Degree Certificate Apostille Services Chennai: MEA Apostille and Embassy Legalisation for Tamil Nadu Graduates
Degree certificate apostille services Chennai graduates need are what make an Anna University, University of Madras or Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University degree acceptable to a foreign employer, university or licensing council, and INFINITYGRO completes the Notary, SDM, Ministry of External Affairs and embassy stages for you.
Chennai sends more nurses abroad than any other Indian city, and nursing files are the strictest of all: regulators in the Gulf, Ireland and the United Kingdom each set their own document list, and getting it wrong costs an entire recruitment cycle.
- Built around nursing and healthcare licensing requirements
- Courier from any part of Chennai, or drop off in Delhi
- Clear advice on Anna University and MGR Medical degrees
- Every stage of Degree Certificate Apostille Services Chennai tracked and confirmed on WhatsApp
What do degree certificate apostille services Chennai involve?
Degree certificate apostille services Chennai applicants use end with the Ministry of External Affairs applying a numbered sticker to the reverse of the original degree, which makes it valid in every country that has joined the Hague Apostille Convention with no further embassy stamp.
The Ministry certifies only what has already been vouched for. That prior step is either authentication by the Tamil Nadu authorities, or a Notary Public followed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Delhi. Countries outside the convention, such as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, require MEA attestation followed by embassy legalisation instead.
In short, degree certificate apostille services chennai is completed entirely in Delhi, whichever of the two routes your file takes.
Which university issued your Chennai degree
Tamil Nadu divides higher education between an affiliating university for general degrees, a single technical university and a single health sciences university. Your college may be in Chennai while the awarding university is elsewhere in the State.
University of Madras
Loyola, Presidency, Stella Maris, Madras Christian College and the rest of the city's historic colleges are affiliated to the University of Madras, so their arts, science and commerce degrees carry its seal.
These make up the largest share of the non-technical files we handle from the city, mostly for study abroad and dependant visas.
Anna University
Unlike the technical universities of most States, Anna University is headquartered in Chennai itself, at Guindy. Engineering graduates from colleges across Tamil Nadu hold Anna University degrees.
That makes verification simpler for Chennai applicants than for their counterparts in other States. See our page on B.Tech degree apostille.
Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University
The health sciences university at Guindy awards the MBBS, BDS, nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy degrees held by graduates of medical and nursing colleges throughout Tamil Nadu.
Nursing files are the single largest category we handle from Chennai. See B.Sc Nursing apostille and MBBS apostille.
Deemed and private universities
SRM at Kattankulathur, VIT Chennai, Sathyabama, Hindustan, Vels and Saveetha award degrees in their own name, as do IIT Madras and the Indian Maritime University.
Keep your registrar's contact with the file, since foreign employers and credential evaluators write directly to deemed universities more often than to State ones.
Seafarers and maritime qualifications
The Indian Maritime University and the private maritime academies around Chennai train a large share of the country's merchant navy officers.
Certificates of competency, watchkeeping certificates and pre-sea diplomas travel abroad through the same chain as a degree, but flag states and shipping companies set their own rules, so send us the company's list first.
What we handle and what stays with you
Nursing and medical files come with long document lists, so it saves time to fix the boundaries before anything is posted.
INFINITYGRO carries out every Delhi stage. We do not apply for university verification and we do not lodge files with the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Collegiate Education.
The two columns below divide degree certificate apostille services chennai between our desk and yours, so nothing is assumed.
Handled by INFINITYGRO
- Notary Public seal on your degree
- SDM attestation in Delhi
- MEA apostille for Hague Convention countries
- MEA attestation plus embassy legalisation for the Gulf and other non-members
- Taking over from the MEA stage if your degree is already State-authenticated
Arranged by you, if asked for
- Verification of the degree by the awarding university
- State authentication from the Tamil Nadu authorities, where the regulator or employer demands it
Once that stamp is on the degree, courier it to us and we resume from the MEA stage.
Two routes for degree certificate apostille services chennai
Both routes finish at an MEA apostille or an MEA attestation. The difference is who vouches for the degree before the Ministry sees it.
For Chennai files the answer usually comes from the overseas nursing or medical council rather than from the employer.
State authentication route for Degree Certificate Apostille Services Chennai
For councils and sponsors that require Tamil Nadu's authentication first.
- Arranged by you
Authentication by the Directorate of Collegiate Education
Tamil Nadu administers higher education through the Directorate of Collegiate Education, which operates from Chennai and runs regional offices across the State, including one in the city itself.
Open the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Collegiate Education portal - Handled by INFINITYGRO
MEA apostille for Hague Convention countries
Courier the authenticated degree to our Delhi office. We submit it to the Ministry of External Affairs through the authorised channel and collect the apostilled original.
- Handled by INFINITYGRO
Embassy legalisation for non-member countries
For the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and others outside the convention, we complete MEA attestation and then legalisation at the relevant embassy in New Delhi. Read our guide to degree certificate attestation for the UAE before you start.
