Country guide
Apostille for Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Convention in December 2022. An apostille is now sufficient.
Hague Convention — apostille only
This is the destination where the rules changed most recently, and where out-of-date advice costs people the most money. Saudi Arabia acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention with effect from 7 December 2022. Since then, an apostille issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs is accepted directly.
That means no attestation by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in New Delhi, and no MOFA attestation in Riyadh. What used to be a four-stage chain taking three to five weeks is now a two-stage process, usually finished inside a fortnight.
A great deal of published guidance — including pages still ranking today, and some agencies still quoting for it — describes the old chain. If someone quotes you for embassy and MOFA attestation for Saudi Arabia, ask them why. You would be paying for stamps the Saudi authorities no longer require.
Typical timeline
3–15 working days depending on document type. We confirm an exact estimate for your specific document and issuing state before you commit.
What changed in December 2022
Before accession, a document for Saudi Arabia needed state verification, MEA attestation, attestation by the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi, and finally MOFA attestation in Riyadh. Twenty to twenty-five working days was normal, and the embassy stage alone could take two weeks.
Since 7 December 2022 the apostille replaces both the embassy stage and MOFA. That saves roughly two to three weeks, and the whole of the embassy and MOFA stages along with them.
If you were quoted for the old process, or you started it before the change, talk to us before paying for anything further.
What attestation still does not cover
An apostille proves your document is genuine. It does not, on its own, get a qualification recognised. Healthcare professionals still need verification through the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, and engineers through the Saudi Council of Engineers.
Those are separate processes run by Saudi authorities, and no consultant in India can complete them for you. We will tell you plainly where our work ends and theirs begins.
What affects the cost for Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s accession to the Hague Convention changed this considerably. Documents that once needed embassy attestation now take a single MEA apostille, which removed a whole stage and its charge.
What remains is the state stage and the MEA. For degrees that means HRD verification, which is where both the time and most of the variation sit — some universities confirm within a week, some take a month, and a few charge for doing it. Personal documents go through SDM or the Home Department and cost less.
Be careful with quotes that still include an embassy fee for Saudi Arabia. Some agents have not updated their process, and you should not be paying for a stage your document no longer needs.
Tell us what you have and we will confirm the current route and set out the charges in full.
Process
The Saudi Arabia attestation process, step by step
Documents
Documents commonly attested for Saudi Arabia
| Document | Usually needed for |
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Clients outside India
Apostille & Attestation from Abroad, Simply Send by Courier or Scanned Copies
Most of our clients live outside India. There is no need to travel: send your Indian documents to our New Delhi office and we handle every stamp.
Message us first
Tell us the document and destination country. We confirm exactly what to send before you courier anything.
Courier your originals
Send them to our New Delhi office by DHL, FedEx or any courier you prefer.
We handle every stamp
State verification, MEA apostille or attestation, and embassy legalisation, with an update at each stage.
Returned to you
Your completed documents are couriered back to your address anywhere in the world.
Courier charges for sending documents to us and for returning them are paid by the client.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
No. Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention with effect from 7 December 2022. An MEA apostille is accepted directly, with no attestation by the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi and no MOFA attestation in Riyadh.
That was correct before December 2022 and a lot of published guidance has not been updated. Check the date on whatever you were reading. If an agency is quoting you today for embassy and MOFA attestation for Saudi Arabia, they are quoting for work that is no longer required.
Three to seven working days for a personal document and seven to fifteen for an educational one, the difference being HRD verification with your university.
Often, yes. The apostille satisfies the legalisation requirement, but many Saudi employers and authorities want the document in Arabic. We arrange certified translation and legalise it alongside the original.
No. Attestation is necessary but not sufficient. Healthcare professionals also need verification through the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, which is a separate process with its own timeline.
Not sure where to start?
Send us the document and the destination country. We will reply within one working hour with the exact process, timeline and cost.