Documents, Apostille and Safety for Indian Students Abroad

• MEA charges ₹50 per apostille sticker; normal attestation is free. Outsourced collection agencies charge their own service fee. [1]
• Documents must first be authenticated by the state or university that issued them. Some states are integrated with e-Sanad for online pre-authentication. [1]
• An apostille is accepted in all member countries of the Hague Apostille Convention without further attestation by their missions. [1]

An apostille works only in countries that are members of the Convention (MEA points to the HCCH status table). For a country that is not a member, papers go through attestation instead: MEA first, then that country's own mission. Ask the university which one it wants. [1]

• The MEA advisory for Russia warns that many universities recruit through 'contractors' with sub-agents in India who earn commissions and may give false information, for example about English-medium teaching. Ask the university directly. [2]
• The same advisory tells students to pay fees directly to the university after the first semester and to insist on a proper receipt; there were complaints of contractors collecting money and not depositing it. [2]
• Do not hand your passport or original certificates to contractors or anyone else for 'safe custody'. [2]
• The Embassy of Japan says it will never ask for payment by phone or e-mail to verify documents or speed up a visa; you pay only the visa fee and the listed service charge. [3]
• Japan's MEXT scholarship has no application fee; anyone charging a fee or deposit for it has no link with the Japanese government. [4]
• In July 2026 the French Embassy in India reported that a private school, Collège de Paris International, was put into liquidation by a court order of 2 June 2026, and opened a form for affected students. Check a private institution's standing before paying. [5]

• The Embassy of India in Kyiv runs a student registration module and an online registration for Indian nationals; most missions offer the same. [6]
• The India Centre for Migration's Student Handbook for Studying Abroad (MEA) covers choosing an institution, paperwork, housing, travel and safety. [7]

1. MEA — Attestation / Apostille (opens in a new tab) ₹50 sticker, process, e-Sanad · Last checked 29 Oct 2026
2. MEA — Advisory for Indian students going abroad: Russian Federation (opens in a new tab) Contractors, fees, passports
3. Embassy of Japan in India — Visa (opens in a new tab) No payments by phone or e-mail · Last checked 29 Oct 2026
4. Embassy of Japan in India — MEXT scholarships (opens in a new tab) No application fee · Last checked 29 Oct 2026
5. Campus France India — Important notice: Collège de Paris (opens in a new tab) Liquidation 2 June 2026 · Last checked 29 Oct 2026
6. Embassy of India, Kyiv (opens in a new tab) Student registration module · Last checked 29 Oct 2026
7. India Centre for Migration (MEA) — Student Handbook for Studying Abroad (opens in a new tab) Planning, paperwork, safety
8. APS India (opens in a new tab) Document verification for Germany · Last checked 29 Oct 2026

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and we will update it.