Bonafide Certificate Apostille: Proving Current Enrolment Abroad
A bonafide certificate is a short letter from a school, college or university confirming that a person is a genuine, currently enrolled student. Embassies, exchange programmes and family visa offices abroad often want it legalized, which is where a bonafide certificate apostille comes in. Because each institution writes its own, the wording and the signatory matter more than with board certificates.
By the INFINITYGRO documentation teamUpdated Facts checked against MEA and HCCH
Degree certificate apostille sample
Can any bonafide certificate be apostilled? It must be an original on the institution's letterhead, with the name and designation of the signing officer, a signature and the official seal. A bonafide certificate apostille also works best when the certificate is recent and states its purpose. Handwritten notes, unsigned printouts or letters without a seal are usually refused at the verification stage.
A letter written by the institution itself
Unlike a mark sheet or degree, a bonafide certificate has no national format. Each school, college or university drafts its own. Some use a printed form. Others type a letter for each request.
That flexibility is why the content needs checking before attestation. A good bonafide certificate states:
- The student's full name as in the passport, and the parent's name
- The course or class, the academic year and the roll or enrolment number
- That the student is currently studying there
- The purpose, for example a visa application
- Date of issue, name and designation of the signatory, signature and seal
Key facts
| What it proves | That the person is a current, genuine student of the institution |
|---|---|
| Issued by | School principal, college principal, or university registrar or dean |
| Format | Institution letterhead, signed and sealed; no fixed national form |
| Typical uses | Dependent visas, exchange programmes, scholarships, travel concessions |
| Verification | Notary and SDM (Delhi), or the state education department |
| MEA step | Apostille (Rs 50) or normal attestation (free) |
| Embassy countries | UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, China and others |
| Our Delhi route price | Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per document, all-inclusive |
School, college or university: who signs
For a school pupil, the principal signs. For a college student, the principal or an authorised officer of the college signs. For a university department, it is usually the registrar, dean or head of department.
The signatory matters because the verification step checks that a recognised official of a recognised institution issued the letter. A certificate signed by a class teacher or an office clerk may be questioned. Ask for the principal's or registrar's signature from the start.
The spelling on our page link is old. The correct spelling is bonafide, and it is the same document.
Why a bonafide certificate apostille is requested
The certificate is usually asked for in situations where someone abroad wants proof that a student is enrolled right now:
- Dependent visas. A parent working abroad sponsors a child who is still studying in India, or a student travels to join family.
- Exchange and summer programmes. The host university wants to confirm the student is on the rolls of the home institution.
- Scholarships and fee concessions offered by foreign bodies.
- Residence permits for children of expatriates in some Gulf countries.
Bonafide Certificate route by destination country
Each card shows whether the country takes an MEA Apostille or embassy legalization. Click a flag for that country.
UAEEmbassy legalization
QatarEmbassy legalization
KuwaitEmbassy legalization
Saudi ArabiaApostille
OmanApostille
BahrainApostille
United KingdomApostille
United StatesApostille
ItalyApostille
FranceApostille
ChinaEmbassy legalization
MalaysiaEmbassy legalization
No country matches. Call us: we handle most embassies in New Delhi.
Apostille MEA Apostille is the final stepEmbassy legalization MEA attestation, then the embassy in New DelhiGerman verification verified through the German Embassy
What to ask the office for when you request it
Most institutions issue a bonafide certificate within a few days, often through the admin office or an online student portal. When you apply, tell them it is for use abroad. That one sentence usually gets you a better document.
- Ask for the name exactly as in the passport, including any middle name.
- Ask them to mention the passport number if their format allows it. Some visa offices find this helpful.
- Ask for the purpose to be written, such as "for visa purposes" or "for the student exchange programme at a named university".
- Ask for the signatory's name and designation to be printed below the signature.
- Ask for a clear seal that does not cover the signature.
If the institution issues a digitally signed certificate through a portal, ask whether it can also give a signed paper copy. A paper original is easier to notarise and verify.
How a bonafide certificate apostille is done
Delhi route. A notary in Delhi certifies the document, the SDM (Delhi) verifies the notary, and the MEA adds the apostille. It works for certificates from institutions in any state and usually takes 2 to 3 working days with us.
State route. The education or HRD department of the institution's state verifies it before the MEA. Choose it only when the authority abroad specifically asks for state verification.
Bonafide certificates are generally not in a digital repository, so e-Sanad rarely applies. Each certificate is a separate apostille.
Apostille countries and embassy countries
The UK, USA, Canada, Australia, most of Europe, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Turkey accept the MEA apostille. Vietnam is expected to accept it from 11 September 2026.
For the UAE, the MEA does a normal attestation, followed by the UAE Embassy and then MOFA online in the UAE. Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and others need embassy legalization after the MEA. China needs embassy legalization too. Germany does not legalize Indian documents and may verify them through its embassy. Our embassy service handles the extra steps.
How old can it be?
A bonafide certificate describes the present. A letter from last year says nothing about whether the student is enrolled now. Many offices abroad therefore expect a recently issued one, and some state a limit on their checklist. We cannot tell you a fixed rule, because it varies by country and office.
The safe approach is to get a fresh certificate just before you start attestation, and to make sure it mentions the current academic year.
Why some bonafide certificates get stuck
Most refusals we see trace back to the letter itself, not the attestation chain.
- The certificate is on plain paper without the institution's letterhead.
- There is a signature but no name or designation, so the signatory cannot be identified.
- The seal is missing or smudged.
- The name differs from the passport, for example initials in place of a full surname.
- The certificate says the student "was" enrolled, which reads as a leaving document.
- It has been laminated.
Fixing these at the institution before you send the document is far quicker than redoing an apostille.
Sending it to INFINITYGRO
- The original bonafide certificate, signed and sealed
- Passport copy of the student
- Destination country and purpose
- Any related documents, such as a transfer certificate or birth certificate
Delhi NCR clients can visit our New Ashok Nagar office. Others courier the original, and we return it by Blue Dart or a similar tracked courier. We do not collect from homes. The Delhi route is Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per document, including notary, SDM, the Rs 50 MEA fee and our service. Embassy fees and courier are extra. Contact us for a quote.
What the MEA stamps look like
Click any sample to enlarge. Personal details are masked.
Bonafide Certificate apostille FAQs
Is a bonafide certificate the same as a course and conduct certificate?
No. A bonafide certificate confirms current enrolment. A course and conduct certificate usually confirms a completed course and the student's conduct.
Can a college bonafide certificate be apostilled in Delhi if the college is in another state?
Yes. The Delhi route works for institutions anywhere in India.
My bonafide certificate is in Hindi. Is that a problem?
The apostille can be added, but the receiving office may want a certified translation.
Does a bonafide certificate apostille need the university's seal?
Yes. An official seal and a named signatory help it pass verification.
Can I use a scanned or emailed copy?
We need the signed original. A scan or printout of an email cannot be notarised and verified in the usual way.
Will the UAE accept an apostilled bonafide certificate?
No. The UAE needs MEA attestation, UAE Embassy attestation and MOFA. See our UAE page.
Do I need a new bonafide certificate for each country?
Not always. One certificate can be used for one purpose. If two countries need it, or one needs an apostille and another an embassy stamp, ask the institution for two originals and we will process each separately.
Need your Bonafide Certificate legalized?
WhatsApp a photo of the document and the destination country. We reply with the route and a written quote.