6. Police Clearance Certificate

A Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is commonly requested for immigration, residency, employment, and long-term visa applications.

Some countries may require the PCC to be authenticated or apostilled.

Applicants should check the required PCC format, issuing authority, validity requirements, and authentication procedure before processing the document.

7. Affidavits and Declarations

Certain immigration applications may require affidavits, declarations, or other legal documents.

If authentication is required, the applicable process depends on the document and destination country.

8. Power of Attorney

In some immigration-related circumstances, a power of attorney may need authentication before it can be used abroad.

The exact procedure depends on the country and the purpose of the document.

Apostille vs Attestation for Immigration

A common mistake is assuming that apostille and attestation are the same.

They are different authentication procedures.

Apostille

Apostille is used for eligible public documents under the Hague Apostille Convention.

Attestation/Legalization

Traditional attestation or legalization may apply when the destination country does not use the Apostille Convention or when its authorities require a different authentication route.

India's MEA states that apostille applies to member countries of the Hague Convention, while normal attestation applies to countries that are not members where apostille is not accepted.

Therefore, the first question should always be:

Does my destination country require apostille or another form of legalization?