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Verification of Indian Documents
Background information
Although India has acceded to the so-called Hague Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961, the Federal Republic of Germany has lodged an objection to India’s accession, meaning that this convention does not apply between Germany and India. Germany does also not legalize Indian public documents. Consequently, Indian documents cannot be recognized for legal purposes in Germany through a simple formal certification. Instead, an Indian document is verified on a case-by-case basis through administrative assistance provided by the competent mission. Whether such a document verification is deemed necessary is at the discretion of the German authority to which the document is submitted.
This procedure was introduced to take into account the specific circumstances of the Indian document system and to enable a reliable assessment of the documents submitted. A document verification serves the purpose to verify the authenticity and accuracy of the content of Indian public documents submitted to German authorities. These include, in particular, civil status documents, educational certificates, or other official certificates.
Jurisdictions of the missions
Document verifications are carried out by the German missions in India, including the Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulates General in various regions of the country. Local jurisdiction is generally determined by the place of issuance of the documents to be verified. In other words, responsibility lies with the mission covering the region in which the document was registered or issued. The current place of residence of the concerned person is not relevant for determining jurisdiction. If the documents fall in the jurisdictions of several missions, all documents may be submitted for verification to any of the missions concerned.
Verification process
A document verification can only be initiated by a German authority. Private individuals cannot directly request a verification.
The authority (e.g. registry office, immigration office, a court) submits a request for administrative assistance to the competent mission.
Upon receipt of the request for administrative assistance, the documents are reviewed by the competent mission. To this end, the mission engages specialized service providers or local trusted lawyers. The verification generally covers both formal aspects and accuracy of content. In particular, the following is determined:
- whether the document was properly registered and issued,
- whether the information provided matches the entries in the relevant registers,
- whether there are any indications of inaccuracies or discrepancies.
The results of the verification are summarized by the competent mission in a final report and forwarded to the requesting German authority. The authority decides on the further use of the document in the respective proceedings.
Regardless of the outcome of the verification, stickers bearing a reference number are affixed to the verified documents; this allows authorities dealing with the document in the future to enquire about the result from the authority that originally requested the verification. This helps avoid unnecessary repeated verifications and the associated costs and efforts. Against this background, the requesting authorities are kindly asked to carefully retain the results.
Duration of the verification process
The processing time depends on the complexity of the case and may vary depending on the individual circumstances. As a general rule, the process takes approximately 2–4 months, depending on the mission.
Fees
There is a fee for conducting a document verification. The amount of the fee depends on regional circumstances and can be found in the information sheet of the respective mission (typically between 400 and 550 EUR, depending on the mission). The fees will be billed to the requesting German authority upon completion of the verification process. It is therefore recommended that authorities collect a security deposit from the individuals concerned in the amount of the expected fees before submitting the request.
Recent developments
To further streamline the procedure, the document verification process at the Embassy in New Delhi has recently been modernized. Requests for administrative assistance must now be submitted digitally, which is intended to reduce administrative burdens and speed up processing. At the other missions in India, the usual procedure remains in place for the time being.
Information sheets of the missions
Information on local procedures and the documents to be submitted can be found in the following information sheets from the missions:
Information sheet of the Embassy in New Delhi
Information sheet of the Consulate General in Bangalore
Information sheet of the Consulate General in Chennai
Information sheet of the Consulate General in Kolkatta