India notarial and documentary services guide
Documents, certificates, letters and notes available at the British High Commission and Deputy High Commissions in India.
Overview
The British High Commission/Deputy High Commission can provide a limited range of documentary services for British nationals in India.
For legal reasons, we cannot provide notarial services, administer oaths or take affidavits in Commonwealth countries. If you require these services you should contact a local notary. Although we have informed the Ministry of External Affairs that we do not provide these services, some local authority offices often insist on a letter from the High Commission/Deputy High Commission before administering a service. You may find the standard letter in the ‘Information Note’ section below is helpful in these circumstances. This will confirm that we do not offer these services in India.
If you require one of the services that we are able to provide, please note that for those which require you to attend the High Commission/Deputy High Commission in person, you must first make an appointment in advance of visiting our offices. Please use the links after each service to make an appointment.
Before booking, make sure you have selected the correct service and that the document will be accepted by the relevant authority. This could be the local town hall, registry office, tax authorities, immigration office or another authority either in India, the UK or a third country.
Services we provide in India
Consular staff in India can:
- prepare documents in English:
- Letter for access to State / National Archives
- Letter of introduction for admission to an Indian University
- No Objection Certificate for Adoption
- Letter for organ transplants
- administer British citizenship oath and ceremony
For information about documents relating to marriage, such as affirmations or affidavits of marital status, see getting married abroad and the ‘Information Note’ section below. In the vast majority of cases, the information set out below and in the attached link will be sufficient. In a few cases it has been necessary for us to contact the local Registrar involved to confirm the limitations of the service we can provide.
If you can’t find the service you are looking for on this page, see other services provided by the British High Commission in India.
What to bring to your appointment
See the individual services below for details of supporting documents to bring. Make sure you have acceptable proof of identity, and payment for any fees.
Payment
We accept payment by Visa and Mastercard credit, debit cards, cash. See the full list of consular fees in India.
Proof of identity
For all appointments for documentary services you will need to bring acceptable proof of your identity.
- we accept passports or national identity cards as proof of identity.
Preparing documents in English
Letter for Access to State/National Archives
What to bring to your appointment
- Application for the required service
- Your British Passport
- Introductory letter from the concerned College/University/Institution indicating your research work.
- Consular fees
Book an appointment
- British Deputy High Commission Chennai (For Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep Islands).
- British Deputy High Commission Mumbai (For Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh).
- British Nationals Assistance Office Goa (For Goa)
- British High Commission New Delhi (For NCT Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand).
- British Deputy High Commission Kolkata (For West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh) and Bhutan.
- British Deputy High Commission Chandigarh (For Chandigarh and Punjab).
Letter of introduction for admission to an Indian University
What to bring to your appointment
- Application for the required service
- Your British Passport
- A duly filled in application form for the concerned University which mentions to get the form attested by the concerned diplomatic mission in case of a foreign national.
- Consular fees
Book an appointment
- British Deputy High Commission Chennai (For Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep Islands).
- British Deputy High Commission Mumbai (For Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh).
- British Nationals Assistance Office Goa (For Goa)
- British High Commission New Delhi (For NCT Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand).
- British Deputy High Commission Kolkata (For West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh) and Bhutan.
- British Deputy High Commission Chandigarh (For Chandigarh and Punjab).
No Objection Certificate for Adoption
What to bring to your appointment
- Application for the required service
- We may be able to issue you a letter of no objection for the proposed domestic adoption in India subject to certain conditions. However, we cannot guarantee in the letter that a child adopted abroad will be eligible for British citizenship or be granted entry clearance to the UK. Please speak to a Consular Officer over the phone before you book an appointment for this service.
- Consular fees
Book an appointment
- British Deputy High Commission Chennai (For Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep Islands).
- British Deputy High Commission Mumbai ( For Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh).
- British Nationals Assistance Office Goa (For Goa)
- British High Commission New Delhi (For NCT Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand).
- British Deputy High Commission Kolkata (For West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh) and Bhutan.
- British Deputy High Commission Chandigarh (For Chandigarh and Punjab).
Letter for organ transplants
What to bring to your appointment
- Letter from the hospital with details about the patient and the donor
- Your British passport
- Consular fees
Book an appointment
- British Deputy High Commission Chennai (For Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep Islands).
- British Deputy High Commission Mumbai ( For Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh).
- British Nationals Assistance Office Goa (For Goa)
- British High Commission New Delhi (For NCT Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand).
- British Deputy High Commission Kolkata (For West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh) and Bhutan.
- British Deputy High Commission Chandigarh (For Chandigarh and Punjab).
Administering British citizenship oath and ceremony
What to bring to your appointment
- Any acceptable proof of identity eg. your current passport
- Consular fees, if not paid at the time of applying for the citizenship
Book an appointment
- British Deputy High Commission Chennai (For For Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep Islands).
- British Deputy High Commission Mumbai (For Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh).
- British Nationals Assistance Office Goa (This service is not available in Goa)
- British High Commission New Delhi (For NCT Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand).
- British Deputy High Commission Kolkata (For West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh) and Bhutan.
Informative notes
Data protection
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK Government departments and public authorities.
Disclaimer
This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the high commission by the relevant local authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice. Accordingly the FCDO and the British High Commission will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information. British nationals wishing to obtain any further information must contact the relevant local authority.
Last updated 12 September 2023 + show all updates
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Updated - undertaking notarial acts
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Updated No Notarial letter
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Services now provided from the British Deputy High Commission Chandigarh
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Notarial Service Information note updated
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Services updated
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Document has been updated with new information on appointments
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First published.