Anyone who plans to go to Egypt, either for a family vacation or a corporate trip, needs to first get his/her visa cleared from the embassy. Attestation of documents is a mandatory part of the process. It legalizes the certificates- an indication that the documents are now authentic and hence be taken to the foreign country. The embassy is usually a representative of the said foreign country that takes care of all the legalities from the applicant’s home country.
Types of Attestations
There are different types of documents presented at the embassy office, some academic, some non-educational and other purely of a business nature. Attestation is a process where the officials check the authenticity of the document. If approved, the document is send to the verifying personnel for his signature. The entire process can be quite exhausting and requires the applicant to submit a set of Xerox copies along with the original documents. If you’re applying for the Egypt Embassy Attestation, you even need to submit two passport sized pictures for verification.
State Degree Attestation Services
The state attestation services are to be availed before MEA attestation, irrespective of the type of certification or document you want to get attested. For instance, if you want to attest documents from the Iraq Embassy Attestation body, you need to submit the reference letters, personal degree certificates, and other papers from recognized organizations to the Ministry of External Affairs. This body is a part of the central government of the country and hence has the authority to look over the applicant’s documents before it is send to the embassy office.
MEA Attestation
Once the state officials have marked the documents as verified and legal, the next step is to get it cleared from the MEA. This should always be done only after your application was checked and authorized by the state. MEA attestation is but nominal.
Embassy Attestation
After getting the clearance from both the state officials and the MEA body, the documents would finally be sent to the embassy. The embassy, presided by the representative of the nation who’s visa you’re applying for, would then verify your application and the documents attached. It is only after you get cleared by all these three bodies that you’re allowed to travel abroad.
What are Apostille Services?
Apostilles are basically a type of attestation where the certificates are verified in a pre-set approved and appropriate format. This format is accessible and accepted in all countries that adhere to the Hauge Convention. Apostille is a global attestation, getting an apostille would save you the time and effort to actually get it cleared at the embassy. As of now, apostille attestations are accepted in 92 nations, most of them in the west.
Apostille stamps are square shaped stickers, generated electronically, and are to be attached on the opposite side of the MEA certification provided by the government. Each stamp has a unique ID number that can be verified by the member nations of the Hague Convention. The legitimacy of the stamps can be checked online and verified for real as well.
