What is apostille attestation?
<p>I was looking for higher education in Europe, I got to know that I need to legalize my documents by doing apostille. I'm from India, what is the process of getting such attestation?</p>

<p>Apostille attestation is a process of authentication of documents. It is a form of attestation which is done for the countries that are a part of the <strong>Hague Convention</strong>. While embassy attestation is a process which is carried out for the countries that do not identify as apostille.</p>
<p>Legalization of educational documents is needed for the cause of pursuing higher studies in abroad, even Europe. The kind of document legalization required is dependant on which European country you are trying to apply for. The procedures for apostille of documents may differ from country to country. The procedure for apostille in India for educational documents is as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>For in-state documents</strong></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>Notary</li>
<li>Home department/SDM</li>
<li>MEA</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><strong>For out of state documents</strong></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>Notary</li>
<li>SDM</li>
<li>MEA</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><strong>As per the country’s requirement</strong></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>Board/University Verification</li>
<li>HRD</li>
<li>MEA</li>
</ol>
<p>In case you are getting apostille of documents for Italy, the third kind of procedure is mandatory. The process of the apostille in India is done with the application of apostille sticker and stamp from the <strong>Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)</strong>. On the other hand, certificate attestation is completed by obtaining a stamp from the embassy. However, in the process, you may also require the apostille of personal documents. The procedure for personal documents is listed below:</p>
<p><strong>1. Notary:</strong> The initial step to begin with the authentication of documents for apostille countries is the notary. It is based at the regional level and legalization can be obtained from the notary official available at the office.</p>
<p><strong>2. State Level:</strong> After the notary, the concerned department of the state attests the documents and provides a stamp on them. It is done by the State Home Department (SHD) or the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) depending on the issuance of the document.</p>
<p><strong>3. MEA:</strong> The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is the central government department that deals with the foreign matters of the country. It is the final step of apostille. The MEA then provides an apostille sticker and stamp on the document.</p>
<p>There basically are three types of documents - personal, educational and commercial. The documents that require apostille for educational purposes include a combination of educational and personal documents. Commercial documents necessitate apostille only at the time of business-related reasons.</p>

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