Sunday, October 09, 2016

Power of Attorney for India from SF Consulate (Dec 2021)


Updated on December 2021

Here is the updated procedure 

Refer this page from SF consulate for the latest process. Currently in person visits are not allowed so everything is done via mail.

You will need following documents,
  • Miscellaneous Services Form with latest picture attached and signed
  • Notarized Photocopy of current Indian passport first and last pages
  • Notarized Photocopy of proof of valid visa 
    • Photocopy of the page containing visa on passport (H1B, H4 etc) and the copy of I-94
    • Clear Photocopy of Green Card
    • Employment Authorization Document (Work Permit)
    • I-797, I-140 or I-20 (If approval copy of these notices are pending, also attach a handwritten note detailing the efforts being taken to regularize status)
  • Notarized Photocopy proof of current US residence address (copy of any one of the following)
    • U.S Driving license.
    • PG&E, Water or landline telephone bill displaying applicant’s address
    • House Lease Agreement
    • State Identification Card
    • Note: Bank/credit card/mobile phone statements are not accepted as residence proof
  • Fee Cashier's check or money order for amount $22 ( $20 for Attestation fees + $2 Indian Community Welfare Fee ) drawn in favor of the ‘Consulate General of India, San Francisco’.
  • Prepaid envelope with prepaid postage and tracking (USPS and UPS, no FEDEX)
  • Power of Attorney (Original and one Copy)
    • Write Power of Attorney(PoA) on plain paper (no stamp paper required), see below for sample. 
    • Get PoA signed from 2 witnesses (no need to be notarized) along with their name and addresses. General idea is witness should not benefit from PoA (no spouse, child, PoA receiver etc.) 
    • [Optional] Make sure you attach your photo to the document. 
    • Get power of attorney notarized (you sign in front of notary). I did the $5 notary from here and here.
    • Only if you do not have indian passport or OCI/PIO, Power of Attorney with Apostille from California state original and photocopy (refer). For Apostillation process refer
    • Make a copy of the PoA
    Send all the above to following address with tracking
    Miscellaneous Cell
    Consulate General of India,
    540 Arguello Boulevard;
    San Francisco CA 94118

    Current processing time is 28 business days. I got it in 3 weeks  

    Sample Power of Attorney ( without photo )

    [Optional for Indian passport holders or PIO/OCI] Apostille Document
    Power of Attorney

    113 comments:

    nikhil said...

    Hello Gaurav,

    You and witness needs to sign the power of attorney before Apostilling it. Consulate site says you need to sign it in consulate only.
    Do you and witness needs to sign it in front of notary officer?
    Were your witness present with you during the whole process in person or their presence is not mandatory?
    Any specific form to be filled for Apostilling if going their in person.

    Thanks
    Nikhil

    Gaurav S said...

    Only you need to sign in front of notary. Get sign from witness before getting notary.

    Abhikalp said...

    Hello Gaurav,
    Thanks for the detailed write up. Few questions:
    1) Do we need to attach the photograph to GPA after apostilling or before?
    2) Can i use any notary public or it has to be a specific notary who can notarize the GPA?
    3) Lastly, I have two page long GPA, do i need to sign both pages and notarize both pages separately? or Just sign the last page.

    Thanks,
    A

    Gaurav S said...

    Abhikalp,

    Replies below,

    1) Do we need to attach the photograph to GPA after apostilling or before?
    You need it before the apostilling.
    2) Can i use any notary public or it has to be a specific notary who can notarize the GPA?
    Any notary will do
    3) Lastly, I have two page long GPA, do i need to sign both pages and notarize both pages separately? or Just sign the last page.
    I had same thing, sign will be on second page only

    am said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    am said...

    Hi Gaurav,

    Thank you very much for the detailed information about the logistics of doing this in a day from south bay area.

    I did this today (7/5/17) and was successful.
    Few things to note: Some notaries will not sign on the POA itself but attach an additional page. Some sign and stamp on the POA sign page itself. The Sacramento office person said they have seen both ways.
    UPDATE: Fees for apotille has gone up to $26.

    For consulate general of India in SFO - cashiers check of $33 required. Do not need to have Indian passport, US passport is ok. Another thing I learned - Indian consulate will stamp across the pages to ensure that the pages cannot be unstapled and changed. As per US guys it is not required but you might get a stickler official in India so it might be better.
    They returned the passport and attested POA at 12:45pm itself which was a nice surprise. It was done by the time I had lunch.

