What an apostille actually certifies
An apostille certifies that an Indian public document is genuine — that the signature and seal on it belong to the authority that claims to have issued it. It does not say anything about the document’s contents, and it says nothing at all about any translation.
India acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention in 2005. The practical effect is that a document apostilled here is accepted as authenticated in every other member country without further legalisation. One certificate replaces what would otherwise be a chain through several offices and a foreign mission.
The Ministry of External Affairs issues apostilles centrally.
First question: is your destination a member?
Everything depends on this. If the destination country is a Hague Convention member, you need an apostille. If it is not, an apostille is of no use and you need embassy attestation instead — state authentication, then the Ministry, then the destination country’s mission in India.
Several countries that receive large numbers of Indian workers are outside the Convention, which is why so many people go through the longer route. Check your destination before assuming apostille applies.
Second question: is your document public or private?
This determines the route, and it is where most confusion arises.
Public documents — a birth certificate from a municipal registrar, a degree from a recognised university, a police clearance certificate from a passport office — were issued by an official body. They generally go for authentication at the appropriate level and then to the Ministry for apostille.
Privately issued documents — affidavits, powers of attorney, commercial papers, and translations — were not issued by an official body. The Ministry does not apostille these directly. They must first be notarised, then authenticated by the relevant state authority, and only then apostilled.
This is why an affidavit takes noticeably longer and costs more than a birth certificate to put through the same-sounding process. It is three steps rather than one.
Where translation fits
In the common case the original is apostilled and the certified translation accompanies it. The apostille authenticates the Indian document; the translation makes it readable.
But practice varies by receiving authority. Some want the translation itself apostilled, which puts it on the private-document route above. Some want the translation produced after apostille so that the apostille certificate is itself included in the translation. Some German missions, for instance, commonly expect the apostilled original to be translated as a whole.
These produce different document sets and different costs. Get the requirement in writing from the receiving authority before starting. This is the single most valuable thing you can do, and it is free.
Timelines
The translation is fast. The authentication chain is not, and it is not under anyone’s control but the offices involved. State-level authentication varies considerably between states. Embassy attestation depends on the individual mission’s workload, which changes through the year.
Treat any guaranteed turnaround for the full chain with suspicion. What can be promised is the translation date and a realistic range for the rest, with early warning if your deadline looks unachievable — while you still have time to arrange an extension.
A note on agents
Many people use an agent to run documents through the chain, which is reasonable — it involves queuing at several offices.
Two cautions. Be clear about what the fee covers: government fees, the agent’s service, or both. And be careful about handing over original certificates, since replacing a lost degree or birth certificate is slow and painful. Ask what happens if a document goes missing, and be wary of anyone who has no answer.