To apostille a birth certificate issued in India, the original certificate is first authenticated by the Home or General Administration Department of the state that issued it (or the SDM, where the state allows). The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) then affixes the apostille stamp. The certificate must be an original and must not be laminated. Germany does not accept apostille from India, and non-Hague countries such as the UAE need MEA attestation and embassy attestation instead.