    I have sent it for the next step to register in India is still remaining... fingers crossed.

    Unknown said...

    Should I be sticking the pic of my mom (to whom I give power of attorney) on the POA. Bassi notary said no. So I didn't stick. They got it apostilled (the pg where my pic & thumb print is got Sacramento stamp) Now I am on my way to embassy & wondering if I should stick my mom pic on the 2nd page (before embassy stamping happens)

    Gaurav S said...

    @Jayshree I don't think so.

    Unknown said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Unknown said...

    1. I have three page POA. I signed on all three pages and notarized last page. Does the consulate attest all three pages?

    2. I want to mail the document to consulate. Do you have any idea how long it gonna take to get back the attested POA, if i include return envelope.

    Thank you,
    Mourya

    Unknown said...

    Should the GPA be on stamp paper or plain paper is enough ?

    Gaurav S said...

    @saumil, it is on plain paper.

    Talented Talker said...

    Can i get Special POA on stamp paper from india and get it notarized/apostilled and attested by indian consulate.
    Because I am not sure if I write it on plain paper , it will be accepted in india?

    Unknown said...

    Mr. Gaurav can u plz give me your phone number? i want to talk to u about power of attorney.

    Gaurav S said...

    @ Vishal Jain

    It should be on plain paper. Mine was accepted in India.

    Gaurav S said...

    @mourya ch

    1. Yes.

    2. No idea ETA for mailing the document

    Unknown said...

    Hi Gaurav, Doesn't apostille verify the signature? If yes, why do we need notary?

    Gaurav S said...

    In order to get Apostilled, you will need the document to be notarized.

    Unknown said...

    Hi!
    I have a few qtns.
    Will Secretary of State office also notarize the POA when send in mail? If not how to get it notarized?
    Is a photograph mandatory on the POA?
    The witness signatures mandatory or just name and address will do?

    Gaurav S said...

    @Maragatham Natarajan,

    >Will Secretary of State office also notarize the POA when send in mail? If not how to get it notarized?
    No idea if you can do it over mail. But I think there are few notary services will do it for you.

    >Is a photograph mandatory on the POA?
    Not mandatory but highly recommended. My PoA did not have picture but in India they were somewhat hesitant to accept PoA at first.

    >The witness signatures mandatory or just name and address will do?
    It is Mandatory

    Unknown said...

    Thanks for your detailed Blog!! Today I was sucessfully able to complete POA document by following your blog!!

    Thanks
    Ravi

    Tyro said...

    Thanks for the detailed explanation. My bank says they the payee name "CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA, SAN FRANCISCO" is too long and needs truncation. I was wondering if you also ran into this problem?

    Gaurav S said...

    @Tyro
    I did not have that problem. Try other bank OR money order.

    Unknown said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Unknown said...

    Hi Mr. Gaurav, Thank you so much for this blog helped a lot of people who struggling to get the information how to get the work done. and it help us also give us chance to help more people.
    Thank you so much for mentioning our services in your blog.

    Need Help with apostille and notary and have question about how to get power of attorney attested by Indian Consulate in San Francisco. we can help answer more questions. contact us at Bassi Notary or at our phone # 408-819-8600

    Unknown said...

    Hi Gaurav,

    At the Indian Consulate, SF the photocopies of the documents need to be submitted. They should also be notarized?

    Gaurav S said...

    @Maragatham,

    No need to notarize photocopies.

    Unknown said...

    if sending by mail then yes need to be notarized all supporting documents.
    thanks.

    Unknown said...

    Hi, I am about to get this process done. I have a 4 page PoA that my Dad got made from some attorney in India and sent to me. I am to sign on each page. Have following questions:
    1. Do I have to get my signatures on all pages notarized and apostiled before going to consulate? Or notarize only the last page where my photo, sign and thumb impression will be?
    2. Will 4 pages create any issue, if any of you know?

    Gaurav S said...

    @Moin,

    AFAIK, you need to sign on last page only. I had 2 pages, but signed only last.
    Note that, embassy will stamp all the pages partially (refer my pics), do not remove staple after you get the doc.

    Unknown said...

    Thanks for your quick reply, Gaurav. In your case, the PoA itself seems only of 1 page, and it looks like the embassy stamped across the PoA and Apostille document.
    In my case, however, the PoA itself is 4 pages; adding the apostille doc to that makes it 5 pages, so I was wondering if that could be an issue. I guess there's no way for you to know though. Thanks again.

