Document Attestation

Document Attestation is the process of getting the documents attested/validated by the issuing country; well it might be tedious because of its complications and lack of knowledge. I have gone through the herculean task of getting the documents attested from the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi, India. The process of document attestation is same for all the countries, but policies of some countries varies. The first step in this mammoth engagement is check with the embassy regarding the attestation (visit the website or call directly)…do the proper homework. I will skim through some of the general/standards steps in which a document/certificate can be attested.

What is Hague Convention?
On October 5, 1961, many nations joined to create a simplified method of “legalizing” documents for universal recognition. This group of nations is known as the Hague Convention. They adopted a document referred to as an Apostille that is internationally recognized by all member nations.

What is document attestation/embassy Legalization?
It is when you get a document attested (signed/sealed with embassy stamp) from embassy/consulate. It basically means, the documents are valid and can be produced in the non-member of the Hague Convention. But, embassy will not accept any documents submitted by an individual/agent. It needs to be validated by ministry of external affairs before proceeding to the embassy.

Why do we need to get the documents attested?
Document attestation is basically validation and scanning of the document and will be eligible to be submitted to the respective country which we are applying for. The non-English speaking countries can accept the documents only if it is attested by the country of origin. These documents are needed while applying for a job, PR (permanent residency), marriage, study and many.

Which documents needs attestation?
 Birth/Death Certificate
 Degree certificates
 Adoption Certificate
 Affidavits
 Proof of ownership/power of attorney.
 Police Clearance certificate
 Proof of single/not married
 Work permit/ agreement of work/ PR application
 ….etc
http://www.apostillepros.com/

What is Apostille?
An Apostille is the legalization of a document for international use (only in the member countries of the Hague Convention). They adopted a document referred to as an Apostille that is internationally recognized by all member nations. In order for documents to be accepted and recognized abroad in another country, they will most likely need to be legalised for authenticity. When you present a legal document in a foreign country, it is often very difficult to determine whether the document is genuine and legal. In 1961, the process for legalising documents for use abroad was abolished and replaced by a simple certificate of authenticity, called an ‘Apostille’, under the Hague Convention. An ‘Apostille’ is a certificate that is attached to an official legal document to verify that the signatory on your document is genuine and person who signed your document is a recognised and authorised person of the organisation that issued the document. Each Apostille is dated, given a unique reference number and registered.

MEA (Ministry of External Affairs).
MEA attestation is required for all the documents before being submitted at Embassy. MEA will accept the documents only if it is notarized and is approved/attested by the state government which issued the certificate/document. MEA attestation can be done either in Mumbai or Delhi.
http://attestationmea.com/

HRD Attestation
The documents/certificates need to be attested by the state/local government which issued the certificate. Each state has respective officials for the same.
http://apostille4u.com/
http://www.hrdattestation.com/

How to get the documents attested?
Attestation involves step by step process of verification and validation of the documents.
 Identify and get the all the documents (Originals) and get enough photocopies of these documents. (Document attestation is done on photocopies )
 Notarize the document from a valid attorney (notary). It won’t necessarily cost much.
 HRD
 MEA
 Embassy attestation - Visit the embassy website for detailed information.
 Copies of Passport
 The desired documents
 Fees (Fees of the documents varies with countries)
 Processing time (minimum of 2 working days….)

The process in India will be delayed due to bureaucracy, unawareness about the methodology and unavailability of right resources. Before proceeding with this process skim through the procedures, read forums, FAQs and social networking communities like Facebook, orkut, twitter…etc. It is also an expensive engagement and needs to have good patience to face the realities. But, the right directions and right actions will not lead us to the
There are agencies in India which does these activities with a limited period of time. But, if we have an advanced plan (buffer of 40 – 60 days), we can accomplish this task.

For any information regarding document attestation, kindly contact me @
Vadakkedathraju.narayan.poojari@gmail.com | +55 19.93876227

http://www.urogulf.com/attestation_certificate%20attestation.html
http://www.attestation.in/Apostille.php
http://attestationmea.com/#
http://apostille4u.com/
http://apostille.us/Documents/embassy_legalization.shtml
http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-india/how-to-legalise
http://www.attestationhelp.com/

Poços de Caldas

Poços de Caldas, a city founded in 1872 situated on the south of Minas Gerais (a state in Brazil famous for minerals), is one of the hot spot for eco tourism, entertainment, charming cottages/hotels, crystals (unearthed deep down the quarries), beautiful landscapes and climatic experience. It has a mountain climate and the climate goes down to Zero degrees during winter. It is one among the ten best cities to live in the country and also the favorite honeymoon location. The city is also famous for cheese, wine and doce de leite (sweets made of milk). It sits on top of a dead volcano, which gives the distinct features of having natural hot streams which is advised for numerous medical treatments. I went with Dani for 3 days to escape the bullet hit mind and worries, and the experience was magical, profound and exciting.

It was around 80kms drive from my city (E.S Pinhal), the drive took me through the wilderness and bucolic serenity of Minas and we had a halt on the way at Pocinhos do Rio Verde (little ponds of green river). We reached the city around noon and checked into the hotel Varandas do Sol which is right opposite to Represa Bortolan (Bortolan Dam), a hydroelectric power station with beautiful river. After experiencing the Minas food for lunch we explored the downtown which was euphorically crowded.

