Degree Certificate Attestation in India: How to Do It

To finish degree certificate attestation in India, you send your original degree through up to four checkpoints in order: notary (plus university verification where required), state attestation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the embassy of your destination country. If that country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention, you stop at the MEA apostille sticker and skip the embassy.

The hard part is not the stamps. It is knowing which ones you need. Each office checks only the stamp before its own, so one missing step sends you back to the start while your visa, admission or joining date gets closer. First-time applicants also worry about handing over the only original of their degree.

This guide explains what attestation means, which documents you need, and how to complete each step with realistic timelines. SPS Apostille & Attestation Services handles these files for students and professionals, so the tips below reflect how degree files move in practice.

What attestation is and which route you need

Attestation is official verification that your degree and the signatures on it are genuine, so a foreign university, employer or immigration office will accept it. The route depends entirely on the country where you will use the degree.

What degree certificate attestation means

A foreign body cannot check the seal of an Indian university. So each Indian authority confirms the signature of the one before it, and the last stamp in the chain is one your destination country recognizes. People need this for foreign admission, overseas jobs, work or family visas, and residency.

Apostille or embassy attestation

Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention accept a single apostille sticker from the MEA. Countries outside it also want the stamp of their own embassy in India. Here is how the two routes compare:

	Apostille route	Embassy route
Used for	Hague Convention countries (120+)	Countries outside the convention
Stamps in order	Notary, Home Department or SDM, MEA apostille sticker	Notary, Home Department or HRD, MEA, embassy
Typical time	5 to 6 working days	8 to 15 working days

Ask your university, employer or consulate which route they require, and check the country’s current rules before you start.

Your destination country decides the route, so confirm it before you pay for a single stamp.

Step 1. Gather documents and get them notarized

Start with the original degree certificate and a passport copy, then get the document notarized. Collecting everything first prevents the most common rejection, a missing paper.

Documents required for degree certificate attestation

Keep this list ready:

• Original degree certificate (a photocopy is not enough when the document is physically signed)
• Final-year mark sheet, which some countries ask for
• Passport copy, front and last page
• Aadhaar or voter card, if you do not have a passport
• An authorization letter, if someone else submits the file for you

Your name should match across the degree and your ID. Fix any mismatch with an affidavit before you begin. If your degree was issued as a digitally signed PDF, a printout may be accepted. Laminated certificates need the lamination removed first, so do not apply pressure on the paper yourself.

Notary and university verification

A public notary notarizes the degree, and that notarization is what the state office verifies next. Some states and universities also want the university to attest a copy first. University of Delhi, for example, takes online applications at Rs 500 per copy, so five copies cost Rs 2,500. You collect them after seven working days. Check your own university’s rules before you pay.

Collect every document before you visit the notary, because a missing paper restarts the chain.

Step 2. Get state attestation

After the notary, the degree goes to the state authority that verifies the notary’s signature. Depending on your state and document, this is the HRD or education department, or the Home Department through the SDM office. The MEA will not accept the degree without this stamp.

Choose HRD or Home Department/SDM

The office differs by state, so ask which one handles educational documents where your degree was issued. Where the SDM route is available, it can finish in 2 to 3 working days. The full state attestation route can stretch past 30 days. A provider of state Home and HRD attestation that knows the local procedure will pick the faster valid route for you.

Plan the timing

The 5 to 6 working days quoted for an apostille assume the standard notary, SDM and MEA path. Work backward from your deadline. Say a Gulf employer wants your attested degree by the 30th. Embassy attestation takes 8 to 15 working days, about 2 to 3 weeks, so start at least a month ahead to leave room for courier time and corrections.

The state stamp is where delays happen, so ask which office handles your degree before you start.

Step 3. Get the MEA apostille or attestation

The MEA in New Delhi is the last Indian authority in the chain. It puts an apostille sticker on the degree for Hague countries, or an attestation stamp for the embassy route. You can apply online or through the physical route.

Apply online through eSanad

eSanad is the MEA’s online platform for attestation and apostille. Its main requirement is that your document exists in a digital depository, meaning your university or board has issued it digitally. If it has, you can upload, pay and track online. If your degree is a paper original, you need the physical route.

Apply through the physical route

For a paper degree, the state-attested original goes to the MEA for the sticker or stamp. The sticker is attached to the document itself, so never remove it or staple anything over it. The MEA’s apostille page lists the document categories it handles, including educational documents. Many applicants hand this step to an apostille service provider rather than travel to New Delhi.

If your degree is digitally issued, eSanad saves a trip. If it is paper, plan for the physical route.

Step 4. Finish with embassy attestation if required

Only countries outside the Hague Apostille Convention need this step. The embassy or consulate of your destination country in India verifies the MEA stamp, and that final stamp makes the degree valid there.

When you need the embassy stamp

If your employer, university or visa office says "embassy attested" or "legalized," this is your route. The full chain is notary, Home Department or HRD, MEA, then embassy, and it typically takes 8 to 15 working days. Embassies set their own requirements, so confirm them before you submit.

Doing it yourself or using a service

Doing it yourself means visiting the notary, state office, MEA and embassy in turn. A service runs the chain for you. SPS Attestation collects documents free of charge, runs a free pre-check of copies, seals and supporting proofs, then confirms the sequence, timeline and quote by email. Payment is 50% in advance and the balance once the document is processed, and delivery within India is free. You can reach the team at info@spsattestation.com or on WhatsApp.

Embassy attestation is the last stamp, so start the chain early enough to absorb a rejection.

Where to go from here

Degree certificate attestation is a fixed sequence: gather originals, notarize, get state attestation, then the MEA apostille or attestation, and the embassy stamp only if your country needs it. Confirm the route first, collect clean documents, and leave a buffer before your deadline.

If you would rather not chase four offices, you can get a free document pre-check and quote for your degree certificate apostille and attestation from SPS Attestation. Send scans, and the team will tell you exactly which stamps your destination country needs.