For getting a birth certificate attested in India for use in a GCC country, you will need to get it first notarized, then submit it to the relevant state department (Home/Education), followed by MEA, and finally, the embassy of the concerned GCC country. Among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention, which indicates that they recognize and issue apostilles for public documents. Saudi Arabia became a member of the Hague Apostille Convention on December 7, 2022.
An apostille is a stamped official certificate that verifies the authenticity and accuracy of a document for international use. It confirms the legitimacy of signatures and seals on public records.
The apostille stamp applied on the back of the requested document confirms the validity of a document, signature, stamp, or seal.
An apostille is issued by the competent authority in the country where the document was issued. An apostille certificate can be issued on any Indian document.
The other GCC countries, such as Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, are not yet part of the apostille treaty. Hence, the documents still require full Consular legalization.
The detailed process of attesting a birth certificate for GCC countries (e.g., UAE birth certificate attestation and Qatar birth certificate attestation) is given below:
- Notarization: This step verifies the authenticity of your birth certificate. You must approach a notary public in your area to get your birth certificate notarized.
- State-level attestation: The state-level attestation aims to validate the document at the State level.
The procedure involves submission of the notarized birth certificate to the relevant state department (Home department or State education department, depending on the regulations of the State government). The application form and the original certificate may be forwarded to the Home/State education department for attestation.
3. Attestation by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA): This step provides national-level validation of the documents.
After the State level attestation, the Birth certificate may be submitted to the Ministry of External Affairs.
Since the MEA directly receives no document at its counter in New Delhi, the documents are to be sent to the respective branch secretariats/RPOs through any of the five outsourced service providers in India for attestation services. The applicant will collect the attested document through the outsourced agencies.
4. Embassy Attestation: After the MEA attestation, certificates will be sent to the concerned Embassy of GCC countries like UAE, Kuwait, Qatar in India.
5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation: The final stage of attestation is MOFA attestation. It is done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the concerned GCC country.
Saudi birth certificate attestation
Saudi Arabia and India are members of the Hague Apostille Convention, and birth certificates issued in India can be apostilled for use in Saudi Arabia. In India, the apostille certificate is issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. The process for apostilling birth certificates issued in India is as follows:
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is responsible for the apostille process in India. The MEA verifies the documents and provides the apostille, a unique stamp proving the document’s authenticity for use outside India.
An apostilled document should, therefore, be treated as a legalized document for all purposes in India by all concerned, by the international obligation under the Convention.
The documents will be sent to the respective branch secretariats/RPOs through any of the five outsourced service providers in India for the apostille services.
The original document/valid copy will be submitted directly by any of the five outsourced service providers, along with a photocopy of the document and the applicant’s passport. The applicant will collect the apostilled document through the outsourced agencies.
How can the Helpline Group in India help?
Helpline Group, backed by a strong and experienced team, brings over 25 years of expertise in company formation, apostille, certificate attestation services, etc., offering clients a seamless, hassle-free experience.
Our seasoned professionals possess in-depth knowledge of the latest rules and regulations, ensuring compliance and efficiency. We undertake birth certificate attestation for GCC countries to use the documents abroad.
With a global presence and a tailored approach, we ensure that your apostille and attestation requirements are handled with precision and professionalism, making us your reliable ally.
