Certificate attestation woes for Indian expatriates to end soon

In a significant development, Indians will experience a smooth and faster document authentication service in India for certificates bound for Saudi Arabia.

Jeddah: The cumbersome attestation procedure that has been annoying Indian expatriates will end soon. The existing process of attestation and legalisation of public documents is confusing, time-consuming, cumbersome and costly for most people.

In a significant development, Indians will experience a smooth and faster document authentication service in India for certificates bound for Saudi Arabia.

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Soon, any legal document or certificate originated in India and duly attested by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will be accepted by Saudi Arabia without any further authentication requirements with the Apostille system. Other member countries of the Apostille convention are also likely to follow suit.

“The accredited agents have received a circular from Saudi Arabian consulate in Mumbai that informs that Apostille system has been introduced in India and does not require to be attested again by the consulate”, said a noted advocate notary Abdulaziz, a leading attestation agent in Hyderabad. “We were waiting for further information in this regard, he added.

Till now, any certificate whether educational or legal document need to be attested by General Administration Department (GAD) or any relevant department in its respective State, then Ministry of Human Resources Development in New Delhi for educational certificates and then the Ministry of External Affairs attests the document. After finishing this multi-layer verification, the document will be attested by the Saudi Arabian Embassy or Consulate in India after which only local authorities in Saudi Arabia accept it.

The process was time-consuming with fresh job seekers and other people who need civil documents to be attested forced to wait for a long time. With the new Apostille procedure, the certificate verified by issuing authorities and authorized by the MEA is enough.

The electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP) was launched in 2006 to support the electronic issuance and verification of Apostilles around the world. The Convention has over 122 countries, and has become one of the most widely applied multilateral treaties in the area of legal cooperation.

The move comes in line with the Saudi government’s ongoing efforts to promote the flexibility of the private sector and make it easier for foreign companies to do business in the country.