Choose this for: Nursing and medical registration abroad, Gulf employment, and councils naming State authentication.
SDM route for Degree Certificate Apostille Services Chennai, handled end to end by us
No trip to the Directorate, and one accountable team from start to finish.
- Handled by INFINITYGRO
Notary Public authorisation
We present your degree to a registered Notary Public in Delhi, who records the entry and applies seal and signature.
- Handled by INFINITYGRO
SDM attestation in Delhi
The notarised degree goes to a Sub-Divisional Magistrate's office in Delhi, which confirms the notary's signature and adds the attestation the MEA looks for. Our step-by-step guide to attestation in Delhi NCR explains this stage in detail.
- Handled by INFINITYGRO
MEA apostille or embassy legalisation
Degrees for Hague member states receive the MEA apostille sticker. Degrees for the Gulf and other non-member states receive MEA attestation followed by embassy legalisation.
Choose this for: Study abroad, dependant visas, permanent residence and credential evaluation files.
Tamil Nadu authentication authorities and portals
Work from official sources only, and take this step solely where the council or employer has asked for it in writing.
- Get the overseas council's document list in writing before you start.
- Identify the awarding university, which for nursing is always the medical university.
- Carry the original degree, all mark sheets, a passport photocopy and the offer or registration letter.
- Send us the authenticated degree for the MEA and embassy stages.
Designations and counters change over time. Confirm the present procedure before you hand over originals. Our reference list of Department of Higher Education authentication addresses and our step-by-step HRD attestation guide are updated separately.
Courier from Chennai or drop off in Delhi
Chennai has overnight courier services to Delhi from every part of the city, and most of our files arrive that way.
Option 1: visit our Delhi office
Applicants travelling to Delhi, or with relatives here, are welcome at our New Ashok Nagar office near the Blue Line metro station. We check the file, confirm the route and issue a signed receipt while you wait.
- File check and route advice in a single visit
- Signed receipt covering every original
- Call ahead so a counsellor is free when you arrive
Office address:
C – 5 A/2 New Ashok Nagar, Delhi – 110096, IndiaWorking hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM (Sunday closed)
Option 2: courier from any part of Chennai
Speed Post and the private couriers run daily from T. Nagar, Adyar, Velachery, Ambattur, Tambaram and everywhere between.
- Ask for the checklist on WhatsApp before you seal the envelope
- Keep unlaminated originals flat in a rigid envelope
- Include a passport photocopy and a signed authorisation letter
- Nursing files: send the council's document list with the papers
- Share the tracking number once dispatched
Collect in person or receive by return courier
We WhatsApp you a scan as soon as the apostille is on, so the spelling and dates can be checked before anything moves. The originals then travel back to your Chennai address by tracked courier. Nothing in your degree certificate apostille services chennai file moves without you being told first.
Comparing the two Degree Certificate Apostille Services Chennai routes
Use this to place your own file. If the council's wording is unclear, forward it to us rather than guessing.
| Factor | Process 1: State route | Process 2: SDM route |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-authentication by | Directorate of Collegiate Education, Tamil Nadu | Notary Public and SDM, Delhi |
| Arranged by | The degree holder | INFINITYGRO |
| MEA stage | INFINITYGRO | INFINITYGRO |
| Embassy legalisation | INFINITYGRO, if needed | INFINITYGRO, if needed |
| Time taken | Longer, because of directorate and university processing | Shorter, with fewer offices involved |
| Your involvement | Applying at the Chennai directorate | Office visit or courier only |
| Best for | Overseas nursing and medical councils | Study, family and credential evaluation files |
Area-wise notes across Chennai
The process does not change across the city. What differs is the profession people are heading abroad in.
Central Chennai and the college belt
T. Nagar, Nungambakkam, Mylapore and Egmore surround the University of Madras colleges, and most of our arts and science files come from graduates living here.
Study abroad applications to the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia dominate this group.
Guindy, Adyar and Velachery
Anna University, the MGR Medical University and IIT Madras all sit in this belt, along with the technology corridor running down Old Mahabalipuram Road.
Engineering and technology transfers to the United States, Germany and Singapore are the pattern here.
Tambaram, Chromepet and the southern suburbs
Nursing and paramedical colleges are concentrated in the southern suburbs, and this is where the largest share of our Gulf healthcare files originate.
Gulf files usually need MEA attestation and embassy legalisation rather than an apostille, and often State authentication before that.
Ambattur, Avadi and the northern belt
The industrial areas north and west of the city employ a large technical workforce, with Integral Coach Factory and the Ambattur estate among the biggest.
Technician and diploma holders from here move mainly to the Gulf on plant and maintenance contracts.
Everywhere in Chennai and Tamil Nadu
We accept documents by courier from every part of the city and return them the same way. Other documents follow the same path: PCC apostille in Chennai, birth certificate apostille and marriage certificate apostille.
