MBBS Certificate Apostille and Attestation for Doctors Working Abroad
An MBBS certificate apostille is usually one item in a larger bundle that a doctor sends to a health regulator abroad. The degree itself is awarded by the university your medical college is affiliated to, while your registration certificate comes from a State Medical Council working under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019. We legalize the degree, the internship completion certificate, postgraduate degrees and registration papers as separate documents.
By the INFINITYGRO documentation teamUpdated Facts checked against MEA and HCCH
Degree certificate apostille sample
Which of my medical papers need an apostille before I apply abroad? Most regulators want the MBBS degree, the internship completion certificate and the State Medical Council registration certificate. Many also ask for mark sheets and any MD, MS or BDS degree. Each paper needs its own MBBS certificate apostille or attestation, so check the employer's or regulator's checklist and send every listed document together.
A doctor's file is more than one degree
Engineers and managers usually legalize one degree. Doctors rarely do. A hospital in Riyadh, a health authority in Dubai or a registration body in Europe wants to see how you qualified and whether you are licensed to practise at home.
That means three kinds of paper. The first is the academic award: the MBBS degree and, if you studied further, the MD, MS or BDS degree. The second is proof of the compulsory internship. The third is your registration with a medical council in India. We treat each one as its own document because each one carries a different signature and stamp.
Key facts
| Degree issued by | The university your medical or dental college is affiliated to |
|---|---|
| Registration issued by | Your State Medical Council (or State Dental Council for BDS), under the NMC framework |
| Internship proof | Internship completion certificate from the college or university |
| Delhi route | Notary, then SDM (Delhi), then MEA |
| Other routes | State Education / HRD department, or e-Sanad where the university is connected |
| Apostille countries | UK, USA, Canada, Australia, most of Europe, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain |
| Embassy countries | UAE (plus MOFA), Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan |
| MEA fee | Rs 50 per document for Apostille; normal attestation free |
Who issues each medical document in India
- MBBS, MD and MS degrees: the university your college is affiliated to, or the institute itself where it awards its own degrees.
- BDS and MDS degrees: the affiliating university of the dental college. Dentists register with a State Dental Council.
- Internship completion certificate: signed by the dean or principal of the medical college, sometimes countersigned by the university. Older files call this a house surgeon or house job certificate.
- Registration certificate: the State Medical Council where you registered. The National Medical Commission Act, 2019 replaced the old Medical Council of India and provides for a National Medical Register built from state data.
The registration certificate is not a university paper, but it is legalized the same way as your other educational documents.
Why foreign regulators want these papers legalized
A licensing body abroad cannot easily judge an Indian university seal or a state council signature. An apostille or embassy attestation tells it that a recognised Indian authority has checked the signing officer. The MEA does not judge your marks or your training. It only confirms that the signature belongs to the right official.
Many health regulators also run their own primary-source verification, where an agency writes directly to your university and council. That check is separate from attestation, and one does not replace the other. Licensing exams for doctors abroad often ask for legalized copies at the registration stage, so it helps to finish your MBBS certificate apostille early.
MBBS 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
MBBS certificate apostille: three ways to reach the MEA
- Delhi route. A notary attests the document, the SDM in Delhi verifies the notary, and the MEA adds the apostille or attestation stamp. This is accepted for degrees from any state and usually takes 2 to 3 working days.
- State route. The education or HRD department of the state where the university sits verifies the degree before it goes to the MEA. Use it when a Gulf employer's checklist names state attestation.
- e-Sanad route. Where the university is connected to the MEA's e-Sanad system, verification happens online and the apostille is issued against the university's record. A passport copy is needed.
Our all-inclusive Delhi route costs Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per document, covering notary, SDM, the Rs 50 MEA fee and our service. Courier and embassy fees are extra.
Apostille or embassy: matching the destination
Doctors heading to the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia or most European countries need only an MBBS certificate apostille from the MEA. Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are also Apostille countries now, so there is no embassy stamp for those.
The UAE, Qatar and Kuwait are different. Your papers get MEA attestation, then the embassy stamp in New Delhi. For the UAE, the final step is online with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our UAE attestation fees page explains that stage. Germany does not legalize Indian documents and may verify them through its embassy instead. China is not an Apostille route for Indian papers.
MD, MS, BDS and internship certificates on one page
Older pages on this site covered MD, MS, BDS and house surgeon certificates separately. The process is the same, so they now live here. Each degree still needs its own stamp.
A specialist moving to the Gulf typically sends the MBBS degree, the MD or MS degree, the internship certificate and both registration certificates, since a postgraduate qualification is usually added to the registration record. Dentists send the BDS degree, the dental internship certificate and the State Dental Council certificate. Fellowship or diploma papers can be added if the employer asks. See our degree certificate page for general degree rules and the internship certificate page for non-medical internships.
What to courier to our Delhi office
- Original MBBS degree, plus MD, MS or BDS degree if required
- Internship completion certificate
- State Medical Council or Dental Council registration certificate
- Mark sheets or transcripts if the checklist lists them
- Clear passport copy (needed for e-Sanad and most embassies)
- The employer's or regulator's document list
Delhi NCR doctors can drop papers at New Ashok Nagar. Others courier them in, and we return them by Blue Dart or a similar tracked courier. We confirm the price per document in writing first.
Problems we see in medical files
- The name on the registration certificate differs from the degree, often after marriage. Keep a gazette notification or affidavit ready.
- A laminated degree. Most authorities will not stamp laminated paper, and an MBBS certificate apostille cannot be placed on it.
- A sealed transcript envelope sent for stamping. A sealed envelope cannot be apostilled; the transcript inside must be legalized as a loose document.
- An apostille obtained for Qatar or the UAE, which need embassy attestation.
- A Hindi or regional-language certificate with no certified translation.
What the MEA stamps look like
Click any sample to enlarge. Personal details are masked.
MBBS Certificate apostille FAQs
Does the MEA check whether my medical degree is genuine?
The MEA checks the signature of the authorising officer in the chain, not your results. Genuineness checks with the university are done by the notary and SDM process, the state department or e-Sanad, and separately by any primary-source verification your regulator orders.
Can my State Medical Council registration certificate be apostilled?
Yes. It is legalized as its own document. Send the original, and if it has been renewed or re-issued, send the latest version.
My MBBS is from Karnataka. Can I still use the Delhi route?
Yes. The Delhi notary and SDM route is accepted for degrees from any state. Use the state route only if the receiving office names it.
Do I need a separate MBBS certificate apostille for each document?
Yes. The degree, internship certificate, registration certificate and every mark sheet each receive a separate apostille or attestation, and each is charged per document.
Is a house surgeon certificate the same as an internship certificate?
Older colleges used the term house surgeon or house job for the internship year. Both are legalized the same way. Send whichever version your college issued.
How long does the process take?
The Delhi route usually takes 2 to 3 working days. Embassy attestation for Gulf countries adds the embassy's own time, and courier time is extra.
What if I studied MBBS abroad and registered in India?
The foreign degree must be legalized in the country that issued it. We can handle the Indian registration certificate and internship papers issued here.
Need your MBBS Certificate legalized?
WhatsApp a photo of the document and the destination country. We reply with the route and a written quote.