Agency Agreement Attestation and Apostille in India
Agency agreement attestation and apostille for Indian companies appointing agents, distributors or sole representatives abroad. Every agreement starts with a notary and a Chamber of Commerce. After that it gets either an MEA apostille or MEA attestation plus embassy legalisation, depending on the country. This guide shows which route each country takes.
Agency agreement attestation and apostille: quick answer
Agency agreement attestation is the set of stamps that lets an agency or distribution agreement signed in India be relied on abroad. Because it is a commercial document, it is notarised and attested by a Chamber of Commerce first. For countries in the Hague Apostille Convention, the MEA then adds an apostille and nothing more is needed. For countries outside it, the MEA attests the agreement and the country’s embassy in New Delhi legalises it; for the UAE, UAE MOFA attestation follows.
INFINITYGRO handles every stage from Delhi, for any country. We quote in writing after seeing the agreement, with any embassy fee shown separately. Courier the original from any city or drop it at our New Ashok Nagar office.
Agency, distribution or sole agency: the route is the same
Indian exporters sign several kinds of agreements with overseas partners. Their legal effect differs a great deal, but for legalisation they are all commercial documents of an Indian company and follow the same Indian stages.
Agency agreement
The agent finds buyers or concludes sales in your name and usually earns a commission. Gulf countries often require such agencies to be registered.
Distribution agreement
The distributor buys from you and resells in its territory. Partners abroad may still need it legalised for imports, banks or tenders.
Sole or exclusive agency
One partner gets exclusive rights for a territory or product line. Some countries treat a registered agency as exclusive by default.
Agency agreement apostille or attestation: route by country
The route depends only on the destination’s status under the Apostille Convention and its relationship with India, as recorded in the HCCH status table. One exception matters: Oman is a party but, by a 2021 declaration, excludes commercial documents. Each country below has its own guide with its rules, language and FAQs.
| Argentina | MEA apostille; Spanish translation usually made in Argentina |
|---|---|
| Australia | MEA apostille, when the Australian side asks for one |
| Azerbaijan | MEA apostille; Azerbaijani translation on request |
| Bahrain | MEA apostille; Indian chamber stamp required by Bahrain’s own rules |
| Bangladesh | MEA apostille since 30 March 2025; no High Commission stage |
| Belgium | MEA apostille; Dutch, French or German by region |
| Bolivia | MEA apostille since 7 May 2018; Spanish translation |
| Brazil | MEA apostille; sworn Portuguese translation in Brazil |
| Oman | MEA attestation + Embassy of Oman, New Delhi: Oman excludes commercial papers from the apostille |
| Angola | MEA attestation + Embassy of Angola, New Delhi |
| Egypt | MEA attestation + Embassy of Egypt, New Delhi |
| Kuwait | MEA attestation + Embassy of Kuwait, New Delhi |
| Qatar | MEA attestation + Embassy of Qatar, New Delhi |
| UAE | MEA attestation + UAE Embassy, New Delhi + UAE MOFA online |
For any other country, WhatsApp us the destination. We check the HCCH table and the embassy’s practice and confirm the route in writing.
Agency agreement attestation: what each stamp does
- 1NotaryA notary in Delhi attests the signature of your director or authorised signatory.
- 2Chamber of CommerceA recognised chamber attests the agreement as a commercial document. The MEA relies on chamber signatures for commercial papers.
- 3MEA apostille or attestationApostille for Convention countries; attestation for the rest. Both are submitted through the MEA’s outsourced collection centres.
- 4Embassy legalisationOnly for countries outside the Convention: the embassy in New Delhi legalises the MEA stamp.
- 5UAE MOFAUAE only: attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, done online after the embassy stage.
Countries where the agency itself must be registered
In several Arab countries, a commercial agency only counts once it is entered in a government register, and the register expects a legalised agreement. These points come from official or intergovernmental sources and are explained on each country page.
UAE
The Ministry of Economy asks for a contract signed abroad to be certified in that country, by the UAE embassy and by UAE MOFA, with a legal Arabic translation.
Bahrain
MOIC’s implementing order asks for the agreement stamped by the Chamber of Commerce of the principal’s country.
