Guide
MEA apostille in India: how long it takes and what it costs
Typical timelines and costs for apostille of Indian documents: state verification, the MEA fee, agency charges and courier, explained for NRIs.
Updated 30 October 2026
An apostille from India usually takes one to three weeks in total. The MEA step itself is quick; the time goes into state or university verification and courier. The MEA's own fee is small (reported at about ₹50 per document), but authorised agencies, state verification and courier add to it.
The steps that take the time
- Pre-verification in the state that issued the document: the education department or university for educational documents, the home department or another notified authority for personal documents, and the chamber of commerce for commercial documents. This is usually the longest step.
- The MEA apostille itself, through the MEA's authorised outsourced centres. This step is usually a few working days.
- Courier back to India's address or abroad.
Typical timelines
- Personal documents (birth, marriage, police clearance from a state): usually 1 to 2 weeks in total.
- Educational documents with a quick state verification: usually 1 to 3 weeks.
- Educational documents that need the university to verify first: can take 3 to 5 weeks.
- Courier abroad: usually 3 to 7 days more.
What you pay
- The MEA fee per document, paid at actuals.
- State or university verification fees, which vary by state and university.
- The authorised centre's service charge and courier.
- SafeNRI's service fee, if you use us: from ₹1,999 per document, with official fees shown separately and receipts for each.
If you need help
SafeNRI checks which route your destination needs, handles state verification, the MEA step and courier, and shares receipts for every official fee. See Apostille and attestation and Education document attestation and apostille. SafeNRI is an independent private service, not affiliated with any government department, university or board. You can also apply yourself; our fee is for assisting and representing you, and official fees are charged at actuals with receipts.