How to Attest Documents?

An attested document is a document that has been verified for its authenticity and accuracy by authorised individuals or authorities. The process of attestation involves the verification of the signature, seal, and other details on the document to confirm that it is genuine and legally valid. You must first know how to attest documents so that you can approach the right person at the right time. Several people are assigned the charge of attesting documents.

How is attestation of documents in India done?

The process of attestation depends on the type of documents as well. For every task, a separate person is assigned to attest documents. Let me share the entire process to give you a better idea-

Determine the type of document you need to get attested, such as educational certificates, birth certificates, marriage certificates, commercial documents, etc.

For personal documents like birth certificates or affidavits, you may need to get them notarized by a local notary public. In that case, visit a notary's office, present the original document, and they will verify its authenticity and attach a notary seal and signature.

Some documents need to be attested by the State Government where they were issued. For this step, you may need to visit the respective State Home Department or other designated offices, depending on the type of document.

For most types of documents, after the state-level attestation, you will need to get the documents attested by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India. The MEA attestation is usually done in the regional offices of the MEA.

If the document is intended for use outside India, you will likely need to get it attested by the respective Embassy or Consulate of the country where the document will be used. For example, if the document is for use in the UAE, you need to get it attested at the UAE Embassy/Consulate in India.

So before knowing how to attest a document in India, you have to learn what sort of document you have and who needs to attest it.

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