For the wider State picture see our Tamil Nadu page, and for the western districts Coimbatore and Madurai.
Countries that accept Degree Certificate Apostille Services Chennai
Chennai's outflow splits between healthcare to the Gulf, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and technology to North America, Germany and Singapore.
Apostille is enough
Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand accept the MEA apostille on its own, as do Saudi Arabia since December 2022, Oman and Bahrain.
Embassy legalisation is also needed
The UAE, Qatar and Kuwait are outside the convention. Degrees for jobs there are attested by the MEA and then legalised by that country's embassy in New Delhi. See our notes on Qatar embassy attestation and Kuwait embassy attestation.
Membership of the convention changes from time to time. Check the official HCCH status table or ask us before you commit to a route.
Documents needed for Degree Certificate Apostille Services Chennai
Courier or bring these to start. Nursing and medical files usually need more than the degree alone.
- Original degree certificate from Anna University, Madras University, MGR Medical or your university
- State-authenticated degree, only for Process 1
- Transcripts and consolidated mark sheets, almost always for healthcare files
- Photocopy of your passport, photo and address pages
- Signed authorisation letter (we email a template)
- Council or employer document list, where embassy legalisation applies
- Return address and mobile number, if you are not collecting
Before you post anything, it is worth reading the common mistakes people make during degree certificate apostille.
What degree certificate apostille services chennai costs
Every file is quoted after we see it. The figure depends on:
- Whether we run the SDM route or start from an already authenticated degree
- An apostille, or attestation followed by embassy legalisation
- The destination country and that embassy's own charges
- How many documents you send: degree, mark sheets, transcripts
- Office collection, or tracked courier both ways
See the detailed fee structure
Our fees page sets out apostille, attestation and embassy charges document by document. Ask for a written quote for degree certificate apostille services chennai before you commit to anything.
Nursing council file? Send us their document list first
Send us the details and we will place your degree certificate apostille services chennai file on the right route. WhatsApp a photo of the degree and your employer or university checklist to +91-8595558517. We will tell you which route fits before you part with any original.
FAQs on degree certificate apostille services chennai
Short answers to the questions we are asked most often about degree certificate apostille services chennai.
Chennai is an MEA apostille centre. Can I submit my degree there?
No. Chennai is one of the sixteen cities where the Ministry decentralised apostille work from January 2019, but the Ministry has not accepted documents over the counter from members of the public anywhere in India since 2012. Files are lodged through authorised agencies. The decentralisation changed where processing happens, not who may submit.
I am a nurse registering with an overseas council. What do I actually need?
Start with the council's own written list rather than with the apostille. Most want the degree and transcripts legalised, many want a good standing certificate from the Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council, and several specify State authentication before MEA attestation. Send us that list and we will tell you exactly which route your file belongs in.
My engineering degree is from Anna University but my college is in Salem. Which State?
Tamil Nadu, and the university is in Chennai. Anna University is the State technical university and is headquartered at Guindy, so engineering graduates from colleges anywhere in Tamil Nadu hold Anna University degrees. That makes verification simpler here than in States where the technical university sits in a smaller city.
Is an apostille accepted in the UAE for a nursing job?
No. The UAE is outside the Hague Convention, so the degree needs MEA attestation followed by legalisation at the UAE embassy in New Delhi, and health authorities there usually require State authentication first as well. Saudi Arabia is the opposite case, having joined the convention in December 2022.
What is the official Tamil Nadu higher education portal?
The Directorate of Collegiate Education publishes at tndce.tn.gov.in and operates from Chennai with regional offices across the State. Offices and designations change over time, so confirm the current procedure before handing over originals.
I am a marine engineer joining a foreign-flag ship. Same process?
Broadly yes. Competency certificates, watchkeeping certificates and pre-sea diplomas move through the same Notary, SDM and MEA chain as a degree. The difference is that the flag state and the shipping company set their own requirements, so we need the company's written list before starting rather than after.
Does INFINITYGRO do HRD attestation or university verification?
No. We provide Notary and SDM attestation, MEA apostille, MEA attestation and embassy legalisation. Where a council requires State authentication or verification by Anna University or the MGR Medical University, you arrange that directly, and we handle the MEA and embassy stages afterwards.
What do degree certificate apostille services Chennai cost?
A software engineer sending one degree to Germany pays differently from a nurse sending a degree, transcripts and a good standing certificate for a Gulf registration. The figure depends on the route, the number of documents, the destination embassy and the courier. Our fees page sets out the structure, and a WhatsApp message brings a quote for your own file.
Start your Chennai file this week
T. Nagar, Adyar, Tambaram, Ambattur or anywhere else in the city: tell us the university, the destination and the council involved, then courier your documents.
+91-8595558517Disclaimer: INFINITYGRO is a private document facilitation service, not a government authority. Only the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, issues apostilles, and embassy legalisation is carried out by the respective embassies. We do not undertake State authentication or university verification. Official procedures and destination requirements change, so please confirm current rules with the receiving authority.