The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is the Indian government agency in charge of overseeing diplomatic relations and authenticating official Indian government documents. The authentication (Stamp) from the MEA is necessary for the legalisation of any papers (personal, educational, and commercial).
However, legalisation from the appropriate authority is required prior to submitting papers to MEA. The Ministry of Education of the relevant state must first testify educational papers, whereas the Ministry of Home Affairs must initially attest personal documents before they may be certified by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Just what is “Attestation” under the MEA?
After the required papers have been examined and confirmed by the appropriate authorities in the state where the certificate was issued, they will be attested by the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs), the most precious stamp on the paperwork. General Administration Department/Home Department is the proper authority in matters pertaining to individual documentation. The Human Resources Department (HRD) of the relevant state Union/Government Territory must first certify to any educational papers. If you need to confirm the legitimacy of a diploma or document issued by an Indian institution, you must get it authenticated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Attestation, which had previously been handled by the Delhi-based External Affairs Department, has been decentralised. thailand embassy attestation
The requirement for MEA Attestation arises from the following reasons.
Multiple visa types, including work visas, student visas, and resident visas, as well as the ability to do business abroad all need an attestation from the MEA.
If the papers are not checked for validity, the individual may have trouble or perhaps be denied entry into the other nation.
Attestation in accordance with the requirements of the Mutual Recognition of Experience and Competence (MEA) is the procedure whereby a document is examined for its validity and declared to be genuine by the addition of the signature of an authorised individual.
Method for Attestation of the MEA
When submitting papers for authentication, the last step is to get a MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) attestation, which consists of affixing a stamp or an Apostille sticker from the MEA to the document.
All personal, educational, and business papers must be certified by the appropriate authorities or departments in the State Governments or Union Territories where they were originally issued before they can be authenticated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Here is how it goes down: china embassy attestation
At the regional level, the certificate authentication process formally begins. Legalization at the regional level may be handled by a notary public, the issuing institution’s university, or the local chamber of commerce for business papers.
Documents at the state level, such as educational, commercial, or personal certificates/degrees, must be authenticated by the State Home Department (SHD), the Human Resource Department (HRD), and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate before they may be used in another nation (SDM).
As mentioned above, the last step in the authentication procedure is the central level (MEA) attestation, where the submitted papers will get a stamp or sticker from the Ministry of External Affairs, allowing the documents to be used in another nation.
Key Elements of an Apostille vs. a Normal MEA Attestation
In order to utilise a document (or a degree) obtained in one nation in another, it must be authenticated.
Apostille — what is it?
The process of having a document authenticated in order to present it to a foreign authority that is a signatory to the Hague Convention. The papers are authenticated by attaching a special label with details on the applicant, the issuing official, the date of issue, and the apostille itself. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which is responsible for international affairs, handles the apostille procedure in India.
What Exactly Is Common Attestation?
Countries that are not signatories to the Hague Convention, such as China, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and others, need an apostille or attestation of foreign papers before they may be used. The documents must be authenticated by the appropriate Indian embassy in addition to being stamped with a MEA seal.
