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Difference Between Attestation and Apostille: Process, Fees & Documents

By Vipul Jain

Updated on: 10 Jul, 2026 | Editorial Standard | 8 min read |

Difference Between Apostille and Attestation

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways
What is Attestation?
What is an Apostille?
Why Do You Need an Apostille?
When Do You Need an Attestation?
Difference Between an Attestation and an Apostille?
Eligible Documents for Apostille and Attestation?
What is the Apostille and Attestation Process?
Types of Attestation
Fees and Processing Time for the Apostille and Attestation
Conclusion

While you prepare the documents to use them internationally, it is very important to understand the processes of attestation and apostille. These procedures are necessary as they validate your public documents and make sure that they are legally recognised in foreign countries. Although both are almost similar processes, they have different functions, and they are applicable in different contexts.

In this blog, you'll learn the key differences between attestation and apostille, and you can learn which legal document is needed for international use and how you can obtain them by ensuring their validity. Both aspects are clarified in this content, and which process is applicable in which country. We have also mentioned the Hague Apostille Convention and how it affects the choice between apostille vs attestation.

Key Takeaways

An apostille is a process of getting the documents legalised in one country to use in another signatory country.
An apostille can only be used in the countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention, 1961.
An apostille is a fast and affordable method for the verification and legalization of documents as compared to Attestation.
Attestation also authenticates the document with the process of embassy legalisation. It required more time and money.
Attestation is necessary for all non-Hague Countries, as in such cases apostille does not work.
Three types of attestation: from MEA, from the Embassy, and attestation by a State.

What is Attestation?

Attestation is the process of verifying the authenticity of a document so that it can be legally accepted in another country. It confirms that the document is genuine through verification by the appropriate government authorities.

Unlike an apostille, attestation is a multi-step process that generally includes authentication by the State Government, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the Embassy or Consulate of the destination country.

Although the terms attestation and apostille are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different procedures. Both authenticate documents for international use, but attestation is required only for countries that are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention, 1961.

What is an Apostille?

An apostille is a process for document legalization that can be used in foreign countries that have signed the Hague Convention for various purposes.

In India, apostilles are issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through its authorized service providers. The apostille is issued as a square-shaped sticker containing a unique identification number that verifies the authenticity of the document.

The apostille stamp includes a unique stamp that can only be obtained by members of the country that are included in the Hague Apostille Convention. For a document with an apostille stamp, there is no need for further verification by any government office.

Why Do You Need an Apostille?

An apostille is required to legalize documents for use in countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

Common documents that require an apostille include:

Birth certificates
Marriage certificates
Educational certificates
Degree and diploma certificates
Affidavits
Power of Attorney
Business and corporate documents

When Do You Need an Attestation?

Attestation is required when submitting documents to countries that are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

It is commonly required for:

Employment visas
Student visas
Family or dependent visas
Business setup abroad
Residence permits

Educational certificates, personal documents, medical certificates, and commercial documents often require attestation.

If the destination country requires attestation, submitting unattested documents may delay or lead to the rejection of your visa or application.

Difference Between an Attestation and an Apostille?

Here is the difference between an attestation and an Apostille in the table given below.

Attestation	Apostille
Attestation is carried out by state authorities, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the embassy/consulate of the destination country.	An apostille is issued under the Hague-Convention treaty of 1961.
The attestation is used for the documents and certificates that are submitted to the department and institutions.	The apostille verifies the authenticity of documents and certificates.
For the attestation, you need a consular official to confirm the documents' authenticity.	The apostilles are not required for legalization by a consular or any diplomatic authority.
The attestation seal is used to verify the certificate, and there is no language barrier.	Apostilles are recognized by all member countries of the Hague Apostille Convention.

Eligible Documents for Apostille and Attestation?

See the list of documents for which you are eligible for Attestation and Apostille mentioned below.

Documents Eligible for Attestation

There are mainly 3 types of documents that you can apply for attestation.

Educational documents

Any degree certificates.
Diploma Certificate.
HSC/SSC marksheet.
Transfer certificates.
MBBS certificates, nursing, or engineering.

Personal documents

Birth certificate.
Divorce certificate.
Police clearance certificate.
Death certificate.
Medical certificate.
Marriage certificate.

Commercial documents

Power of Attorney (PoA).
Memorandum of Association (MoA).
Company Invoices.
Export or Import Licenses.
Agreement or Contracts.

Documents Eligible for Apostille

Here is the list of documents you can use to apply for an apostille.

Birth certificate.
Death certificate.
Marriage certificate.
Diplomas.
Affidavits.
Degrees.
School passing certificates.
Court orders.
Judgements.
Power of Attorney.

