Degree Certificate Apostille Attestation Fees: What You Pay For, and Why Two Files Never Cost the Same
Degree certificate apostille attestation fees are not a single number, and anybody publishing one is guessing. This page sets out exactly which stages carry a charge, what moves the figure up or down, and how to get a written quote for your own file in about ten minutes.
INFINITYGRO handles the Delhi side of degree certificate attestation and apostille work: Notary, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, the Ministry of External Affairs and embassy legalisation where the destination needs it. What follows is an honest account of what that costs and what it does not.
- Quoted per file, in writing, before anything is submitted
- No charge for advice on which route your degree actually needs
- A signed receipt for every original, and a scan before it is posted back
- Nothing added to degree certificate apostille attestation fees once the quote is agreed
What do degree certificate apostille attestation fees actually cover?
They cover a chain of counters, not a single stamp. A degree certificate apostille file passes through a Notary Public, a Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the Ministry of External Affairs, and a degree certificate attestation file for the Gulf adds an embassy after that. Each of those stages carries its own charge, and the handling, travel and tracked courier between them sit on top.
That is why degree certificate apostille fees differ so much from one applicant to the next, and why a published rate card would mislead most of the people reading it. The Ministry's own charge per document is fixed and identical for everybody. Everything around it depends on your route, your destination and how many certificates travel together.
Short version: one degree for a convention country is the cheapest file we handle, and a set of documents for the UAE or Qatar is the most expensive. Everything else falls between the two.
Watch: the degree certificate apostille process explained in 90 seconds
Before you compare degree certificate apostille attestation fees, see the two routes your degree can take: the State HRD route, or the faster Delhi route through a notary, the SDM and the MEA.
In this video
Video summary: an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs makes your Indian degree valid in Hague Convention countries. Check the checklist from your employer or university first: if it only says “apostille”, either route works; some countries, such as Italy and Portugal, ask for State HRD attestation. You can courier your degree from anywhere; it is processed in Delhi and couriered back.
Five things that move Degree Certificate Apostille Attestation Fees up or down
Ask any honest operator what a file costs and the first answer will be a question. These are the things that decide degree certificate apostille attestation fees, and we need to know them before a number means anything.
1The route your degree takes
A fast-track file through a Notary and a Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Delhi is priced differently from one that arrives already carrying a State authentication stamp. Where we join the chain decides how much of it we are running.
2Whether an embassy is involved
If the destination has joined the Hague Convention, the file stops at the Ministry and the apostille finishes it. If it has not, the degree goes on to that country's embassy in New Delhi, which charges its own fee per document. This is the biggest single swing in the whole quote.
3Which country, specifically
Embassy charges are set by each mission and they are not close to one another. Two colleagues leaving the same office for two different Gulf countries can be quoted very different figures for identical degrees.
4How many documents travel together
Handling and courier are shared across a batch. A degree sent alone carries the full cost of the journey; a degree, transcript and marriage certificate sent together split it between them.
5Collection, courier and timing
Dropping documents at the Delhi office and collecting them costs less than tracked courier in both directions to another State. A genuinely urgent deadline, where a file has to be pushed ahead of the queue, is also priced differently from a normal one.
6Translation, if the consulate wants it
A few European consulates ask for a sworn or certified translation alongside the apostilled degree. That is a separate piece of work with its own charge, and we will tell you if your destination is one of them.
Degree certificate apostille attestation fees at each stage
This is the whole chain, in order, with who charges what. It is the clearest way to see why degree certificate apostille attestation fees are quoted per file rather than published as a list.
| Stage | Who charges | What it depends on | In our quote? |
|---|---|---|---|
| University verification | Your university | The university's own schedule; some charge nothing, some a great deal | No, you arrange it |
| State HRD authentication | The State department | The State, and whether the destination insists on it | No, you arrange it |
| Notary Public | The notary | Number of documents | Yes |
| SDM attestation, Delhi | The Delhi administration | Number of documents | Yes |
| MEA apostille or attestation | Ministry of External Affairs | A fixed statutory amount per document, the same across India | Yes |
| Embassy legalisation | The destination's embassy | Which country; each mission sets its own fee | Yes, where needed |
| Handling and submission | INFINITYGRO | Route, batch size and how many counters are involved | Yes |
| Tracked courier | The courier | Distance, weight and whether both directions are needed | Yes, if you are not collecting |
Government and embassy charges are revised from time to time by the authorities that set them. Your quote reflects the rates in force on the day it is issued.
