power of attorney, employer letter) is first attested by a Notary Public; government-issued certificates skip that step. The document then goes to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate for pre-authentication, which takes 3–7 working days. Finally it is deposited for the MEA apostille — the Ministry accepts nothing directly from individuals, so it goes through an MEA-authorised collection channel — and the sticker with its QR code is affixed.

₹2,100 per document, flat, for all thirteen personal documents. That includes ₹143 of government fees passed through at cost — the MEA's own fee, the authorised-channel collection fee and scanning. Courier is quoted at actual cost before you pay. The price does not change with page count.

3–7 working days of processing once the document reaches us: 3–7 working days at the SDM, then 1–2 working days at the MEA after deposit. Courier transit is additional and depends on your city. Any agency promising a same-day MEA apostille is quoting below the SDM's own floor.

Only if it is privately made. Affidavits, powers of attorney, employer and experience letters, medical certificates from private practitioners, and certified copies of passports or IDs all need a Notary Public first, because there is no government signature for the SDM to verify. Birth, marriage, death and police clearance certificates go straight to the SDM.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate pre-authenticates the document — verifying that the issuing authority or the notary is genuine — before the MEA will act on it. The State Home Department can do the same job but takes 10–20+ days against the SDM's 3–7. We default to the SDM. Where a destination or receiving institution specifically requires Home Department attestation, we will tell you and quote it separately.

It is, and where it works we will tell you to use it rather than paying us. e-Sanad verifies documents digitally straight from an onboarded issuing authority to the requesting authority abroad. But it only covers issuers who are onboarded — which excludes most municipal bodies and all notaries — and many receiving authorities still require the physical sticker. Check your own issuer at esanad.nic.in before assuming coverage.

Most of it, yes. You can obtain the document, arrange notarisation, and take it through the SDM. What you cannot do is the last step: mea.gov.in states plainly that no document is accepted directly from an individual at the Ministry, so deposit has to go through an authorised collection channel. That single fact is what makes an agency necessary rather than merely convenient.

That is the most common version of this order. A relative couriers the originals to us and collects them back, with a short authorisation letter naming them — no stamp paper, no notary. We publish a format for it. Have them photograph every document and send the photos on WhatsApp first; we check each one free before anything is couriered.

We specialize in the FBI Identity History Summary (FBI PCC) — a federal document apostilled by the US Dept of State. We can also assist with US Naturalization Certificates (also federal, apostilled by US Dept of State). For state-issued documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates), the apostille authority is the Secretary of State of the issuing state — different process, contact us to discuss.

No. The US Dept of State can only apostille original documents. Photocopies, scanned printouts, and PDF printouts cannot be apostilled. If you've lost the original, you'll need to request a new FBI Identity History Summary.

An apostille can be applied to a document regardless of when it was issued. However, the receiving authority (VFS Global/OCI, IRCC, UAE employer, etc.) may have freshness requirements. VFS Global for OCI typically requires a PCC obtained within 12 months. We recommend getting a fresh PCC if possible.

The US Dept of State attaches a formal apostille certificate (usually one page) to your original document using a staple or ribbon. The certificate has the State Dept seal, signatures, and a unique apostille number. The original document remains intact — nothing is changed or overwritten on it.

The FBI Identity History Summary is issued in English by default. No translation is needed for an apostille from the US Dept of State.

Use an express courier. It's trackable, fast (~3 business days), and reliable for document shipments. At the counter, declare it as 'Personal Documents'. WhatsApp us your tracking number as soon as it's shipped.

Return shipping is an optional add-on, quoted upfront before you pay — so you only pay for the delivery service that fits your address, with no hidden markup. Just ask on WhatsApp and we'll confirm the exact cost. Express plans also include a free scanned copy of your apostille.

Express courier typically takes 2–3 business days each way between major Indian cities and the US East Coast. Total courier time (both legs) is ~6 business days.

Express shipments are fully tracked and insured. In the unlikely event of loss, the courier's insurance covers the shipment. On the return trip, we ship the apostilled original on a tracked express waybill — the tracking number is shared with you so you can monitor it directly.

As of December 30, 2024, VFS Global requires a physical apostille on all foreign-issued documents for OCI applications — e-apostilles are explicitly not accepted. The FBI Identity History Summary is a federal document apostilled by the US Dept of State (not any state Secretary of State). Veritas handles this. See /fbi-background-check-apostille-for-oci for the full guide.

For the IRCC PR application itself — no. IRCC accepts a colour scan of the original. However, your Canadian employer or provincial licensing body (if you're in a regulated profession) may require the apostilled original. See /fbi-background-check-apostille-for-canada-pr for the full breakdown.

UAE employment visa requires a 3-step chain: (1) US Dept of State apostille — Veritas handles this. (2) UAE Embassy / VFS Global attestation in Washington DC. (3) UAE MOFA digital verification in UAE (typically your employer's PRO). See /fbi-background-check-apostille-for-uae-employment for the full chain with costs and timelines.

US birth certificates are issued by the state (not federal), so they must be apostilled by the Secretary of State of the issuing state — not the US Dept of State. This is a different process. Contact us on WhatsApp and we'll guide you on the right path based on the state.