Who Can Attest Documents?

When I passed my Higher Secondary examination, I was asked to get my report card and admit attested by our Principal Maam to get admitted in college. I did not know why it was needed. Later my father said that it is like a signature which states that the head of your school approves that all the details provided in it are true and relevant. I came to know that for official and legal purposes as well, attestation is needed. But do you know who can attest documents in India? The answer is a Gazette officer but who are they? Let me tell you about it vividly.

A Gazette officer is an individual who is an officer in the Indian Government Service, the signature stamp and official seal of which is necessary for verification and attestation of important documents, certificates, certified copies or photographs of the person for the central and state government.

Not everyone who seems important can attest copies. Here is a list of people who can attest copies:

• Officers of Armed Forces

• Magistrates and above in Judicials

• Scientists of Government-funded Research Organisations

• Principal, Vice-Chancellor, Assistant Registrars, Faculty Members

• Doctors

• Engineers

• Central and State Government Employees

• Officers of State Cadres of Assistant Commissioner

• District Medical Officer

• Junior Doctors in Government Hospitals

• Section Officers

• Circle Inspectors. Tahsildars

• Drug Inspectors

• Headmaster in Government School

• Assistant Executive Engineers

• Block Development Officer

• Income Tax and Revenue Officers 

• Chief Pharmacists

• Superintendent of Excise and Customs

• Officers in State Civil Services

• JCOs in Armed Forces

I hope this list will help you know who can attest documents and who cannot.

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The documents are

attested by gazetted officer

. It

involves the verification and confirmation of the authenticity of documents, signatures, or copies of documents. The authorities who can attest documents depend on the type of document and its intended use.

Which gazetted officer can attest documents?

The authorities who can attest documents are:

• Notary Public is a public officer who can attest various documents. It includes affidavits, agreements, declarations, and other legal documents.

• Gazetted Officers, also known as government officials are authorized to attest documents. It includes authorities from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS), and other central or state government services. They can attest documents such as identity proofs, addresses, and other official certificates documents.

• Officers working in municipal corporations, PWD (Public Works Department), and educational institutions, can also attest documents related to their department's jurisdiction.

• Bank managers can attest documents related to bank accounts and financial matters. It includes account opening forms, KYC documents, and loan-related documents.

• Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) can attest documents for their constituents.

• doctors and medical officers, can attest documents of medical certificates, fitness certificates, and health-related documents.

• Chartered Accountants (CAs) and Advocates can attest financial and legal documents like income tax returns, financial statements, and legal affidavits.

• foreign embassies or consulates can attest documents like visa and immigration for their respective countries.

• Panchayat officials can attest documents for local administrative purposes.

It's important to note that you need a

gazetted officer for attestation

of a particular document

.

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Before I tell you who can attest documents, let me tell you what attestation means actually. A class one gazetted officer or a notary official's clear official seal & signatures declaring that the copies are verified & authentic copies of the original documents/certificates are what is meant by the term "attestation of document/certificate copies." And this attestation is done by a gazetted officer signature.

Who are gazetted officer to attest documents?

A gazette officer is a member of the Indian government's service, whose official seal, stamp, and signature are required for the central and state governments to authenticate and certify crucial papers, certified copies, and/or photographs of the individual. He might be considered a high-level governmental servant. Acts of the gazetted officer are taken into account as valid witnesses for document verification.

Who gives authority to the gazetted officer?

The President of India or the Governor of the relevant State grants the gazetted officer this authority and the right to use the stamp. Attestation by gazetted officer and notarial services are different from one another. To put it simply, a notary acts as a witness to the facts that have been notarized. Contrarily, attestation involves getting confirmation from a law enforcement official who serves as a qualified witness, and the act of attestation has been granted due to legal status under Section 57 of the Indian Evidence Act.

Where is attestation required?

Numerous applications for jobs in the government sector need the gazetted officer's signature and attestation. The officer who has been gazetted need not work for the government. The qualification or condition is that the person must have the authority to carry out official actions and perform his responsibilities, and the government of India sets the fees for these services. As a result, there is a clear relationship between the compensation and the services provided.

I hope this explains to you all about gazetted officer signature.

Attested documents are documents where legal acknowledgement is provided and it is made sure that all the details provided are true. The list of gazetted officer who can attest is really long. It is mainly divided into Group A and Group B. Let me share the list in detail. You can also learn which officer needs to attest documents as well from this list. 

In India, a gazetted officer can only attest to documents. There are several people who are considered as gazetted documents. Sayan has already mentioned all of them yet let me be more precise in mentioning their name here-

• Armed forces officers

• Magistrates and other senior officials in judicial services

• Central and state servicemen (doctors, engineers and more)

• Government founded research organisations scientists like DRDO and more

• Any central or state government employee having Group A services (DCP, DGP, IAS etc)

• Central and state government employees like principal, Vie-chancellor, assistant registrar, faculty members and more

• Police officers above the rank of circle inspector

Anther section of people who can sign an attested copy are-

• Section officers

• Tahsildars

• Assistant executive engineers

• Block Development Officers

• Junior doctors

• Magistrates

• Headmasters

• Lecturers in Government colleges

• Income tax and revenue officers

This list should be enough to give you an idea of who can do attestation of documents in India. For example, suppose you were ill and needed to provide documents citing that your reason was true. In such a case you can seek a doctor’s attested copy of your illness certificate or prescription and provide it as proof that all you said was true. So choose attestation can be done by whom as per your requirement next. It is very important to get your documents attested before proceeding with important work. I hope the concept was clear. So just save this list of gazetted officer who can attest for your future use.

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Mr Sayan has aptly pointed out who can attested documents. Since I am discussing this, I would like to point out the attestation meaning as well. 

Attestation in simple words means showcasing the existence of something with the help of evidence. In our school days, when I passed my 10th grade, I would run to my headmistress to get my paper attested. It was a hectic process. Since the headmistress would never sign the documents and I have to come back to my school over and over again. 

But fortunately, this time has passed and now we as students can self-attest the documents and provide supporting evidence to it. Self-attested documents are nothing but documents with your signature and date. But this is only applied for educational institutions. You will still need attestation from a Gazetted Officer for other documents such as certificates, passports, life certificates, etc.

As pointed out by Mr Sayan, a gazetted officer can attest to a document to support evidence for whatever is mentioned in your documents. 

Since Mr Sayan has pointed out who can do attestation of documents, I will share with you who cannot attest documents.

• Any officer of notary or Nagar Sevak or SEO does not fall under the umbrella of Gazetted Officer.

• A person belonging to Group C or Group D cannot attest to the documents. Only Gazetted Officers from Group A and Group B can attest to the documents.

• Attested is only valid if the stamp has an attesting officer and the department or organisation present.

• Verification of passport can only be attested by the Group A Gazetted Officer who is under the rank of Secretary/Dy. Director level.

• Group A officers can attest to documents that are limited to authorities like Sub-divisional Magistrate, etc.

• Police record verification and Group A Gazetted Officer can attest character certificate.

• Original copies can be attested by Group A and Group B officials.

• The name, designation, and contact number of the Gazetted Officer must be stated.

• A Gazetted Officer cannot ask for any fees to attest documents.

• A Gazetted Officer cannot attest a family member’s documents.

I hope you understand attestation meaning and the process now.

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