Attestation and Apostille are similar procedures in many ways but have one or two basic differences. Both the processes are important and need to be undertaken when moving out of one country to reside in another. Attestation and Apostille are the way to authenticate your documents so that they can be considered while processing your visa. If you submit unattested or non-apostille documents, your visa application will be outrightly rejected.
Every country has its own set of attestation authorities which means these are set of people who can authenticate your documents. Typically, you need to submit your personal, educational and commercial documents at the local notary office first for attestation and Apostillization. Then, they go to the state level authorities and then finally to the central/federal bodies for authentication and signing. For entering any international borders for permanent residency, on work visa or study visa, you have to get your documents legally signed and stamped from relevant authorities.
Difference between attestation and apostille
- Attestation typically takes more time than Apostillization of documents.
- You need to get your documents apostilled if you are travelling from a country that is a signatory of the Hague Apostille Convention and to a destination country that is also a signatory of the same. The documents are apostilled by a central or federal government department in a particular pre-decided format. There is a sticker where the name of the applicant, name of the document, the name of the officer who is issuing the sticker are mentioned and then stamped with a unique number. Documents that are apostilled are acceptable in all the 114 signatory countries of the Hague convention. Some of the countries that are signatories of the Hague Convention are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Denmark, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA.
Certificate attestation and apostille are mandatory aspects of visa stamping especially when you plan to relocate, go for higher studies or take up permanent residency in another country. The process of attestation and apostille is not simple – it involves complicated steps and most of all ensuring that your papers are in order.
You must hire the services of professional agencies that offer certificate attestation services so that you are well-informed about all the steps beforehand. Plus, such processionals like BVS Global assign a dedicated expert to work on your case. They verify the documents before submission, even pick your papers from your doorstep and deliver them back after attestation. They follow up at every step and ensure that your papers move through the right channels for prompt attestation and apostille.
