For a German visa, an apostille or MEA attestation on your Indian degree, birth or marriage certificate does not help. The German missions in India say Germany objected to India joining the Hague Apostille Convention, so the convention does not apply between the two countries, and German authorities do not recognise attestation or apostille of Indian documents. What Germany uses instead is a case-by-case document verification, and translations have their own rules that change with the body receiving them.

Knowing this early saves fees and weeks spent on stamps the German visa process does not use.

Why the MEA apostille does not work for Germany

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) states that India has been a member of the 1961 Hague Convention since 2005, and it issues apostilles on personal documents such as birth and marriage certificates and on educational documents such as degrees. That process is real and useful for countries that accept it.

Germany is not one of them for Indian documents. The German missions’ page on verifying Indian documents (dated 16 June 2026) says Germany lodged an objection to India’s accession and that the convention does not apply between Germany and India. The same page says Germany also does not legalise Indian public documents. The National Visa FAQs say attestation or apostille is therefore not required for visa purposes.

What happens instead: document verification

When a German authority needs to rely on an Indian document, such as a civil status record or an educational certificate, it can ask the German mission to verify it. According to the missions’ verification page, as of June 2026:

  • Only a German authority can start a verification, for example a registry office, an immigration office or a court. Private individuals cannot request it directly.
  • The mission responsible is the one covering the place where the document was issued, not where you live now.
  • The mission checks the document through service providers or trusted local lawyers and sends a report to the requesting authority, which then decides how to use the document.
  • It typically costs EUR 400 to 550, depending on the mission, and usually takes about 2 to 4 months. The fee is billed to the requesting authority, which may ask you for a deposit.

For a visa, the missions say they may ask for verification of certificates, with extra fees, and the checklist for your visa category says when it applies. The study, Opportunity Card and spouse-reunion checklists all carry that reservation.

Originals and certified copies for a visa

The National Visa FAQs say a long-term visa application needs either the original documents or copies certified by a German authority. Certifications by Indian authorities or notaries are not accepted. If an original is lost, apply for a new one from the authority that issued it.

Translations: it depends on who receives the document

There is no single translation rule. Each receiving body sets its own, so check its own list.

Receiving body What its official page says
German missions in India Translations made in India are generally not recognised as certified translations in German administrative procedures, because India has no system like Germany’s sworn translators. Ask the German authority first whether an Indian translation is acceptable; in some cases a Goethe-Institut translation in India may be enough. Otherwise a publicly appointed or sworn translator in Germany must do it. You pay the cost.
uni-assist Upload certificates in their original language with a translation into German or English, made by persons or institutions authorised to translate under oath, or by a department of the issuing university authorised to issue translations. Certificates already issued in English or German need no translation.
Recognition authorities Publicly appointed and authorised translators must translate, often into German. Some authorities do not accept translators appointed abroad, so ask before translating in India. The competent authority decides whether a translation is needed at all.
Your university uni-assist itself says official application information is only on the universities’ websites.

On English documents: uni-assist states that certificates issued in English need no translation for its check. The visa pages we read do not say whether English-language Indian documents need a German translation, so ask the mission or authority handling your case rather than assuming.

Where it depends

Your visa category, your university and your recognition authority each set their own document list. A spouse-reunion checklist, for example, asks for a birth certificate issued under the Births, Deaths Registration Act, 1969 (as the checklist names it), and mentions apostille or legalisation only for marriages that took place outside both India and Germany. Rules for documents going to German registry offices or other authorities after arrival are not covered here; ask that office. Our documents checklist helps you list what each body needs before you order anything.

What SGC does not decide

German missions, universities, uni-assist and recognition authorities decide which documents, copies and translations they accept, and whether to verify a document. SGC does not translate, attest or verify documents. Through Translation & Attestation, SGC can identify which documents in your file need translation or certification, guide you on using sworn translators and coordinate the process with you.

Your next step: open the official checklist for your visa category on the German missions’ site and the document page of each university or authority you apply to, and note, document by document, whether it asks for an original, a German-certified copy, verification or a translation.

Official resources

What we cannot promise

German authorities, universities and employers make every decision on visas, admissions, recognition and jobs. SGC explains the process and helps you prepare; it cannot promise an outcome.