Experiences · Paperwork & admin
Apostille Documents: Process and Contacts
Asha MenonCommunity desk
Brussels · Belgium · 28 February 2024 · 2 min read
An apostille is one stamp, obtained in India, that makes an Indian document usable in Belgium without any further legalisation here. Getting it is not complicated — but it happens in India, in a fixed order, and it is far easier to arrange before you leave than after.
At a glance
What it actually is
An apostille certifies that the signature and seal on a public document are genuine. Because India and Belgium are both parties to the Hague Convention, a document carrying one is accepted by Belgian authorities without any further chain of legalisation — which is exactly what makes it worth the trouble.
When you will need one
- Employment — degree certificates and experience letters for a job or a work permit.
- Residence — birth and marriage certificates for a visa or residence application.
- Marriage — birth certificate and bachelorhood affidavit; see getting married in Belgium.
- Legal and business — Indian documents used in a Belgian court or a company filing.
The two stages
- State-level authentication. The document is first authenticated in the Indian state that issued it — the Home Department, the HRD Department, or a designated regional authority depending on the document type. Educational certificates usually go through HRD; civil records through the Home Department.
- Apostille by the MEA. The authenticated document then goes to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, which affixes the apostille itself. In practice this is handled through the MEA’s outsourced collection centres rather than in person.
Do it before you move, if you possibly can. Every stage is in India and most want the original document. Arranging it from Belgium means couriering originals both ways and relying on somebody at home to attend offices for you — which is doable, and is why agents exist, but it is slower and more expensive than doing it while you are still there.
Get the original from the right office
Indian civil documents are issued where the event happened, not where you live now — a birth certificate for someone born in Moradabad comes from Moradabad. A certificate from the wrong office cannot be authenticated, and this is discovered late, after the courier and the waiting.
Translation, afterwards
An apostille removes the need for Belgian legalisation. It does not remove the need for translation: your commune will still want the document in Dutch or French, done by a sworn translator here. Do that after the apostille, never before — the apostille is part of the document that gets translated.
Written in 2024. Agents who handle Indian apostilles for people already in Belgium, and sworn translators for the Belgian end, are listed in the directory in the Namaste Community app. State-level procedures differ across India — confirm with the issuing authority for your document.
From our desk, not official advice
Written by the Namaste Community desk under our standing byline, from the questions this community asks most often — not a single person's own account. Rules change and offices differ — check anything that matters with the people who decide it.
Been through something too? Share it