1. Background
The prerequisites for the legalization of public documents from India are not fulfilled until further notice. Therefore, the German missions abroad discontinued the legalization procedure in the year 2000.
However, it is possible to verify Indian public documents if the German Consulate Kolkata or another German authority requires a verification for their work. The German Consulate Kolkata verifies documents in passport and visa procedures, for example. If another German authority requires a verification, it submits a request for administrative assistance (Amtshilfeersuchen) to the Consulate General. Private individuals cannot initiate a document verification.
2. Jurisdiction
The German Consulate General Calcutta has jurisdiction over documents issued in the following states:

• Arunachal Pradesh
• Assam
• Bihar
• Jharkhand
• Meghalaya
• Manipur

• Mizoram
• Nagaland
• Odisha
• Tripura
• West Bengal

3. Documents

The Consulate requires the following documents to initiate a verification:

• originals of the documents/certificates to be verified
(if additional documents are sent, the cover letter should specify which of the documents sent are to be verified)
• two legible and complete copies of each of the documents to be verified
• two (passport) photos of the parties involved
• passport copies as well as additional proofs of identity, e.g. Voter ID, PAN Card, school certificates, school leaving certificates, ration cards
• complete Indian home addresses of all concerned individuals (e.g. for marriage certificate: addresses of both spouses, for birth certificate: addresses of child and parents) with the name of the local post office (PO) and police station (PS) as well as a contact telephone number
• for verification of birth certificates of minors: hospital discharge summary
• signed declaration on sending original certificates and documents (see below)

A supplementary authentication (“Überbeglaubigung”)/apostille or translation is not required.

4. Procedure

The Consulate General is generally unable to carry out the requested verification with its own staff, and consequently relies on the inquiries of trusted attorneys. However, the Consulate General undertakes the final evaluation and prepares the final statement.

According to previous experience, the procedure takes on average about 8 weeks from the receipt of the complete documents. The Consulate General will confirm receipt of the request for administrative assistance. It will notify the requesting authority in the event that additional time may be required due to special circumstances in an individual case.

5. Fees

During the verification, expenses of up to approx. 550 euros (depending on the exchange rate, but independent of the number of documents to be verified) are incurred. The requesting authority must to send a declaration of assumption of costs (Kostenübernahmeerklärung) signed by the applicant to the Consulate. After the verification has been completed, the Consulate will send an invoice to the requesting authority. The authority may in turn ask the applicant for reimbursement of their expenses.

After the verification is completed, the Consulate will send the document(s) directly to the requesting authority with its final evaluation and opinion. In order to facilitate the later use of the document by other authorities and to avoid another verification, a sticker is affixed to the document as proof that the verification has been carried out.

6. Sending the documents

German authorities may use the official courier service of the Federal Foreign Office to send their requests for administrative assistance to the Consulate General. This service is not available for private individuals.

The address is: Auswärtiges Amt
Für GK Kalkutta Kurstr. 36
10117 Berlin

7. Contact information

Address: Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany 1, Hastings Park Road, Alipore
Kolkata 700027 India

Tel: +91 33 2479 2150
Fax: +91 33 2479 3028
E-mail: rk-s1@kalk.diplo.de

All information in this information sheet is based on the knowledge and assessments of the Consulate General at the time of writing. No guarantee can be given for its completeness and correctness, especially with regard to changes that have occurred in the meantime.

Erklärung zur Übersendung von Originalurkunden und -unterlagen
Ich, (Name), bin damit einverstanden, dass meine Originalunterlagen, z.B. Urkunden, mit dem diplomatischen Kurier übersandt werden.
Ich verstehe, dass das Generalkonsulat der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Kalkutta keine Haftung für Unterlagen übernehmen kann, die beim Transport verloren gehen oder beschädigt werden. Bei Verlust oder Beschädigung können Kosten für den Ersatz oder die Neubeschaffung von Unterlagen nicht erstattet werden.

Datum Unterschrift

Declaration on sending original certificates and documents
I, (name), agree that my original documents, e.g. certificates, may be sent by diplomatic courier.
I understand that the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kolkata is not liable for any document that is lost or damaged during transport. The Consulate will not bear or reimburse any costs for replacing lost or damaged documents or acquiring new documents.

Date Signature

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