Attestation for foreign studies a costly affair
A majority of those heading abroad for educational and employment purposes from Mysore revenue division are finding it time-consuming and hectic to get their educational/personal documents attested at Regional Authentication Centre (RAC) which is mandatory for issuance of apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
While the RAC of Mysore division (covering eight districts) is located at the Regional Commissioner’s office in Mysore, more than 90 per cent of those who get their documents attested in this office, are from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
A person has to make at least two trips to Mysore, first to submit the documents and then to collect it after attestation.
The applicants said the officials take more than a month to attest the documents in many cases. The applicants suspect something fishy in the process as they say that if they send their documents through private agencies, they can get the attestation done much faster.
“Getting the work done through private agencies that are thriving in Mangalore is a costly affair as they charge Rs 7,000-8,000 per document,” said an applicant, adding that it would be of great help if the RAC is shifted to Mangalore.
Official Clarifies
Additional Regional Commissioner Jiddimani G S admitted that those coming from far-off places like Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, are put to hardships.
He said his predecessors had written to the higher authorities to authorise the local officials in Mangalore and Udupi to do the attestations, but it was turned down. He denied any delay on the part of the RAC. “The RAC Mysore gets 40 such applications every day. We forward it to the educational institutions concerned from where it has been issued for verification. Once we get it back, we return it to the applicants. The process generally takes 7-10 days,” he claimed.