With increasing transnational marriages these days, a single certificate has become an important document for the people traveling abroad. For India, the number is a bit high because over 15 million Indians are settled abroad who might end up marrying in or from other countries. A single certificate specifies one’s marital status as per the judiciary laws of the country. It’s a statement stating that a person is single or has no dependent from any previous marriage.
Having a plain statement stating the marital status is not valid when traveling abroad; the certificate should be attested in India. Single certificate attestation services in Chennai are important to legalize the document and increase its authenticity by the state government. With this, it will be acceptable in every country (if all the rules are followed).
Further, in this blog, we will discuss the issuing authorities under in India, the process of applying, and the documents required.
The Issuing authorities in India
In India, there is no particular authority to attest to a single certificate. But there is a process that every individual has to follow for the legalization of the document. The complete attestations service involves 4 major departments.
Notary– A affidavit is drawn up by a notary to start the attestation process. The officials at the notary verify the authenticity of the documents followed by stamps and signs accordingly. If they the suspicious, the document will not move to another step.
Sub-divisional Magistrate or SDM– Also known as the Home department, it’s the head authority of the district subdivision. The certificate signed and stamped in notary is brought here. The officials verify the affidavit and put the stamp stating certificate attestation is valid.
Ministry of External Affairs or MEA– It’s the top-most authority in the certificate attestation process. If the MEA is satisfied and has placed the stamp on the certificate, it means the statement is authorized by the home government (India).
Embassy- Whichever country the applicant is planning to travel, the document will go for respective Embassy approval. Embassy approval is optional. If the country wants, the certificate will go to the embassy after MEA approval otherwise no need.
The process of applying for the certificate attestation
The two ways of applying for the certificate attestation are:
Applicants themselves or their blood relatives
In case the family members are applying for the attestation, they must have approval and permit to perform the process. It can be in the form of Power of Attorney or any other legal statements. The applicant or the family members have to start the process by preparing and submitting an affidavit along with proof of documents. After that, the certificate will move to SDM followed by MEA stamping and Embassy approval (if required).
Hiring an attestation service provider
If the applicants or their family members are unable to process the certificate attestation, they can take help from professionals by hiring attestation services. The attestation experts or consultants will prepare the draft and the applicants have to only submit the required documents. They will get the certificate attested from the departments.
Documents Required
- For single certificate attestation, the applicants need the following documents:
- An affidavit stating that the applicant is single along with all the personal details
- Any address proof like bank passbook, Voter ID, Aadhar Card, etc. to show that the applicant is the resident at the mentioned address in the affidavit.
- A valid passport or visa
- Any documents like birth certificate, school certificate, etc. showing applicant’s date of birth.
- A letter from applicants’ parents stating they are single. Also, the identity cards of parents.
If the applicant was married before, they need to produce the following documents:
- Divorce documents if legally divorced
- Death certificate if the former spouse died
So, we hope this short yet useful post will help the applicants in a single certificate attestation process in India.