What is the need of Marriage Certificate Attestation in India?
Written by: Abhishek Chatterjee
Reviewed by: Vakila Khan
In various circumstances, there is a need to prove the relationship status of a person. And in case of moving abroad, marriage certificate attestation is mandatory. A marriage certificate is simply a document that certifies that a couple is legally married. It is issued by the concerned government department and contains all the information about the couple such as their name, their date of marriage, their date of birth, their place of residence, parents’ name, etc. It also contains the seal and signature of the issuing authority. Now let’s see in detail what marriage certificate attestation is and why it is necessary.
What is marriage certificate attestation?
Once the marriage certificate is issued from the respective government department, it needs to be verified that all the information contained in the certificate is true. Therefore, marriage certificate attestation is the process to authenticate and legalize this document for use in another country. When the marriage certificate attestation is done for countries which are members of the Hague Convention, then it is called an Apostille marriage certificate.
Why is marriage certificate attestation needed?
Suppose you got a job in the USA as an onsite working opportunity from your IT Company. But you are allowed to take only your spouse along with you there. Since marriage certificates can be easily made in India, it increases the chances of fraud and forgery. So in such cases, a marriage certificate attestation is required.
This is just an example. Be it for education, resident visa, dependent visa, employment, etc., you need to prove your relationship status. And therefore, it becomes mandatory to get a marriage certificate attestation while applying for these applications.
Who does marriage certificate attestation?
The first step of marriage certificate attestation or Apostille marriage certificate is verification from the issuing authority. A person can apply for a marriage certificate from the SDM office, court or concerned government departments in their village/town/city. After the marriage certificate is issued, you can apply for marriage certificate attestation or Apostille marriage certificate from MEA i.e. Ministry of External Affairs. If required, further attestation has to be done from the embassy of the country you are moving in.
How to apply for marriage certificate attestation?
You need to first apply for a marriage certificate at the local administration offices in your locality. You can contact the SDM office to issue your marriage certificate. Make sure your marriage certificate contains the seal and signature of the issuing authority.
When you have your marriage certificate, you will then need to apply for marriage certificate attestation or Apostille marriage certificate. You can visit the office of MEA and submit the required documents such as a photocopy of the marriage certificate, photographs, visa application, passport, etc. If all the documents are proper, you will get the certificate attested within the time.
Conclusion
Since this official work is time-consuming and complicated, we recommend hiring a professional attestation service agency like Worldwide transcripts for your marriage certificate attestation. Having been in the field for a long time, we can get your Apostille marriage certificate delivered on time and without any hassle. People who are abroad and want to apply for marriage certificate attestation do not need to visit India as well. Simply fill out the form below and we will get back to you soon.
