Divorce Certificate Attestation
A divorce certificate is a personal document that is issued on the dissolution of marriage. During the process of divorce certificate attestation, a competent authority will attest to the document with their official seal or signature.
Divorce Certificate
A divorce certificate refers to an official document issued by a court or a concerned authority on the termination of marriage. A divorce certificate includes information regarding the divorce such as the name of the couple getting divorced, and the date and place of divorce. A divorce certificate confirms that the couple is separated and is free without any binding. Such a certificate is mostly kept for record keeping, however, it proves the marital status and is used in several instances.
What is Divorce Certificate Attestation?
Adhering to stringent rules and following meticulous verification procedures, authorities at the regional, state and international levels confirm the authenticity of the divorce certificates. This establishes the genuineness of the document and enables it to be used abroad for official purposes. Attestation of certificates including divorce certificates is important to regulate and control document fraud which involves creating, altering, and using false documents. Countries across the globe demand attested divorce certificates to avoid complications in the future.
Purpose of Divorce Certificate Attestation
Certificates are required to undergo attestation if they want to be used in a foreign land. The divorce certificate also needs to be attested. Attested divorce certificates have multiple uses apart from affirming your marital status. The main purposes of divorce certificate attestation are:
- To get visa for your spouse
- To marry a foreign citizen
- To prove single status
- Getting a travel visa
- Applying for a marriage certificate
- Changing your name
Procedure of Divorce Certificate Attestation
To get the divorce certificate attested, the applicant must follow certain procedures prescribed by the embassy of the intended destination country. The validity of the attestation varies depending on the country, with certain countries allowing for unlimited validity. Divorce Certificate Attestation includes a series of steps. The primary level of attestation begins with notary attestation and ends with MOFA attestation.
The first step in the Divorce Certificate Attestation process is obtaining a notary attestation which is the regional level attestation. Notaries are legally authorized individuals responsible for attesting documents, while the Chamber of Commerce offers certification for commercial documents at this stage. Similarly, educational documents can be validated for their legality by the issuing university during this attestation phase.
This is the second step of attestation of divorce certificate attestation. The State Home Department performs the attestation for personal documents. Birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate, etc. comes under the category of personal document attestation. Only appointed authorities under the Home Department can carry out attestation for the personal documents.
Next to regional and state level attestation, the Ministry of External Affairs or MEA performs the attestation. MEA deals with the foreign matters of the country and its attestation is a vital step in the attestation process. This is the final level of attestation from the government of the origin country. MEA attaches a stamp after it certifies the authenticity of the documents.
The destination country’s embassy checks the authenticity of the document. It follows a thorough procedure to validate the document. This is the concluding phase of attestation for most countries
In Gulf countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or MOFA handles the foreign affairs and the attestation from the ministry is imperative for the completion of attestation of the document. MOFA attestation is a mandatory process in countries like Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
If the documents are not in the required language they may need to be translated by a professional translator.
Documents required for Divorce certificate attestation:
To apply for the divorce certificate attestation, the applicant should submit the following documents.
- Original Marriage certificate
- Copy of passport
You will be required to provide your photographs too.
Time required for Divorce Certificate attestation
The time required for the attestation process depends upon several factors including the documents you intend to attest and the country for which you attest the documents. It usually takes around a week’s time. However, with different factors influencing it, the process can take a few weeks to one month.
The cost involved in Divorce Certificate attestation
Some costs will be involved in attesting any kind of documents. The same goes for your divorce certificate attestation.However, prices vary from country to country.. The cost might also be changed by the urgency of the requirement.