Salary Certificate Attestation and Apostille

When an income letter has to be attested

Salary certificates are usually asked for as proof of money, not proof of skill. We see them in files like these:

• Family and dependant visas. A parent working in India shows income to support a child studying abroad, or a spouse shows income for a joint application.
• Visitor visas for parents. Some consulates want to see that the visiting parent has a steady job to return to.
• Loans and mortgages abroad. A bank in your new country may ask for your Indian income history before it lends.
• Renting a flat. A landlord or agency abroad may want proof of past income when you have no local payslips yet.

If the office also wants proof of the job itself, an experience certificate is usually a separate letter. Each letter is priced as a separate document.

What a usable salary certificate shows

Most delays with salary certificates come from the letter itself, not the attestation. A notary or SDM office will not verify a letter that looks informal, and a foreign office may reject one that leaves out key details. Before you send it, check that it has:

• The company's printed letterhead with its full address
• Your full name exactly as in your passport, with your designation
• Date of joining and a line confirming you are still employed
• Monthly or yearly salary, with gross and net amounts if the office asks for both
• The name, designation and signature of an authorised signatory, usually HR or a director
• The company seal or stamp, and the date of issue

Keep it recent. Offices abroad often want a salary letter issued in the last few weeks or months. Ask HR for a fresh one close to when you plan to apply, and send it to us soon after.

The route to the MEA

A salary letter is about you, but it is issued by a company. In most cases it goes through Notary + SDM before the MEA, like other personal documents. Some checklists treat company-issued letters as business documents and want a Chamber of Commerce stamp instead. We read your checklist and tell you which route applies before you send the original.

For Hague Convention countries the MEA apostille is the last stamp. For the UAE, Qatar and other embassy countries, the MEA attests the letter and the embassy adds its own stamp. For Saudi Arabia you get the MEA e-apostille with a QR code.

Salary slips and bank statements

Some offices want salary slips for the last few months as well as the certificate. Each slip is a separate document for attestation, so three slips and one certificate count as four. Before you attest all of them, check whether your checklist really needs attested slips or will accept plain copies alongside one attested certificate. Many accept the second option, and it costs you less.

Slips printed from a payroll portal should carry the company seal and an authorised signature in ink. A bare printout has nothing for the notary and SDM to verify. Bank statements are issued by the bank, so ask your branch for a signed and stamped copy if your checklist wants them attested.

Tips before you send the original

1. Match every nameYour name on the letter, your passport and the visa form should be spelt the same way.
2. Ask for two originalsHR can usually sign two copies. Keep one unattested in case the office abroad wants a fresh letter later.
3. Check the languageIf the country works in another language, ask us about translation before the MEA step.
4. Send the checklistWe read it first, so the letter goes through the route that office expects.
5. Courier or drop offDelhi clients can visit our office. Others courier the original and we return it by Blue Dart.

Questions about salary certificate attestation