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What is the Apostille and Attestation Process?

Here is the simple, easy application for the attestation and apostille provided below.

Apostille Process

An apostille is a multi-step verification process used to make a public document legally recognized in foreign countries.

The process generally includes:

Notarization: You must first get your original documents notarized by a local notary public.
Authentication of documents: Your documents are then verified by the relevant regional authority, such as the Home Department/General Administration Department of the state, the Chamber of Commerce, or the state education department.
Submission to MEA: Finally, you submit the authenticated documents to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through an approved outsourced agency to receive the official Apostille sticker.

Attestation Process

Attestation is a multi-stage document authentication process.

The process generally follows this order:

Notary (if required)
State Government Authentication
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
Embassy or Consulate of the destination country

Types of Attestation

There are three types of attestation done for the documents:

1. Attestation by the state

A state verification is mandatory before the MEA verification. For example, if you are applying for an education document attestation, then the education department in your state needs to verify the document first.

The MEA will only verify the documents that are authenticated by the General Administration Department of the Home Department or any other relevant state.

2. Attestation by MEA (Ministry of External Affairs).

If you are applying for a business, work, or leaving for school from any foreign country, then you will need to provide an attestation certificate, which can only be obtained through the MEA.

3. Attestation From Embassy

You can also get the documents attested by the Embassy or High Commission, which are issued in your home country.
You can use these attested documents for various purposes, such as study, work, or business, after the MEA attestation.

Also Want to Know About What is an e-Apostille? Check Now!

Fees and Processing Time for the Apostille and Attestation

Fees for Apostille and Attestation

The fees for the Apostille and attestation, along with MEA, and the outsourcing agency fees, like service charge, scanning charge, are given in the table below.

Type of Service	MEA Fees	Outsourcing Agency Fees
		Service Charge	Scanning charge
Apostille	INR 50 per apostille sticker	INR 84 for each document	INR 3 for each page
Attestation	Free	INR 84 for each document	INR 3 for each page

Processing Time for Apostille

The processing time for the document apostille depending on the document type and the destination country

Step or Route	Processing Time	What it Means
Fast-Track (SDM)	2 to 5 working days	Best for simple, personal documents handled by local agencies.
Official MEA Channel	5 to 7 working days	The standard processing window used by official government partner hubs.
Traditional State HRD Route	2 to 4 weeks	Required for complex educational degrees that need university verification first.

Conclusion

The apostille and attestation for documents are mandatory for legal and official works. Through the attestation and apostille documents, you can have an error-free application process. With the help of Visament, you can apply for smooth apostille and attestation services. At the Visament, you will get easy documentation assistance, which will help you to get your documents Apostilled or attested, reducing the chances of errors and rejection.

For more information about the attestation or apostille application, you can contact the Visament support team, who are available 24/7 to address your queries and doubts.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, an apostille and an attestation are not similar. In Attestation, there are many levels for verification, such as notary, state, and embassy stages. It is used for those countries that are not a part of the Hague Convention. While an apostille is a single-step certification for the documents, it is used for the member countries of the Hague Convention, and it is simpler and universally recognized.

The main difference between an apostille and attestation (authentication) is in their application and processes. In attestation, the document is verified by different government bodies, and it is valid for non-Hague countries. On the other hand, an Apostille is a process that certifies the documents to use in any of the Hague-Convention countries.

The apostille is used to certify the authenticity of official documents. It also makes sure that these documents are recognised in the other member countries of the Hague Apostille Convention. The Apostillization process makes the verification of international document bery easy and cross-border administrative and legal processes very efficient.

Normal attestation's purpose is to verify the documents for Non-Hague Convention Countries, which often includes state-level, HRD, or notary verification. Additional attestation works at a higher level; it specializes in stamps from the destination's country embassy and government ministries to make the documents legally valid for international use.

You can apostille many documents, such as public documents (marriage, birth, and death certificates), commercial documents (incorporation certificates, Power of Attorney), and educational certificates (diplomas, degrees, transcripts).

Apostille or Attestation both serve different purposes and are used in different ways. An apostille authenticates the documents to use in the member countries of the Apostille Convention, while an Attestation is done to verify the authenticity of the document to use in any country that is not a member of the Hague Convention.

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Vipul Jain

Consular & OCI Services Expert

Vipul Jain is the Co-Founder of Visament, a trusted platform dedicated to simplifying Indian immigration, consular, and NRI services for applicants across the globe. With extensive expertise in OCI cards, Indian passport services, visa assistance, apostille and document legalization,... See Full Bio