US Marriage certificate apostille is mandatory if you are trying to use your US issued marriage certificate in India. Marriage certificate with apostille has lots of Advantages in legal or official affairs in India.
Apostille is a quality check Process for vital documents issued in the United States, Apostille ensures document’s originality, authenticity, and accuracy. The Apostille Increases the credibility of the document, making it widely accepted as genuine document in 117 countries called Hague nations. These nations have collectively made a rule that the U.S. Apostille on US documents will be enough to consider the US document as a legal document in India.
However, when traveling to a country beyond the Hague network, obtaining an Apostille alone is insufficient. Additional Steps, such as legalization, become necessary for the recognition of documents in non-Hague countries. Legalization acts as an additional layer of approval essential for international use.For further information can be found towards the end of this article.
4 Easy steps to get US Apostille on the documents
When Using a US Marriage certificate in India, Getting an Apostille is a prerequisite before Using the document. A US document with an Apostille holds higher value in India, Making it suitable for various official purposes without any issues.
In the United States, documents are commonly issued by either the State government or the Federal government. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, and similar documents are classified as state-issued, so apostille will be done by the state government.
There are 2 kinds of documents when it comes to apostille process
US Marriage Certificate comes under state issued document hence Apostille is done by the Secretary of State ( SOS)
The apostille for vital documents issued by state governments, including U.S. Marriage certificates, Birth certificates, and death certificates, are provided by the respective state authorities.
There are 2 ways in getting the State Apostille on US Marriage certificate
Apostille will be done by the state secretariat office. We need an Original US Marriage certificate to get the direct apostille. Before putting the apostille on the original US Marriage certificate, the State government will check the details given in the documents with vitals.
Once these details are approved the document will be moved to the secretariat office. The Marriage certificate will receive an Apostille Certificate. An Apostille Certificate will be attached with the original document.
If you don’t have the original document you can request the state government to issue you a new Marriage certificate.
You can also get an apostille on Notarized copy of the Marriage certificate. Notary will be done by the competent notary authority in the state. After varying the details of the original document Notary Public will do copy certification by document custodian certification.
Based on the Notary Verification, the photocopy will finally be apostilled by the State Government
Note – India & Most of the Hague nations accept Apostille done on photocopy but some authorities will insist on getting apostille on original document only, so check with the authorities to whom you are submitting apostilled document, whether they accept the apostille done on photocopies or not.
The processing time for obtaining an apostille on a U.S. Marriage certificate depends upon the issuing state government’s procedures. Factors influencing the timeline include whether the apostille is required for the original document or photocopy and the specific policies of the state involved. Certain states offer expedited processes, allowing for same-day or 3-4 day apostille services.
If you need apostille on Original document you need to send original document to US office
So timeline will be like this
If you need an apostille on Photocopy Step 1 can be removed this saves cost and time.
For precise information on the availability of expedited processes, it is advisable to consult with Apostille experts who can provide guidance tailored to the specific document and state requirements.
Like time, the cost also depends on the state in which the document is issued. And whether you need expedited service or not. Check here for the cost details for each state.
For US Marriage certificate holders in India if they are traveling to non Hague countries then need Embassy Attestation from the Target country Embassy In US.
For Non Hague countries you need embassy attestation along with the apostille on the document.
Below are the processes required to get embassy attestation for US Marriage certificate
Step 1 – Notary attestation ( for photocopy documents only, original documents no need to go through this Attestation)
Step 2 – Apostille by state ( the state in which the document is issued will provide the state apostille on the document
Step 3 – Authentication by the USDOS ( US department of state or federal government) also called as federal attestation
Step 4 – Embassy attestation – After all the above attestations are done, the document is submitted to the embassy of the target country and embassy attestation is obtained.
Note – In case of the Photocopy attestation Notary public attestation is mandatory for the photocopy some countries accept photocopy for embassy attestation check with the expert for the information.
For Federal documents you don’t need a State Apostille so you can skip step 2 for federal issued documents.
Suggestion – Some countries’ embassies accept direct submission after state apostille( Step 2) for state issued documents such as US Marriage certificates.in this case you can skip the Step 3 USDOS Federal authentication this will save valuable time and cost.
This complete process of 4 steps is called as full legalization process. This will take 8-12 weeks and the cost verified depending on the document, state attestation, federal attestation and embassy time. Please check with Apostille experts for suggestions.
Apostille is a little complicated process and requires thorough knowledge about the complete process in order to suggest the best route to get apostille quickly. Speak to us or start the application form we will guide you throughout the apostille process.
Legalization:
Legalization is a broader term encompassing the verification of any document for use in a foreign country. In the context of attestation or apostille, legalization refers to the authentication process required for non-Hague countries. The process of authentication for legalization is more intricate compared to apostille. For a comprehensive understanding of the legalization process, you can find detailed information here.
Note: A list of Hague nations is provided here.
Apostille:
Apostille, on the other hand, is a process of authentication specifically designed for Hague countries. It is a simpler procedure compared to legalization. Now, let’s explore the apostille process specific to the United States.
To obtain an Apostille for a U.S. Marriage certificate in India , it is necessary to submit the original documents to the Secretary of State in US. The Apostille will be issued by the state that initially issued the original document. To initiate the Apostille process for a U.S. Marriage certificate, register for apostille here
To authenticate a U.S. birth certificate, it is essential to submit the original documents to the Secretary of State. The Apostille, provided by the state that issued the original document. You must send the original document to US. You can apply for US apostille Here
Yes, India is Part of Hague nation, Any document with apostille from home country of the document will be accepted in India as a valid document
The U.S. consulate in India is unable to apostille U.S. documents. To obtain an Apostille for a U.S. document in India, you must send the documents back to the United States. The Apostille can only be obtained within the U.S. Consulates can provide a consular seal, but it is not acceptable for OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) purposes. To meet OCI requirements, it is essential to obtain an Apostille for the U.S. document.
You have to have original document to get apostille.
or
you can get apostille on photocopy through notary attestation
Below are the steps in Getting the apostille for US birth certificate
To get apostille on any US document you must submit the original document along with any Government ID scan copy as a suppoting document
Yes, if you are using US birth certificate for any official purpose outside United states of America then you need to get apostille to US birth certificate.