    Unknown said...

    Got the PoA done today using this guide. Thanks a bunch for putting this together; was super helpful! :)

    Unknown said...

    This is really a great post.. it really helped me a lot.. thanks a lot Gaurav, i did exactly what you have mentioned in the steps..

    z560classic said...

    This blog is very helpful. I got my poa done today in one day. Only issue i had was, i needed 10 dollar more for poa as mine was joint poa to individual. Indian embassy ppl told its 10 dollar per stamp :) thanks for this beautiful post

    Unknown said...

    thanks alot , few points to notice

    1) They need a copy of power of attorney with Apostle attached to it.
    2) They keep the passport along with them
    3) They open around 9.10 or 9.15
    4) Take the queue number as soon as you enter.
    5) Document submission is only between 9.15 to 12.
    5) Return envelope should have your name along with return address.
    6) If you have any queries call between 2 to 4 only.

    Anonymous said...

    Thanks, this post was very helpful!
    Few things I changed recently -
    1. They need a copy of power of attorney
    2. They only take a return envelop with your name and address now and don't accept cashier's check for it
    3. You need to pay only $22 as fees for a power of attorney if you don't need a photograph to be attested. (Some PoA need to include a photograph of your attorney)

    Gaurav S said...

    Ashwini and Manish i am glad that it is useful.

    I will update the doc with these findings.

    Sateesh said...

    Hi Gaurav,

    Thanks for the detaild information, I have few questions regarding witness

    1. Do we need to carry witness ID proofs along with the documents or no need?

    Gaurav S said...

    If you are referring to notary, then yes. You don't need to carry id of witnesses to consulate.

    Unknown said...

    I think in today's technology driven days asking for banker's cheque is like Old I Dian system . They must accept credit /debit card to reduce the time required to get it from the bank. I will take up the matter with Govt of India's foreign ministry to change this archaic rule. Why so many docs are required to be motorised if one goes in person and not sending it on mail ?

    Gaurav S said...

    Thank you Shrinivas!

    Anantha Ram Addanki said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Unknown said...

    Hi gaurav,.can you please tell me that 2 witnesses is mandatory or 1 witness will be fine??

    Gaurav S said...

    I think 2 is mandatory.

    Unknown said...

    I have done in India Emassy in NY, in person they accepted cash, returned docs around 12PM. Apostle not needed.

    Unfortunately my POA holder has registered that POA in 90 days. now it is invalid. i have moved to CA. Now i am going to redo the POA, man it has many steps!!!

    Unknown said...

    Dear Gaurav, thank u for your detailed description of the process. I followed it blindly and was successful. The only small chabge is the free parking u mentioned accross Office Depot, has been occupied by Wells Fargo Bank. But I managed to get free roadside parking very near. Thanks again for such a wonderful public service. /Basu

    Gaurav S said...

    I am glad that it was useful to you Sabyasachi.

    Ravi P said...

    Gaurav & others,

    Thanks for sharing your information. Definitely reduces the hassle. I have few questions!

    I am providing my PoA to my mother.

    1. The photo has to be mine or my mother's?
    2. (Refer to first page of photo attached by Gaurav)
    Who includes the Apostille document? US secretary of State or us?
    3. Me and my wife plan to give PoA to my mother. Do you know how should that sample template be?


    -Ravi

    Gaurav S said...

    Hello Sai,

    Here are answers to your questions,

    1. Your photo is needed.
    2. First page was provided by US secretary of State in Sacramento
    3. It is easier if you do seperate PoA for you and your wife.

    Hope it helps.

    Peace!

    RKS said...

    Hello,

    For POA, does Indian consulate in SF needs it to be Apostle first?
    or
    is it possible to write PA on plan paper, get a sign of both witness in front of the notary and get it attested at the Indian consulate in? - have anyone tried it ? does Indian consulate says it needs to be Apostle first?

    I checked at the state of CA they say they can only Apostle US official docs so i am confused how they going to Apostle POA which is written on blank paper, not sure anything changed now in late 2018.

    Gaurav S said...

    @RKS,

    Here is my understanding, Indian consulate needs it to be apostilled.
    I did my apostillation in Sacramento using plain paper PoA, I will suggest to try again. Also, there are bunch of notary services who can apostille a document for you in Sacramento.