Egypt
Law No. 120 of 1982 expects a contract with a foreign principal to be certified by a chamber and ratified by an Egyptian consulate.
Qatar and Kuwait also have commercial agency laws that limit agency to their own nationals or companies. Oman, although an apostille country, does not apply the apostille to commercial documents. Your agent in each country files the registration; INFINITYGRO completes the Indian side.
Documents and checks before you courier the agreement
Send us
- The signed original agreement, with company seal
- A copy of the signatory’s passport or Aadhaar
- Certificate of incorporation, partnership deed or GST certificate
- A board resolution if the signatory is not a director
- The destination country and any checklist from your partner
Check first
- Signed in ink: e-signed printouts cannot be notarised
- Every page initialled, no blank spaces
- Partner’s name exactly as registered abroad
- Annexes signed and attached
- Language settled: bilingual, or translation later
Agency agreement apostille and attestation fees
| Commercial document | Chamber of Commerce + MEA (+ embassy where needed), quoted in writing after we see the document |
|---|---|
| Embassy legalisation fee | Extra where the country needs it; confirmed in your written quote |
| Courier | Extra, both ways |
| Translation | Quoted by language and page |
Agency agreements are commercial documents, so we quote each one in writing after seeing it. Embassy fees apply only to countries outside the Apostille Convention and are shown separately in the quote.
Agency Agreement Attestation and Apostille in India: real sample
A real document from our files, with personal details hidden. Check the stamps on your own document against it.
FAQs: Agency Agreement Attestation and Apostille in India
What is the difference between apostille and attestation for an agency agreement?
An apostille is a single MEA certificate accepted by all Apostille Convention countries that have not objected to India. Attestation is the older chain for other countries: MEA attestation followed by legalisation at that country’s embassy. Both start with a notary and a Chamber of Commerce.
Why does an agency agreement need a Chamber of Commerce stamp?
It is a commercial document of a company, and the MEA legalises commercial papers on the basis of a chamber’s attestation. Some countries also ask for it directly; Bahrain, for example, asks for the agreement stamped by a chamber in the principal’s country.
Which Gulf countries accept the apostille on an agency agreement?
Bahrain does. Oman is a party to the Convention, but in 2021 it declared that the Convention does not apply to commercial documents, so agency agreements for Oman need MEA attestation and Oman Embassy legalisation. The UAE, Qatar and Kuwait are not parties; the UAE also adds UAE MOFA attestation.
Can one agreement covering several countries be legalised once?
Only if all the countries take the same route. If some are apostille countries and others need embassy legalisation, you may need separate originals. Tell us the full list at the start and we will plan the number of originals.
Do you draft or check the agreement’s legal terms?
No. INFINITYGRO handles legalisation and translation only. Ask a lawyer familiar with the destination country to review the terms before signing, because changing a signed agreement after the stamps means starting the agency agreement attestation again from the notary stage.
Is the time the same for every country?
No. Apostille countries need only the notary, chamber and MEA. Embassy countries add the embassy’s own working days, and the UAE adds the online MOFA step. We state the expected time for your country in the written quote.
Can a scanned or e-signed agreement be attested?
No. The notary, chamber and MEA work on a paper original signed in ink. If you signed electronically, sign a paper original for legalisation, or ask your partner whether the electronic version is enough for their purpose.
Do you translate agency agreements?
Yes, into any language, quoted by page. Some countries require a translation made locally, such as a sworn translation in Brazil or a legal Arabic translation for the UAE, so check with your partner before ordering one from India.
Official sources
Send your agency agreement for a written quote
WhatsApp a photo of your document and the country it is for. We confirm the route, time and total in writing before you send anything.
Office: C – 5 A/2 New Ashok Nagar, Delhi – 110096 · Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM · office drop-off or courier, no home pickup
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Disclaimer: INFINITYGRO is a private document facilitation service, not a government office or embassy. Apostilles and attestations are issued only by the Ministry of External Affairs and the embassies concerned; we do not issue, correct or verify certificates. Rules and fees can change, so check the requirements of the authority that will receive your document.
Last reviewed: October 2026