The SDM route against the State route, on cost
Two legitimate roads lead to the same Ministry counter, and degree certificate apostille fees are not the same on both. Neither is better in the abstract; what matters is which one the body receiving your degree will accept.
| Factor | Process 1: State authentication route | Process 2: SDM fast-track route |
|---|---|---|
| Who signs first | The State authority where the university sits | Notary Public and SDM, Delhi |
| You pay | The State department directly, plus our Delhi stages | One quote covering the whole Delhi chain |
| Your own travel | Possible trips to the State capital | None |
| Time | Longer, because State and university processing is outside anyone's control | Shorter, fewer offices in the chain |
| Typically required by | Gulf employers, nursing and medical councils | Universities, skilled migration and visa files |
| Effect on the quote | Our part is smaller; your total may still be higher once State charges are added | Our part is larger, but it is the whole cost |
If nobody has told you in writing which route they want, ask before paying for either. It is the single commonest way money is wasted on degree certificate attestation.
How the destination country changes what you pay
This is worth getting right before anything else, because it decides whether your file has three stages or four, and therefore most of your degree certificate apostille attestation fees.
Apostille only — the cheaper file
Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore are all Hague Convention members, as are Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which joined in December 2022. For these the apostille sticker ends the process and there is no embassy charge at all.
Attestation plus embassy — the dearer file
The UAE, Qatar and Kuwait have not joined, so a degree going to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha or Kuwait City needs MEA attestation and then legalisation at that country's embassy in New Delhi. Each embassy charges per document, which is why degree certificate attestation apostille work for the Gulf is quoted higher. See our notes on UAE attestation, Qatar embassy attestation and Kuwait embassy attestation.
Membership changes from time to time. Check the official HCCH status table, or ask us, before you assume which column you are in.
Why a batch lowers degree certificate apostille attestation fees
Most of what you are paying for in degree certificate apostille attestation fees is movement: between the notary, the magistrate, the Ministry and sometimes an embassy, then back again. That movement happens once whether the envelope holds one certificate or six, so a batch spreads it.
In practice it means a graduate who will eventually need the degree, the consolidated transcript and a birth certificate is better off sending all three now than paying three times for the same journey over the following year. Families relocating together usually send one envelope for everybody. If you are not sure what the destination will ask for, send us the checklist and we will say what is worth including.
It also means the reverse is true. A single certificate sent urgently, by itself, to a Gulf embassy is the least efficient way to buy this service, and the quote will show that.
What degree certificate apostille attestation fees do not include
Being clear about the edges of the job is more useful than a low headline number, so here is what degree certificate apostille attestation fees from us do not cover.
Outside our scope
- University verification. We do not apply to universities and do not charge for it. If an evaluator abroad writes to your registrar, that is between them.
- State HRD authentication. Arranged by you with the State department concerned. Anything they charge is paid to them directly.
- Translation. Where a consulate wants a sworn translation, it is quoted separately so you can see what it costs on its own.
- Visa and application fees. Nothing to do with legalisation; those are paid to the mission or portal handling your visa.
- Re-issue of a lost or damaged certificate. Only your university can do that.
INFINITYGRO is a private facilitation service, not a government authority, and no agency can shorten a statutory step or guarantee an outcome that rests with the Ministry or an embassy. Anyone promising otherwise is selling something else.
Getting a written quote for degree certificate apostille attestation fees
There is no form to fill in and no charge for asking. Four things are all we need to price degree certificate apostille attestation fees for your file.
- Send a photograph of the degree on WhatsApp. The university name on it decides a surprising amount, so a clear picture of the whole certificate helps.
- Tell us the destination country and, if you have it, the employer's or university's own written checklist. That is what settles whether an embassy stage applies.
- Say what else is travelling — transcripts, a birth or marriage certificate, documents for a spouse or child — so the batch is priced as one job.
- Give us the deadline. If it cannot be met we will say so rather than take the file and hope.
Or bring the documents to the office:
C – 5 A/2 New Ashok Nagar, Delhi – 110096, IndiaWorking hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM (Sunday closed)
What to send once the quote is agreed
Nothing here is unusual, and sending it all at once avoids a second round of courier. Degree certificate attestation and apostille work both start from the same set.