    Unknown said...

    I need to do POA where my and my wife as Owner and co-owner. Do I need to have separate POA or one POA with both signature will be sufficient. And Embassy fees will be $46 for both photo and signatures. Correct

    Gaurav S said...

    Make separate PoA for easier processing

    Unknown said...

    Thanks Gaurav for quick reply. Few more questions
    1. All the supporting documents like passport copy, visa and address. Do they need to notarized before submitting to consulate?
    2. IF I go in morning possible to get documents same day? Some people says yes. Just wanted to double confirm.

    Sacramento is near to me but I am planning to travel to SFO.

    Regards,
    Amit

    Gaurav S said...

    Hey Amit,

    Regarding your questions,

    1. You don't have to notarize any documents except PoA.

    2. I think so but after 4pm or so. Check with consulate before.

    Unknown said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Unknown said...

    Thank you so much Gauarv. One Last question.
    Do this POA need to sign by POA holder ( to whom I am assigning ) or only just owner and co-owner(Doner).

    Unknown said...

    I have done last month. They are giving after 4PM, you need to submit docs before 12.
    I have asked them if they can return docs earlier than 4 PM, they said, they don't do that now, but they used to return docs after 12,

    Gaurav S said...

    Hey Amit,

    PoA needs to be signed by donor. Refer my sample above.

    Unknown said...

    Hi,

    I have tried to call consulate but couldn't get call to pick up.

    Query is for both applicants for POA ( owner and co-owner) need to present at consulate??
    Can I represent co-owner ( my wife) at consulate??
    if you or anyone knows then please do let me know. I have tried to call multiple time to consulate but couldn't get answered As line were busy.

    Unknown said...

    same question is for apostle. what document needed at Sacramento office apart from POA?
    Do we both need to present there

    Gaurav S said...

    Hey Amit,

    For apostille, you can represent your wife or anyone as matter of fact.
    For consulate, I think you can't represent her as she needs to sign in front of the officer.

    Ravi P said...

    Hi Gaurav and others,
    Along with PoA, my bank needs self-attested photocopies of my passport, PAN card, Aadhar card, US address proof and other documents for my loan application. Do you know if I need them notarized/apostilled to get Indian embassy seal?

    Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

    Gaurav S said...

    Hey Ravi,

    Indian Embassy only makes sure that the document is signed by validated Indian citizen. The contents of PoA are not important to embassy. So to answer your question, you don't need any of the bank required documents for your PoA at embassy.

    Ravi P said...

    Hi Gaurav,
    Sorry if I didn't communicate clearly. My question is a bit off-topic from the discussion going on in this thread.

    For PoA I am well equipped with all the details. But my bank in India wants me to send my ID proofs. These ID proofs' photo copies needs to be self-attested and those photo copies should have Indian embassy seal on them. Since I cannot go to India in person, doing this in a way validates that the ID proofs originals have been verified by embassy is their argument.

    Do you know in such scenario if we need an apostille for each of those ID proofs for the embassy to seal/attest?

    Gaurav S said...

    Ravi,
    Not sure if Indian Embassy can attest these documents. I think any local notary should work too. Not sure why bank is asking for embassy to verify the documents.

    Unknown said...

    Thanks Gaurav,

    Got my documents and POA completed from Consulate. Quite easy after following steps here in this post. Consulate return doc around 12:45pm. I have submitted docs 11:10am.

    Couple of points.
    1. if submitting multiple application ( In my case) from same person then only one application form needed
    2. On set of proof ( passport, visa, other proof etc)
    3. One cashier checks is sufficient.

    Unknown said...

    Hi Gauarv & Others,

    I have another question after POA done. In India do we just need to register attested POA from consulate?? One example bank is asking documents to be attested and getting done by stamp paper to get my property documents.

    Regards,
    Amit

    Gaurav S said...

    Hi Amit,

    I don't think you don't need to (but can)register PoA in India. I didn't but worked without any issues.

    Unknown said...

    Hi Gaurav & Others,

    Thank you for such brief information.
    I want to provide POA to India. Lawyer from India gave me a draft. The draft is of 4 pages long. I need to sign at the bottom of each page.
    I have few questions:
    1. Will notary person notarize each document or only the last page?
    2. After notary I need to get the document apostle. For apostile, I am planning to send notarized document by mail. What all documents we need to provide? (like ID or anything else)? What are there charges? (planning to make cashier check)
    3. Once I get document I will get all formalities done from indian embassy at sfo.
    4. Have anyone faced any issue while sending document courier to india? What is approx cost for this?

