What is certificate attestation and why is it important?

When a person travels to another country, they must get their certificates attested. Documents must undergo certificate attestation in order to be used internationally. Any person who leaves the country for a variety of reasons must complete certificate attestation.

The process of attesting includes attaching a document with the signature of the verifying personnel in order to verify and declare the validity of the document. In order to complete the process, original documents must be sent along with a copy for authorised staff to verify and sign/stamp.

Several types of Attestation

There are three different categories of attestations:

1) State Certification

Prior to MEA certification, state attestation is required wherever appropriate state attestation is required based on the kind of certificate. For instance, the State Education Department's attestation is required for educational certificates. Personal certificates shall be attested by the General Administration Department of the involved state prior to attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2) MEA Apostille or Attestation

MEA attestation is only prepared following attestation by the relevant state agencies.

3) Embassy Attestation

After the MEA attestation, the embassy/consulate attestation is prepared.