Sooner or later most NRIs are asked to send a “notarised copy” to India. A bank wants your passport pages. A buyer’s lawyer wants a power of attorney. An office wants an affidavit about a spelling in your name. The request sounds simple, but the words are used loosely, and the wrong stamp can cost weeks.
This guide explains the five things people mix up, what each one is for, and where the cheaper routes are.
The five things people confuse
Self-attestation. You sign your own photocopy and write “self-attested”. It is free. It is accepted only where the institution says so, and from abroad it is often not enough, because nobody has seen you with the original.
Attestation. Someone the institution trusts checks the copy against the original and signs it. This is what most Indian paperwork actually asks for. The list of accepted people is set by the institution. It often includes a notary, an officer of a bank, an Indian Embassy or Consulate official, and sometimes a practising solicitor, lawyer or chartered accountant.
Notarisation. A notary public where you live checks your identity, then certifies a copy or witnesses your signature. It is one kind of attestation, and the one most people think of first.
Apostille. A single certificate from your country’s government that confirms the notary or official is genuine. It works only between countries that have joined the Hague Apostille Convention. India joined in 2005, so an apostille from another member country is accepted in India.
Consular attestation. The Indian Embassy or Consulate certifies the document. It usually needs an appointment and takes longer, but it is the route when an apostille is not available, and it is the stricter route.
The short version: for everyday paperwork, attestation is usually what is needed, and a notary is only one way to get it. An apostille or consular attestation is needed when the document has legal effect in India, such as a power of attorney.
Attested does not always mean notarised
This is the point most guides miss. When an Indian institution asks for “attested” copies, it usually means attested by any of the people on its own list. A notary is on most lists, but rarely the only name there.
That matters because notaries are expensive in some countries. In the UK a notary often charges £80 or more for one document. If you already bank abroad, a branch officer may attest copies for a customer for little or nothing, the same day. Some institutions’ forms also accept a practising solicitor or chartered accountant, who usually costs less than a notary. Others accept only a notary or an Indian mission. Read the institution’s own form or checklist before you pay anyone.
| Route | Usual cost | Usual speed |
|---|
| An officer of your bank abroad, where accepted | Often free for customers | Same day |
| A solicitor or chartered accountant, where accepted | Low | Same day |
| A notary public | A few dollars in the US; often £80 or more in the UK | Same day to a few days |
| The Indian Embassy or Consulate | Around $15 to $25 a document | Often 10 to 15 days |
Costs are typical figures seen in October 2026. They vary by city and change over time.
Wording on the copy
Whoever attests the copy, Indian institutions usually look for the words “Verified with the original”, plus the attestor’s name, designation, signature, stamp and the date. An attestor abroad who does not know this format may simply sign and stamp, and the copy can then be sent back. Ask them to write the line in full.
Which countries can apostille documents for India
The question is whether the country you live in has joined the Hague Apostille Convention. India already has.
| Where you live | Apostille possible? | Usual route to India |
|---|
| UK | Yes | Notary, then an apostille from the Foreign Office (FCDO) if needed |
| US | Yes | Notary, then an apostille from that state’s Secretary of State |
| Canada | Yes, since 11 January 2024 | Notary, then an apostille from Global Affairs Canada or the province |
| Australia | Yes | Notary or Justice of the Peace, then a DFAT apostille |
| Singapore | Yes, since 16 September 2021 | Notary, then an apostille |
| Germany | Yes | Notary, then an apostille |
| Saudi Arabia | Yes, since 7 December 2022 | Notary, then an apostille |
| Oman, Bahrain | Yes | Notary, then an apostille |
| UAE | No | UAE legalisation, then Indian Embassy or Consulate attestation |
| Qatar, Kuwait | No | Local legalisation, then Indian mission attestation |
Canada’s change is recent. Older guides still describe the slower authentication and consular route, which Canadians usually no longer need.
The UAE is not an apostille country
Many websites say the UAE joined the Apostille Convention in 2023 or 2025. As of November 2026 it has not. The UAE does not appear on the Hague Conference’s status table at all. A reader in Dubai or Abu Dhabi therefore cannot get an apostille. Documents usually go through the UAE’s own legalisation steps first, then to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate in Dubai for attestation. Allow extra time for this, and check the mission’s current checklist before you book.
Where online notarisation does not work
Online notarisation means you appear before a notary on a video call, and the notarised document is sent to you or couriered to India. It is legal in many places and convenient for everyday paperwork. It is not accepted everywhere.
- A power of attorney over property in India. This is the strictest case. See the next section.
- Indian courts. A notarised PDF on its own is commonly refused. Courts usually want the physical document with its apostille or consular attestation.
- Institutions that want a wet-ink seal. Some still insist on a traditional ink stamp on paper and do not accept a remote notarisation.
- Some missions and offices still require you to sign in person.
- The UAE, Qatar and Kuwait. With no apostille, the chain runs through the Indian mission, so an online notary alone does not finish the job.
The honest line: online notarisation usually covers everyday paperwork. It does not reliably cover property, courts or anything that gives someone legal power in India. If in doubt, ask the office that will receive the document before you pay for any route.
A power of attorney for property: the hard case
If you are selling, buying or managing property in India from abroad, you may need to give a relative or lawyer a power of attorney. Mistakes here are expensive.
Two routes to authenticate it. You can sign it before an officer at the Indian Embassy or Consulate where you live. Or, if your country is an apostille country, you can sign it before a local notary and then get it apostilled. Indian evidence law presumes that a power of attorney authenticated by a notary or an Indian consular officer was properly signed.
The three-month trap. Under India’s Stamp Act, a document signed outside India must be stamped in India within three months of first arriving there. Miss the deadline and the document can be impounded and refused as evidence until a penalty is paid. Stamp duty is set by each state and paid at the sub-registrar’s office or to the Collector of Stamps. It is separate from the apostille. Keep the courier receipt, because it shows when the three months started.
Registration differs by state. A power of attorney that lets someone sell property usually has to be registered. Some states treat a power of attorney attested at an Indian consulate differently. Karnataka, for example, does not require registration in that case, though stamp duty must still be paid within three months. Check the rule in the state where the property is.
Indian passport or OCI card. Sources disagree on whether Indian passport holders and OCI cardholders face different steps. Some say consular attestation alone is enough for an Indian passport holder, while OCI cardholders must also apostille; others say the reverse. Confirm with the mission before you sign.
Keep it narrow. A special power of attorney limited to one task, such as selling one named flat, is usually safer than a general power of attorney that lets the holder do almost anything in your name.
Our guide to selling property in India explains the tax the buyer deducts, and the property sale TDS calculator estimates it.
A simple order of steps
- Ask the receiving office what it accepts: who may attest, whether it wants an apostille or consular attestation, and whether a remote notarisation is acceptable.
- Try the free or low-cost routes first, if they are on the list: your bank abroad, a solicitor or chartered accountant.
- Use a notary, in person or online, when a notary is what is required.
- Add an apostille, or go to the Indian mission, only when the document needs legal effect in India.
- For a power of attorney, note the date it reaches India and stamp it within three months.
The NRI document checklist lists the papers people usually need, and our guide to the OCI card and the surrender certificate covers what changes after a new citizenship. If you are helping parents with papers from abroad, see looking after parents in India.
This guide explains the usual position. Each institution sets its own list of accepted attestors and can change it, and stamp duty and registration rules differ by state. Confirm with the office that will receive your document before you pay for any route.
