Is Notary Same as Apostille?

Many people often ask, “Is an Apostille same as Notary?” Well, the answer is No. Although both may have a mutual aim, i.e. obtaining a visa for abroad, these are two different procedures taken on the documents for various purposes. Firstly, Notary or Notarization refers to the stamp or seal of the notary public, while an Apostille is altogether a different attestation procedure performed by Secretary of state.

Let’s look at each of the processes in detail

Notarization

This refers to obtaining a stamp or a signature on the document from the notary public to approve its credibility. Its primary aim is fraud detection at the primary level. 

Notary or Notarization is usually a three-step process conducted by Notary Public and involves crucial vetting, certifying, and record-keeping.  

In essence, the notary is an initial and mandatory form of legalization that proves the credibility of the document holder. As a part of the attestation procedure, it prepares the documents to be further legalized by higher authorities like HRD, MEA, and the embassy of the intended country. 

Apostille 

An Apostille is a Hague Convention (117 countries) specific attestation procedure performed by the secretary of state. In the literal sense, Apostille is a stamp or a seal provided by the assigned authority that alone stands for the authenticity of the immigrating individual and no further legalization of the document is required. To obtain a visa, all individual's personal educational/ commercial documents have to bear the MEA Apostille stamp. The special seal contains a unique digital identification code that maintains an online record making it easier for the concerned authorities to cross-check.  

In addition to the seal, an apostile is also a certificate affixed to all the original documents that verifies the authenticity of all the attached documents and the person intending to immigrate.

Apostille V/S Notary

As mentioned above both Notarization and Apostille are different ways of legalizing documents to procure visas for different countries. One of the most prominent differences is that Notary Attestation performed by notary public sets the for further legalization steps. Notarization is a part of a multi-layered attestation procedure, while Apostille is a standalone Authorization that needs no other follow-up. Secondly, Notarization is usually performed for US Visa, while Apostille is performed for all Hague Convention Countries (Belgium, Canada, Greece, Japan, France, etc.)

Where Can I get Notarization and Documents Apostilled in India?

Document Apostille and Notarization are not the same things. 

Each of the processes involves complicated steps and attention to detail. Multiple attestation agencies can assist you in obtaining the visas via respective procedures. Genuine Attestation Service is one such agency that performs all functions from Notarization to Apostille within the stipulated time and regular updates.