Indian Documents for an Australian Visa: Apostille, Not Attestation (2026)
How to get Indian documents ready for an Australian visa — why the correct Ministry of External Affairs service is an apostille, not attestation, what it costs, and the current skills assessment fees for Engineers Australia, ACS, VETASSESS and ANMAC. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 Indian documents for Australia:
- 0:15 Same Convention
- 0:39 State authentication comes first
- 0:51 MEA apostille costs
- 1:03 4 agencies, 16 offices
- 1:13 Certified copies are enough
- 1:24 Home Affairs character check
- 1:35 Skills assessment: subclass 189, 190, 491, 482
- 1:48 Nurses: register with Ahpra first,
- 2:01 Ask for an apostille,
- 2:13 Where to read more
Transcript
Getting your Indian documents ready for an Australian visa? The document is usually apostilled, not just attested — because both countries are members of the same international convention.
India joined the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961 in 2005. Australia joined in 1995. Two members of the same convention.
The Ministry of External Affairs runs two different services. Apostille is for documents going to Convention countries, like Australia. Plain attestation is for everywhere else.
Before the MEA, most documents need authentication first — personal documents through the state's Home Department or an SDM, educational documents through the state's HRD department.
The MEA's own apostille fee is 50 rupees per sticker. On top of that, the outsourced agency charges 84 rupees per document, plus 3 rupees per page for scanning.
4 outsourced agencies handle the paperwork, at 16 decentralised offices across India — the MEA doesn't accept documents directly from individuals.
Home Affairs accepts certified copies for most visa applications. Only some skills assessment bodies ask for an apostilled document — check before you pay for one.
You'll also need a police certificate for every country you've lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years — for India, that's the PCC from your Passport Seva Kendra.
If you're applying under subclass 189, 190, 491, or 482, your occupation decides which body assesses you — and each one charges differently.
Nursing is different again. India isn't on ANMAC's list for its Full assessment, so an Indian-qualified nurse has to register with Ahpra first, then apply to ANMAC for the Modified assessment.
The most common mistake: asking the MEA for the wrong service. Since Australia is in the Convention, ask specifically for an apostille, not plain attestation.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.
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