Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 11 January 2024. Before that date, Indian documents for Canadian use went through the older authentication and consular legalisation route, MEA attestation followed by Canadian High Commission attestation in Delhi. Since January 2024 that older chain no longer applies; what your IRCC officer, your ECA body (WES, IQAS, ICAS, ICES), your sponsor file or your provincial professional regulator actually needs now is MEA apostille from India. If your file references a process older than 2024, treat the older instructions with caution and verify the current IRCC and ECA-body checklists before couriering anything.
Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 11 January 2024. Before that date, Indian documents for Canadian use went through the older authentication and consular legalisation route, MEA attestation followed by Canadian High Commission attestation in Delhi. Since January 2024 that older chain no longer applies; what your IRCC officer, your ECA body (WES, IQAS, ICAS, ICES), your sponsor file or your provincial professional regulator actually needs now is MEA apostille from India. If your file references a process older than 2024, treat the older instructions with caution and verify the current IRCC and ECA-body checklists before couriering anything.
The most common NRI-from-Canada files we handle are: family-class sponsorship where the marriage certificate or the dependent child birth certificate has to be apostilled freshly, citizenship applications where the police clearance certificate from India is required within a freshness window (often three to six months), express-entry profiles where the degree has to be ECA-evaluated alongside the apostille, PR applications where the Indian PCC is the missing piece, and study-permit extensions where transcripts have to be apostilled for a Canadian university file. Quebec files may additionally need certified French translation; most other provinces accept Indian English-language documents without translation.
You do not have to travel back to India for any of this. A family member in India couriers the original to our Noida office after we have confirmed the route on WhatsApp; we run State HRD or SDM, then MEA apostille, then certified translation only where the Quebec or ECA recipient asks for it, then a tracked international courier (DHL / FedEx) to your Canadian address. AWB numbers are shared in writing. The full India-side chain for most cases takes six to fifteen working days, plus international courier transit; Maharashtra, Rajasthan, J&K and a few other HRDs add personal-appearance steps that affect the timeline.
Share a scan on WhatsApp (+91-9220161774) or info@sizaglobal.com with the purpose (family-class sponsorship, citizenship, express entry, study permit, work permit, or other) and we confirm the chain, written quote, and document list before originals move. If your ECA body has issued specific format instructions (envelope sealed by the issuing university, original sent directly from the university, etc.), share those instructions too because they sometimes change which India-side path is workable.
Who reads this guide
- NRIs preparing documents for overseas use
- In preparing documents for overseas use
- Canada, preparing documents for overseas use
- PR preparing documents for overseas use
- Holders, preparing documents for overseas use
What we usually receive
- Indian document (original) in the custody of family / friend in India
- Indian passport copy of the document holder
- Canadian-side supporting paperwork: PR card, study permit, work permit, IRCC reference, sponsor documents
- ECA body (WES, IQAS, ICAS, ICES) reference for credential-evaluation files
- Province-specific instruction (Quebec for French translation, provincial healthcare regulator for licensing)
How a typical file is processed
WhatsApp scan review with the Canadian recipient (Express Entry / family-class / citizenship / study permit / provincial regulator)
India-side custodian couriers original to our Noida office
State HRD or SDM step, then MEA Delhi apostille
Certified French translation only where Quebec requires it
Tracked international courier (DHL / FedEx) to the Canadian address
Pre-shipping checks
Catch the avoidable issues at scan stage
Working-day factors
- Issuing-state pre-MEA step duration
- MEA Delhi apostille (typically 2 to 3 working days)
- ECA body parallel-track timeline
- PCC freshness window where applicable
- International courier transit India-to-Canada
Avoidable errors we flag in advance
- Sending an Indian document through the older Canadian High Commission attestation chain, Canada is Hague since January 2024
- Apostille on PCC done well in advance of citizenship or PR submission, IRCC freshness window expires
- Sending apostilled degree directly to ECA when WES / IQAS specifically requires the issuing university to courier directly
- Routing the degree through SDM instead of State HRD, Canadian ECA bodies expect HRD
- Treating Quebec immigration like a federal file, Quebec adds the French-translation layer
Why customers choose SiZA
- NRI-from-Canada remote coordination tuned to the post-2024 Hague reality, Canada joined Hague on 11 January 2024; we route the file as apostille (not the older Canadian High Commission authentication chain)
- IRCC and ECA body coordination for Express Entry (WES, IQAS, ICAS, ICES), family-class sponsorship, citizenship, and study-permit files
- Quebec French-translation coordination where the receiving authority requires it; most other provinces accept English Indian documents directly
- Per-document chain expertise: degree through State HRD then MEA; civil documents through SDM then MEA; PCC through PSK-direct-to-MEA or SSP-then-SDM-then-MEA
- 100,000+ documents handled for 20,000+ customers with zero misplaced or mishandled, AWB-tracked international return to any Canadian address
Completed Work Example
This is a completed MEA Apostille document. All customer names, reference numbers, and identifying details have been removed before publication.
