When planning to get married, you need a single status certificate to prove that you are single and free to tie the knot. This is necessary to prevent cases of having more than one spouse as the case in some countries. India has various international migrants and millions of Indians settled abroad. The chances of getting married to people from other nations are high. A single status certificate is essential to prove that you are not married to someone else.

Getting a single status certificate in India

Also known as a singleness certificate to prove bachelorhood, this legal document verifies your marital status to meet the judicial laws of the country. However, the single status certificate is not an official document but a sworn statement. You swore that you are single and have no dependents after divorce from another marriage. Having this certificate gives you green light to get married in a foreign country. You can get a single status certification in two ways as you are going to discover below.

Through a professional attestation and apostille agency

To save yourself the hassle of going through a lengthy process, a professional attestation agency comes handy. This is a simple and faster way to get a single status certificate. The agency prepares a draft after submitting all appropriate documents to them. An experienced and professional document apostille agency will ensure that your single status certificate is stamped. This is before submission to the Ministry of External Affairs or the home department for authentication.

Enlisting a professional agency to get apostille documents in India saves time and effort. The MEA and embassies are in different regions of the country. Submitting your documents for authentication takes time and effort to get them to those bodies. Fortunately, a professional attestation agency will save you from all the hassle. Additionally, an apostille agency has experience and expertise to prevent mistakes throughout the process to limit delays.

Handling the process yourself

You can handle the process of getting your single status certificate by yourself or have a blood relative help you go through the required steps. However, the relative needs a power of attorney stating your approval and permission to allow the relative to perform the acquisition process of a single status certificate on your behalf. Your relative prepares an affidavit and all appropriate documents and submits them to the nearest district or sub-divisional magistrate for stamping and signing by the appropriate official.

After approval, the certificate is taken to the Ministry of External Affairs to get the necessary MEA stamp. This is the last stage for a single status to get an apostille. The ministry of external affairs is the last procedure for the legalization process. In the case of certificate attestation, the single status certificate requires authenticating by the Indian embassy or that of the country you wish to marry.

Need single status certificate apostille

You have to prove that you are single or unmarried in India .This is important before solemnizing marriage in a particular country. Proving that you are single avoids illegal marriages and polygamy. A single status certificate is necessary before getting married to someone abroad. It is not valid to give a plain statement that you are unmarried. Therefore, getting a single status certificate is necessary.

Having your documents get an apostille legalizes the certificate to make it authenticated by the Indian government. When planning to wed from a country with membership to the Hague Convention, having the single status certificate apostilled is necessary. This makes the certificate legally acceptable in all Hague Convention member countries.

The single status certificate also comes in handy for situations including

When detained

When in a foreign land, having legal proof of identity is very important. In case you are detained over wrong accusations, a legalized certificate of single status comes in handy to dispel the allegations. This certificate proves your actual bachelorhood status to save you from detention. An apostille certificate will give you the green light to go scot-free by acting as a legalized proof of identity and bachelorhood.

Applying for a passport

When palling to go abroad, a passport is necessary. However, a single status certificate is necessary to prove you are not married. It is, therefore, a good idea to have your certificate ready and with an apostille before you need it urgently. This will ensure that you have a smooth process during the passport application process.

Wrapping up

A certificate of single status is an essential document that comes in handy during various situations. The most significant benefit of this certificate is to prove that you are single and ready to get married in a foreign country. However, it is important to ensure that local and foreign authorities legalize the single status certificate. This requires having the certificate apostilled for use in Hague Convention member countries before getting married.