Notarisation, certified copies and affidavits for study abroad

Translate the request into a specific service

When a checklist says “attested,” do not immediately order a notary package. Ask whether it means a certified copy, witnessed signature, sworn affidavit, issuer verification or government authentication. Identify who must perform the act and whether the result is needed as paper or an upload. Those decisions determine the appointment, documents and cost.

The Notaries Act allows appointed notaries to perform several distinct acts, including attesting execution, administering an oath or taking an affidavit, and translating or verifying a translation. A notarial act requires the notary’s signature and official seal. These powers do not mean that every receiving institution accepts every type of notarial document.

Keep a certified copy separate from qualification verification

A certified copy records that the copy matches the original presented. It does not replace a university’s confirmation of an award. The University of Passau explains that copying an already certified photocopy does not create another certified copy. It also currently permits original-document scans for its online application/enrolment routes, illustrating why you should check before paying for paper certification.

For Italy, Bologna explicitly rejects an apostille/legalisation that authenticates only a notary’s statement that a qualification photocopy matches an original as evidence of the award’s authenticity. Its accepted signature declarations concern the award or its verification. This is a useful distinction, not a universal instruction to follow Bologna’s process at every university.

Prepare an affidavit for its stated purpose

An affidavit is your sworn statement. Obtain the receiver’s form or required wording first, whether the request concerns sponsorship, a name discrepancy or another fact. State only information you can support, identify the relevant documents and resolve errors before signing. A declaration should not be used to invent missing academic results or financial evidence.

Bring the draft, the request that explains its purpose, identity evidence and relevant originals. Ask the notary what must be signed in their presence and which supporting copies are required. Confirm any applicable stamp-paper or stamp-duty requirement for that particular instrument and state; there is no single student-affidavit denomination established by this guide.

Choose a practising notary and inspect the completed work

Check the notary’s current certificate of practice and authorised area. The Act requires a certificate in force. The central Notary Portal is mainly an interface for notaries and government services; it is not a universal online student-affidavit application form. State-appointed notaries may require checking with the state’s responsible authority.

• Take the actual originals and readable copies rather than asking for certification from a phone photograph.
• Check names, dates, the certification wording, signature and seal before leaving.
• Ask for the receipt and notarial-register reference, and keep every page of a certified set together.

Separate regulated fees from the complete bill

The published Rule 10 schedule consulted lists ceilings of ₹35 for taking an affidavit/administering an oath, and ₹10 per page with a ₹20 minimum for true-copy certification. It separately lists ₹200 for preparing, and ₹200 for attesting/authenticating, specified instruments intended to operate abroad. Ask which category applies; ₹35 is not a universal ceiling for every overseas-document service.

Ask the provider to identify the notarial act, any drafting service and any applicable stamp cost separately. A March 2026 parliamentary release called for a fee-rule amendment to be finalised. That proposal is not a new fee schedule: recheck current notifications before relying on the published amounts.

Use the destination’s accepted alternative when necessary

If German consular copy certification is requested, use the German missions’ official service instructions and linked booking route. Their July 2026 page lists €27 per document at New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, and €28 at Bengaluru and Mumbai; payment and any external-provider charges need separate checking. Bring the required originals, passport and evidence that certification is needed.

Finally, check whether translation, issuer verification, state authentication or MEA processing remains necessary. None follows automatically from obtaining a notarial stamp. Keep the recipient’s written instructions with your documents so the next office can see what is actually required.

Official sources

Check the current programme call before submitting. The links below were used to prepare this guide; a prior-cycle call does not confirm the deadline for your intended intake.

1. Department of Legal Affairs — Notaries Act, sections 8 and 9 ↗legalaffairs.gov.in
2. India Code — Notaries Rules, including Rule 10 fees and Rule 11 register ↗upload.indiacode.nic.in
3. Government of India — Notary Portal ↗notary.gov.in
4. PIB — purpose and scope of the Notary Portal, January 2026 ↗www.pib.gov.in
5. PIB — parliamentary recommendation on notarial fees, March 2026 ↗www.pib.gov.in
6. University of Passau — certified copies and online uploads ↗www.uni-passau.de
7. University of Bologna — limits of true-copy apostille as authenticity evidence ↗www.unibo.it
8. German Missions in India — copy certification, fees and booking route, July 2026 ↗india.diplo.de

Continue your research

• MEA apostille and e-Sanad: choose the right document route
• Maharashtra HRD and Mantralaya attestation: a student document route
• Mumbai University verification and eTranscript: choose the right route