Not sure how to start?
The Review Before Originals Move
Every original handled by SiZA goes through a scan-stage check first: issuing-state route, document readiness, name match, destination expectation, so the courier carries the document only once, on the correct chain.
What to send first
Review the requirement
Share the document scan, destination country, purpose, deadline, and where the original document is currently kept.
Confirm the right process
SiZA checks whether the file needs apostille, embassy attestation, HRD/Home, Chamber, translation, visa documentation, or a combined process.
Handle and update
Once the scope is clear, the file moves through the required steps with practical updates by WhatsApp or email.
Proof and return
After completion, SiZA shares completion proof, confirms payment and courier preference, then packs and dispatches the document safely.
Share scan
Process confirmed
Originals received if required
Completion proof
Payment and return
Original document safety
Trust, Custody And Safety
These documents are not ordinary papers. They may be your degree, birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport file, company resolution, or export paperwork. SiZA treats that responsibility seriously.
Original-Document Care
Original personal and company documents are handled with careful custody, privacy, and controlled handoff.
Clear Updates
Customers receive updates through WhatsApp or email as the file moves through review, submission, completion, and dispatch.
Completion Proof
When work is completed, SiZA can share photos or videos so the customer can verify the result before return dispatch.
Safe Return
Return delivery is packed carefully and sent through trusted courier options after address and courier preference are confirmed.
No Shortcut Claims
SiZA does not promise fake shortcuts, bypass personal appearance rules, or help with forged or non-genuine documents.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a single official stamp issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the back of an Indian document. Once placed, the document is accepted in any country that is a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, about 125 countries today, including the USA, UK, Italy, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia (since 2022), and Canada (since 2024). For non-Hague destinations such as UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, and Egypt, MEA apostille alone is not enough, the document needs MEA attestation plus the destination country's embassy attestation in India.
Is apostille required for Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention in December 2022. For Indian documents going to Saudi Arabia today, MEA apostille (after the relevant pre-step, State HRD for educational documents, SDM or Home Department for civil documents) is the standard India-side authentication. The previous Saudi Embassy + Cultural Attaché route was discontinued in December 2022; some Saudi employers still ask for QVP / Mosaddaqa qualification verification or SCFHS DataFlow PSV separately for licensed professions. SiZA Global confirms which parallel tracks apply to your specific Saudi file at scan review.
Voices from the customer side
“I needed both MEA apostille and Italian translation for my degree, marksheets, and birth certificate. SiZA handled the full package — apostille and empanelled Italian translation together. Everything was accepted by the Italian embassy without any queries.”
Priya Sharma
Student, Italy study visa
Bengaluru, India
“Canada PR requires degree apostille, marriage certificate apostille, and sometimes translation. SiZA handled all my documents — degree, marriage certificate, PCC — in a coordinated workflow. Doorstep pickup in Noida and courier back. No need to run around government offices.”
Deepak Verma
IT professional, Canada immigration
Noida, India
“Degree HRD from Maharashtra, then MEA apostille, then Qatar embassy attestation — a long chain. SiZA tracked every step and gave me realistic timelines for Maharashtra HRD before starting. All documents delivered before my Qatar joining date. I had no idea the process was this manageable with the right support.”
Arjun Mehta
Civil engineer, Qatar employment visa
Nagpur, India
“My UK university needed apostilled degree and marksheets. SiZA picked up documents from Chandigarh through their courier pickup process. Everything came back apostilled and on time. They also reviewed my checklist and confirmed I didn't need Punjab HRD for this particular submission — saved me extra time.”
Nisha Kaur
Student, UK university admission
Chandigarh, India
“Czech Blue Card required apostilled degree, work experience letters, and a certified Czech translation of my degree. SiZA arranged the Maharashtra HRD first — which they told me upfront is required for degrees from Pune University — then MEA apostille, then the Czech translation. The Czech embassy accepted everything first attempt.”
Kiran Bhatt
Software engineer, Czech Blue Card
Pune, India
“AHPRA skills assessment required apostilled pharmacy degree and internship certificate. I was confused about whether Tamil Nadu HRD attestation was needed first. SiZA clarified it clearly — TN HRD is required before MEA for degree apostille. They handled both steps. My documents reached AHPRA exactly as required.”
Sunita Krishnan
Pharmacist, Australia skills assessment
Coimbatore, India
Verify from official sources
Confirm the current checklist and requirements directly with the authority before sending originals.
MEA Apostille Office Addresses in India
MEA Apostille, CPV Division, New Delhi (Head Office)
Patiala House Annexe, Tilak Marg
New Delhi 110001
MEA Branch Secretariat, Mumbai
RPO Building, Bhavishya Nidhi Bhawan, 15 Bhulabhai Desai Road
Mumbai 400026