    Please let me know.
    Thank you
    SHailesh

    Unknown said...

    HI Shailesh,

    Here are the replies:
    1.Will notary person notarize each document or only the last page?

    Amit: Last page .


    2. After notary I need to get the document apostle. For apostile, I am planning to send notarized document by mail. What all documents we need to provide? (like ID or anything else)? What are there charges? (planning to make cashier check)

    Amit: Only ID and payment. Cashier check. IF you go personally then Credit card

    3. Once I get document I will get all formalities done from indian embassy at sfo.

    4. Have anyone faced any issue while sending document courier to india? What is approx cost for this?

    Amit: depends on how urgently you want to send doc. 35$ to 75$ and more.

    Unknown said...

    By the way any one registered POA in India?? and experience of selling house??

    I am hearing that for registering POA require stamp duty which is 5% of cost of selling amount if POA holder is non-blood relative and if blood relative then less cost. Any idea?

    Unknown said...

    The Id which we supposed to send to apostile, is it original or copy, do they accept DL or we need to send passport? And any idea of charges?

    ShAilesh said...

    Guys,

    When you are mailing notarized document to sacramento, except $20 cashier check what other document we need to send?(like ID). If yes, can we just provide copy of id? I want to get my POA document apostile.

    Please let me know.

    Ravi P said...

    @shailesh: The secretary of state website mentions the following:

    "When submitting a request for authentication by mail, please include the following items:

    1. The original notarized and/or certified document(s). A photocopy is not acceptable.
    2. A cover letter stating the country in which the document will be used.
    3. A check or money order for the authentication fee of $20 per authentication certificate made payable to Secretary of State and payable in U.S. dollars.
    4. A self-addressed envelope for the return mail. If you wish to use a mail tracking service, please provide a pre-paid air bill. If you do not use a prepaid service, our office will mail your document(s) by U.S. Postal Service regular mail at no charge."

    Refer to https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/authentication/

    If anyone is thinking for an economical alternative: I have used the services from https://www.yelp.com/biz/4-notary-and-29-apostille-service-sunnyvale-3
    - they charged me 5$ for notary and 55$ for getting the apostille (this includes the 26$ fee that secretary of state charged. they go to sacramento in person). They call you in 3-4 business days once they have your doc apostilled. It had been pretty smooth.

    ShAilesh said...

    I sent the document with cashier check of $20 as its stated online - "A check or money order for the authentication fee of $20 per authentication certificate made payable to Secretary of State and payable in U.S. dollars."

    Do I need to make any changes?

    Please let me know soon..

    Unknown said...

    Hi Gaurav....thank you for this post. I have a few questions....what are two witnesses signing...do I need to write some wording for them to sign. Does this have to be on stamp paper or plain paper....if the document has come from India on stamp paper, will the consulate accept this.

    Thank you very much.

    Gaurav S said...

    Hey Asha,

    I think witnesses are for PoA authentication. Refer my post above for sample text. You don't need stamp paper, it can be on plain paper.

    Unknown said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Unknown said...

    @z560classic and @Gaurav : Can you please tell me what amount of cashier's check required if making power of attorney in the name of two people (me and wife). would it be considered two application or one. Also could you please tell me if only one miscellaneous service application form need to be filled or two. Because one form has space for only one individual. Thanks

    Unknown said...

    Thanks for the article Gaurav!

    I did this today. For folks with multiple GPA's the money order/cashiers check needs to be for
    $ (No. of GPA * 20)+ $3.

    If it is inconvenient to get a cashiers check early in the day:
    1. For wells fargo bankers there is a bank right opposite to the consulate. Bonus is, you can park here for free
    2. There is a CVS pharmacy across the street from where you could get a money order.

    Unknown said...

    Hello Gaurav & folks!
    Thanks for your replies & comments. It was very insightful. I have one more question.
    I have one PoA document which has 4 pages(3 page PoA doc + 1 page Apostille). Do I need to pay for every page of the PoA document ( few forums were saying so ) or do I need to only for the document in whole? (cost = 20$ + 10$ for photo + 3$)

    Kindly confirm this!

    Thanks,
    Shri

    Ravi said...