- The original degree certificate, flat and unlaminated
- The State-authenticated degree, if you took Process 1
- Consolidated marksheet or transcripts, for councils and credential evaluators
- A passport copy, photo page and address page
- The signed authorisation letter, from the template we email
- Return address and mobile number, unless you are collecting
Our note on common mistakes during degree certificate apostille is worth five minutes before you seal the envelope, and the HRD attestation guide explains the State stage if your destination wants it.
FAQs on degree certificate apostille attestation fees
The questions we are asked most often about degree certificate apostille attestation fees, answered without the sales patter.
Why is there no single price list for degree certificate apostille attestation fees?
Because no two files cost the same. One degree going to Germany is a different job from four documents going to Qatar with an embassy stamp on each. The route, the number of certificates, the destination and the courier all move the figure, so a flat price list would be wrong for almost everybody who read it. We quote once we have seen what you actually have.
Does the apostille sticker itself have a government charge?
Yes. The Ministry of External Affairs charges a fixed statutory amount for each document it apostilles, and that part is the same for everyone, anywhere in India. It is a small share of the total. What varies is everything around it: notary, SDM, embassy charges where they apply, courier and handling.
Is an embassy file more expensive than an apostille file?
Usually, yes, and often by a wide margin. An apostille file stops at the Ministry. A UAE, Qatar or Kuwait file carries on to that country's embassy in New Delhi, and each embassy sets its own charge per document. That extra stage is the single biggest reason two otherwise identical degrees are quoted differently.
Do I pay less if I send several documents together?
Normally yes. Handling, travel between counters and courier are shared across the batch, so a degree, transcript and birth certificate posted together cost less than the same three sent one at a time over three months. If you know what you will need later, send it now.
Does an apostille expire after six months?
No. An apostille has no expiry date, and you will see the opposite claimed in a lot of places online. What does happen is that some receiving bodies, certain Gulf employers and a few universities among them, ask for an attestation issued within the last three or six months. That is their internal policy, not a rule about the apostille. Ask the receiving body before you pay to have anything redone.
Is State HRD attestation included in your fee?
No, and we are clear about this. INFINITYGRO does not carry out State authentication or university verification; those are arranged by the degree holder with the State department or university concerned, and anything they charge is separate. Our quote covers the Delhi work: Notary, SDM, the MEA stage and embassy legalisation where it is needed.
Will the price change after I have sent the documents?
Not if what arrives is what you described. The quote is given against the documents and destination you tell us about, and the only thing that changes it is a change on your side, a document added, a destination switched, or a request to move faster. If anything would alter the figure, you hear about it before we act, not afterwards.
Do you charge for a quote or for advice on the route?
No. Send a photograph of the degree and the employer or university checklist on WhatsApp and you will get a straight answer on which route applies and what it involves, at no cost and with no obligation. A good part of what we are asked each week is simply whether a stamp someone has been told to get is needed at all, which is the cheapest advice in degree certificate attestation.
How do I pay, and when?
Payment terms are agreed with the quote, before any document is submitted to a counter. You get a receipt listing every original we hold, and a scan of the finished document before it is posted back, so nothing is charged for work you have not seen done.
Are degree certificate attestation and degree certificate apostille charged the same?
They are different jobs. Attestation is a stamp and signature on the back of the certificate, used for countries outside the Hague Convention and usually followed by an embassy stage. An apostille is a numbered sticker that finishes the job on its own for convention members. Because the attestation route normally has one more stage to pay for, it tends to cost more overall.
Degree certificate apostille fees by State and city
Degree certificate apostille attestation fees are quoted the same way for every State, because the Delhi stages do not change. What differs is the university that signed the certificate, the State authority behind it and the courier distance all differ. Each page below covers one place: which universities award there, which desk authenticates, and how files from that region usually travel.
Ask what your own file costs, before you pay anyone
A photograph of the degree and the name of the country are enough to price degree certificate apostille attestation fees for your file. You will get the route, the stages and the figure in writing, and an honest answer about the deadline.
+91-8595558517Disclaimer: INFINITYGRO is a private document facilitation service, not a government authority. Only the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, issues apostilles, and embassy legalisation is carried out by the respective embassies. We do not undertake State authentication or university verification. Government and embassy charges are set by those authorities and revised from time to time, so any quote reflects the rates in force on the day it is given. Procedures and destination requirements change; please confirm current rules with the receiving authority.