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Using a U.S. document in India

Valid in India Accepts the U.S. apostille. Verified against official sources on 2026-11-02
Hague ConventionMember since July 14, 2005
What you needApostille from the state that issued the document
TranslationNot stated
Consular informationEmbassy of India, Washington, D.C. – Attestation Services (Consulates General in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston and Atlanta serve their own jurisdictions) ↗

Step by step

  1. For documents that are not government-issued (e.g. copies of a U.S. passport or driver's license, affidavits), have them notarized by a U.S. notary public first.
  2. Get the apostille from the Secretary of State of the state where you reside or where the document was issued; for federal documents, use the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
  3. Present the apostilled document in India: under India's Ministry of External Affairs guidance, no further attestation or legalization should be required.
  4. Only if an Indian office still asks for it, apply to the Indian Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over your state for attestation of the apostilled document (commercial documents are not attested).

Translation

None of the official Indian Embassy/Consulate pages in the U.S. or the Ministry of External Affairs memorandum reviewed address translation of U.S. documents. Confirm with the receiving Indian authority.

Common uses

  • U.S. government-issued documents for use in India
  • Commercial documents for use in India (must be apostilled; Indian missions do not attest them)
  • Notarized copies of U.S. documents such as a passport or driver's license
  • Educational documents presented to Indian institutions (MEA directed universities and councils to accept apostilled documents)

Important

India's Ministry of External Affairs (Office Memorandum No. Q/OI/433/2/2020, 18 Nov 2020) states that an apostilled foreign document, including an e-Apostille, should be treated as a legalized document in India and that no further attestation or legalization should be required. The Consulate General in San Francisco notes that some places in India may still ask for consular attestation of an apostilled document, which can be requested from the Consulate. Indian missions in the U.S. do not attest commercial documents or documents issued by authorities in India.

Which state issued your document?

Apostille fee and processing time in that state.

Fee per document$15.00
TimeMail: at least 2 weeks · In person: same day
See the office in Texas →

Sources

See the official sources (7)
Editor's note

HCCH status table: India acceded 26-X-2004, in force 14-VII-2005, marked 'A**' (objection). Per the Dutch depositary treaty database, the only objection to India's accession was by Portugal, received late and stated to have no legal consequences; the United States did not object, so the Convention applies between the U.S. and India. OCI-specific document requirements were not found on the official Indian Embassy pages reviewed (OCI processing is outsourced and those pages were not used), so OCI is not listed as a use. Translation requirements are not addressed on any official page reviewed (null). Official pages differ slightly: the Embassy says apostilled documents need no certification by the Embassy, while the San Francisco consulate offers attestation of apostilled documents when Indian offices request it.