Hague Apostille Convention member
Canada accepts MEA apostille since January 2024
For Indian documents going to Canada, the India-side chain ends at MEA apostille, no destination embassy attestation is required. The pre-MEA step depends on document type (State HRD for educational, SDM or Home Department for civil, Chamber of Commerce for commercial). Certified translation is paired separately where the receiving authority requires it.
Canada apostille work from India is the newest of the major Hague routes, Canada acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 11 January 2024, replacing the older authentication-and-consular-legalisation chain that involved the Canadian High Commission in Delhi. Files submitted to IRCC, ECA bodies (WES, IQAS, ICAS, ICES) and provincial professional regulators since that date should be on apostille. If your file references a process dated before 2024, treat the older instructions with caution and verify the current IRCC and ECA checklists before couriering anything.
The India-side chain on educational documents is State HRD before MEA apostille, not SDM. Civil documents go through SDM or Home Department instead of HRD before MEA apostille. Once the chain is complete, the document is ready for Canadian submission. Canada accepts Indian English-language documents without translation for most submissions; Quebec authorities may request French translation, and where they do, the translation has to be prepared by a translator accepted by the relevant Quebec authority.
Canada handles applicant categories in distinct lanes: Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class) with ECA evaluation of Indian qualifications, Family-class sponsorship (spouse / parent / dependent child), citizenship applications where the Indian PCC has to land within a freshness window, study permit (and the post-graduation work permit pathway), and provincial professional regulators (College of Nurses of Ontario, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and equivalent in each province). Each lane has its own document set.
Send a clear scan of the document set on WhatsApp +91-9220161774 with the Canadian recipient named in one line, Express Entry with which ECA body, family-class sponsorship, citizenship, study permit for which university, provincial regulator (and which province and which profession), or other. SiZA Global confirms the chain, the realistic working-day timeline for your State HRD, the ECA-body format instruction where one has been issued, the Quebec translation requirement where applicable, and a written quote that separates HRD fee, MEA fee, translation fee and SiZA service fee before originals move.
Who needs this route
- Indian professionals going to Canada on employment, skilled-worker, or residence visas who need Indian certificates authenticated
- Students going to Canada for study programmes who need degree, marksheets, or school certificates processed
- Families relocating to Canada who need marriage, birth, or dependent documents legalised
- NRIs or Indian nationals already in Canada who need India-side documents processed remotely
- HR teams, consultants, and agencies managing Canada-bound document files for multiple applicants
Documents this destination expects
- Original degree, transcript, civil documents, or PCC as applicable
- Passport copy for Canadian recipient matching
- ECA body (WES / IQAS / ICAS / ICES) reference for Express Entry
- Province-specific paperwork (Quebec French translation, provincial regulator for licensing)
- IRCC paperwork (study permit, work permit, family-class sponsorship)
The apostille chain, step by step
WhatsApp scan review with the Canadian recipient (Express Entry with which ECA, family-class sponsorship, citizenship, study permit, provincial regulator)
State HRD for educational, SDM or Home Department for civil documents, PSK or SSP route for PCC
MEA Delhi apostille
Certified French translation only where Quebec authorities require it
Tracked return to the applicant's Canadian address
What affects the timeline
- Issuing-state HRD or SDM working pace
- MEA Delhi apostille (typically 2 to 3 working days)
- ECA body (WES / IQAS / ICAS / ICES) parallel-track timeline
- PCC freshness window where applicable
- International courier transit between India and Canada
Mistakes that cause rejection at the destination
- Sending an Indian document through the older Canadian High Commission attestation chain, Canada is Hague since January 2024
- Apostille on a 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
- Treating a Quebec immigration file like a federal one, Quebec adds the French-translation layer
- Routing a degree through SDM instead of State HRD, Canadian ECA bodies expect HRD
Why SiZA on this destination
- Post-2024 Hague apostille routing, Canada acceded to Hague on 11 January 2024; we route the file as apostille (not the older authentication-and-legalisation chain that pre-2024 files used)
- ECA body coordination, WES, IQAS, ICAS, ICES each have different envelope and direct-issue instructions; we coordinate the apostille to fit the specific ECA route
- Express Entry / family-class sponsorship lane discipline, different document sets, different freshness windows on PCC, different credential-evaluation requirements
- Quebec French-translation coordination where applicable, Quebec authorities sometimes require certified French translation; 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
Have a destination-specific question?
How SiZA Reviews a Destination File
Before any original is couriered, SiZA confirms the destination authority's current document checklist, the parallel tracks (translation, university verification, professional licensing) and a realistic working-day timeline.
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.
Stories from applicants to this country
“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
Other destination guides
Completed Work Example
This is a completed MEA Apostille document. All customer names, reference numbers, and identifying details have been removed before publication.
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