On the second day our first destination was Cristo Redentor (Christ Redeemer), we went on car (there is an option to climb the top on a cable car as well), the high altitude and the aerial view of the city from the top was absolutely breath taking. On the top is the Christ standing tall with a charming and emanating brilliance. Besides this tall structure is the paragliding launch, cable car launch, an aquarium, food court and faunas. On the way back down we stopped at Pedra Balão (Balloon stone), a mystifying natural art work of stones. I climbed on top of the highest rock which sits on couple of oval shaped rocks and it was unique experience though dangerous and tricky. While going down we stopped at Recanto Japonês (Japanese Garden), a beautifully engineered Japanese garden with rich varieties of Japanese plants, flowers, streams, Japanese scripts on rocks, lamps and a typical Japanese house on the centre.
After having lunch we relaxed on Praça dos Macacos (Monkeys Square), a square with bath facility, water tap (hot water with sulphur content) for drinking and a beautiful garden. A group of ardent dancers of mixed ages entertained us with different genres of Brazilian music like Samba, Axe (Ashe – Afro Brazilian), Pagode (derived from Samba).
I went for a bath in the thermal resort which was reasonably cheap for a period of 20 minutes on a bath tub with warm water which had a smell of egg (sulphur content) and the experience was phenomenal. This bath is advised for skin related diseases, kidneys, stress, circulation…etc. The bath was so relaxing that I fell asleep for few minutes.

Next location was Fonte dos Amores (Fountain of lovers), famous for the waterfall and the sculpture (a marble sculpture of two lovers) on the bottom of the stream. There was a long queue to get snapped with the sculpture, especially lovers/couples. Later that evening we went on for a shopping spree and watched a movie “Knight and day” (my first visit to cinema in Brazil). The shopping mall (MinasSul) was massive, a paradise for shopaholics and myriad of options.

On the last day we visited Véu das Novias, a beautiful waterfall and its respective streams. We returned to the shopping to accomplish the final segment of shopping and glance of the city.
The trip has given me a brand new experience of Brazil’s history, food, heritage and climate. The city is expanding every year in terms of the visitors and the consumers. The experience was refreshing, rejuvenating and relaxing. There are 40 major destinations to be visited. I would recommend people to consider my words and get an opportunity to explore in this city.

Being an Indian

Indians (origin of India) have conquered all the continents, but compared with other continents the Indian community has less occupied the Latin America (LA). LA countries, especially Brazil, Argentina, chile etc has rich natural resources and culture. Spanish is the most common medium of communication in majority of the LA except Brazil which has Portuguese as the national language. LA attracts a huge volume of tourist throughout the year because of the serenity of the nature, spectacular beaches, vibrating music and lots. Brazil is a huge LA country with waste natural resources and splendid culture.

Being the first Indian to live in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, a small hill city in the interiors of Sao Paulo state which has less than 45K population. When I say “I am an Indian”, some people think that I am from the interiors of Amazon, the Red Indians. However I have a fare complexion similar to the Brazilian from the north of the country. But, I am distinctive because of my “vibhuti” or “sandalwood” smeared on my forehead which symbolizes my roots or paths.

I am desperately searching for a job in my area of specialization and the hunt has taken mottled twists and turns, received some positive alarms from some giants. Meantime, I am busy engaged in my alternative profession; teaching English, Yoga and learning Portuguese. I have a bunch of smart students getting trained on Yoga and English. I have also exploited my photography skills to some extent. I am surrounded by people speaking an alien language, Brazilian Portuguese which is slightly different from the Portugal Portuguese. I have given speeches in some schools and in the “1^st International Alternative Therapies Seminar” held at Paranapiacaba.

I am treated like a God, a master or a genius. Indian culture, especially the Indian marriage and caste system are very popular and widespread among the Brazilians and some greets me with “Namasthe”. For about a year, Brazilians were watching a soap opera about India culture, which remarkably covered the Indian marriage, caste, colors, family tradition, food and love. They are curious to know about “Dalits” and “Brahmans”. They think that I travel on top of the elephant and in all marriages the groom comes on horse. They are ardent about the artifacts from India like kurtas, Yoga accessories, designer clothes, incenses…..an unwinding list.

Being an Indian, I have been given rare privilege by the locals. Once, I was passing through the street and a policeman waved hands and called “Pooja” (He is an old family friend of Dani). I met the priest of the city, Father Augusto, who is a great admirer of Indian culture. He skimmed through some information’s about India (He said India has more than 37million Gods) and he is a professor on anthropology. Wherever I go people recognize me, give me a smile, a wave, a handshake, a hug and I return them with a smile of love. “Friends everywhere”, it is the most simple expression!!!!!

For Brazilians, Indian culture is the most sacred, respected, admired and spiritualized rich civilization. I am on deep trance and here with a huge mission of transforming the community and myself, essentially the gravity of my presence had a colossal impact on the masses. The love, respect, attention and care I am receiving from Dani’s family and the people around me are sublime and spiritualizing. Being an INDIAN………..

To be continued…….