    Hi Gaurav and folks,

    Thanks for the detailed info. Before notarizing for executant (me), would the POA document has to be already signed by attorney (parent). Or can it be signed in India after the above apostillation and consulate attestation is completed in USA. Thanks in advance.

    Barry Ghotra said...

    Gaurav,

    Thank you for putting out detailed process steps. There are a couple of things you may want to update:
    a) The fee is $2 for the ICWF effect Sept 2017.
    b) The site has moved and the miscellaneous form is now available at:
    https://www.cgisf.gov.in/pdf/misc2.pdf
    c) The SF consulate site has moved to : https://www.cgisf.gov.in/page/display/118/236

    KEY QUESTION, if you can still reply:

    I see a mention of VISA, BUT IF you are a US citizen, are you required to provide a copy of the INDIAN VISA then? Or the copy of the US passport ONLY will work as well?

    ps: I know you are not an attorney or anything, but as someone mentioned it's almost impossible to get someone on the phone from the consulate to get any answers.

    Regards.

    port953 said...

    2019-Jan updates:
    We got POA done in a day with few hiccups (took long time to find parking)
    Apostille:
    1. If you are driving from SF Bay area, start between 5AM-5:30AM so that you can find parking in Sacramento and drive to Indian Consulate same day.
    2. Apostille process is pretty quick (30 min max depending on the line)

    Indian Consulate SF:
    1. Drive from Sacramento to SF takes ~2 hours, we were stuck near the toll booth because of traffic, reached at around 11:10AM.
    2. Finding parking near consulate was a nightmare, so, be prepared. None of the parking garages are walkable distance from Consulate location, so, try Uber/Lyft
    3. Misc application fees (as of this writing) was $2. So, for single person POA, its $32 ($20+$10+$2). Website/FAQ is confusing, but they accepted our $33 money order from us.
    4. We were lucky to get our POA docs back at 12:45pm same day (instead of waiting till 4pm). Not sure if this process varies..

    port953 said...

    If you have a US Passport/OCI, get copies of all printed pages from both Passport and OCI.

    Standard Online Finance said...
    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
    Unknown said...

    Gaurav my agent in India ( Hyderabad)saying that I have to leave some space above my POA ! ( which was a news for me ) Unfortunately I have already sent my poa to Indian consulate sfo for stamping now he is saying that I have to repeat the whole process here again in US. Is it true ? Pls help

    Unknown said...

    Will be nice if some one share experience of registering POA in India or selling property with POA in India !

    Matilda said...

    Thanks a lot for making things simple. The process suits my needs. But do we require the photo and signature of the person who is going to get the power else what is the proof that the name / occupation is sufficient proof

    SunilPanama said...

    Hi Gaurav,

    Cellphones are allowed inside SFO Indian consulate when you visit in person. Some of the sites they mentioned they do not allow cellphones inside.

    Swamy Gabriela John said...

    Has anyone completed a POA with SBI? Can you please share your experience and related docs.

    Niraj Singh said...

    Hi Gaurav,
    Do we need one apostille for one power of attorney set(that includes passport copy, green card copy, DL copy) or one apostille for every document, i mean one for power of attorney, one for passport copy, one for green card and so on.
    And all the copies need to be notarized separately?
    Thanks

    Niraj Singh said...

    Hi Gaurav,
    Do we need one apostille for one power of attorney set(that includes passport copy, green card copy, DL copy) or one apostille for every document, i mean one for power of attorney, one for passport copy, one for green card and so on.
    And all the copies need to be notarized separately?
    Thanks

    Unknown said...

    Thanks a lot for this blog. I was able to apply with no hassles.

    Unknown said...

    Hi Gaurav,

    My sincere thanks to your meticulous blog because of which I could successfully get my PoA attested in consulate in SF. Here is my experience of doing a joint PoA:

    1. You can make a single PoA with multiple executants.
    2. Get it notarized and apostilled.
    3. Only one misc application form needs to be submitted in consulate for attestation, but all executants must be present.
    4. Paste only one executant's photo in the misc. application form.
    5. Fee in USD = 20 + 2 + 10* no_of_photos_in_PoA. no_of_photos_in_PoA can be 0.
    6. Give documents including passport for all executants.
    7. Any executant with the receipt can collect during the collection hours (4-4.45PM).

    Vikram said...

    hi everyone,

    can witnessed by two individuals on Power of Attorney be done after apostille being done.

    Pramod Sonawane - IT Manager - Cloud Computing@Fortune 500 Company said...

    Thanks for the detail blog Gaurav.
    One quick question - With 2 joint executant of the PoA (me and my wife in this case) need to write a power of attorney on one document (plain paper) only? or need 2 separate documents?
    Thanks, Pramod

    Muhammad Karim said...
    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
    Gaurav S said...

    @Pramod, I think it should be on one page

    Greg Prosmushkin said...

    Thanks for sharing this informative post with us. This had plenty of details regarding finding a power of attorney for your legal needs. Have a wonderful rest of your day and keep up the posts.
    Lawyer Philadelphia

    Unknown said...

    Gaurav, thank you for posting these details on your blog. I need to get POA signed and attested for sale of property in India. I read on two websites that apostilles is only needed for commercial or company matter:
    1. https://www.compareremit.com/money-transfer-guide/how-to-get-power-of-attorney-at-consulate/
    2. https://www.path2usa.com/power-of-attorney-for-india-in-the-usa#poa6

    I also emailed the Indian consulate in SF asking a general query about attestation of POA and they replied saying documents can be attested without need of Apostille.(As long as they are duly notarized)
    Below was their reply:
    "We are not entertaining public due to the current Covid situation. We kindly request you to mail the necessary documents to the Consulate address(Miscellaneous Cell,540 Arguello Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States) through UPS/USPS/FedEx. Also enclose a prepaid return shipping label

    For requirements, please visit our website
    https://www.cgisf.gov.in/page/power-of-attorney-affidavits-relating-to-property-or-financial-matters/
    The attestation services can be availed without the POA having been Apostilled.
    However, it must be duly notarized. Appreciate your understanding!

    Regards,
    Ambili
    Miscellaneous Dept.
    Consulate General of India
    San Francisco
    Tel: +1 415 668 0683
    www.cgisf.gov.in"
    have you heard or come across cases where apostille wasnt completed and upon notarization documents were mailed to the Embassy.

    Thanks,
    Fenil

    Gaurav S said...

    Please check with your registrar in India. For my case, registrar needed Indian embassy signed letter. Embassy will only sign PoA if it has already apostille. I have heard some registrar will accept apostille PoA document too. Hope it helps.

    Unknown said...

    Gaurav, my question is regarding embassy attesting the documents with Apostille process not being completed. Has anyone tried attesting POA from the embassy without getting the apostille done? (Embassy employee replied saying they will attest the document without apostille but I am having a hard time believing them).

    Mahalaxmi Kumar said...

    Hello Gaurav,

    Thanks for sharing your experience and blogging it for everyone's benefit. Much appreciate it. I had 1 question. Due to the Covid situation, I will be mailing my docs for POA attestation. So, do I have to mail the last page (where the Attorney holder in India will sign) to the consulate & also as the executant is a OCI holder, there is no need to Appostile as per the Consulate website. I guess it is a little different across the various consulates. Thanks!

    Robin said...

    Hi Gaurav,
    Thanks for the detailed post.

    The id documents (notarized copies of India passport, DL and i797)- are they needed for registering PoA in India or are they are meant for Indian Consulate to validate your identity?

    Thanks

    Gaurav S said...

    @Robin

    Id documents are needed for Indian consulate for ID verification.

    @Mahalaxmi

    I sent whole PoA to embassy to be safe

    @Unknown
    Please refer to updated post. If you have indian passport no need to Apostille.

    Anonymous said...
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    amarajanice said...

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    Anonymous said...
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    Rohit said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Deepak Gupta said...

    Hello Gaurav, Thanks for sharing your experiences. Would appreciate your feedback for following queries:
    (1) do we need to capture the name & signature of POA holder on the last page of POA, if he/she is presently in USA? Or it needs to be captured at the time of registration of POA in India.
    (2) Can we enter the name/ID number of the POA holder on the last page, as a placeholder for her/his signature?
    (2) Do we need to affix 2 photographs of the Executant on the last page, or only one.
    (3) Do we need to affix the photograph of the POA holder/Attorney also on the last page?

    Gaurav S said...

    @Deepak Gupta
    1. I dont think PoA holder signature is needed when completing PoA in USA. While registering in India, not sure about the process.
    2. Not sure again. I dont think we need to capture PoA holder sign anywhere.
    3. 1 photo of applicant
    4. No photo of PoA holder