Do you likely to solemnize marriage abroad? 
Tying a knot in a foreign country requires a lot of legal proceedings. You need to prove your bachelorhood. The foreign immigration authority won’t accept any verbal claims. It needs a valid proof that would be a document called CENOMAR or Certificate of No Marriage (Record). 

There is no separate competent authority that issues this certificate in India, except Punjab. You have to file a petition or an application with the magistrate/ sub-divisional magistrate of the civil court. But, you can’t satisfy the foreign immigration officer unless that certificate is attested & counter-attested by the requisite authorities. 

Who is accountable to attest it; where should go to attest it-these and many more questions will create a challenge for you. You can conquer them while following these guidelines: 

What is CENOMAR attestation?
CENOMAR is a valid document stating that you’re single. A divorcee would also be counted as a bachelor is because he/she is not confined in the matrimony. 

Attestation is a process of validating a document. The Magistrate or Sub-Divisional Magistrate puts his stamp on this single status certificate. It proves the originality of your certificate. However, many other authorities attest it by a state government, central government and the foreign embassy. 

Why do we need it?
Marriage is not the only reason that pushes you to get this certificate attested. There are many other reasons, like:
• Employment visa 
• Family residence visa
• Higher education
• Admission in the foreign school

It is not necessary that the aforesaid reasons would mandatorily require this certificate. But, the foreign immigration authority of the US and UK definitely probes whether or not your intention is to work, to travel or to study solely. If it finds anything suspicious, it immediately rejects the employment visa or study visa of the applicant. Therefore, you should be firm and have enough proofs to prove your motive behind seeking any visa. 

How many kind of attestation do you need for CENOMAR?
• Home Department: The state’s Home Department is not present everywhere in India. If you’re a resident of Delhi or Gujarat, there exists this department. But, if you consider the case of the Uttar Pradesh, it doesn’t have any Home department.    
• MEA: It stands for the Ministry of External Affairs. Once the state’s home department would put its stamp, the MEA would counter-attest it.  
• Embassy: Subsequently, you need to get it counter-attested from the embassy wherein you’re migrating to. 

How many days does it take to attest?
• Magistrate or Sub-Divisional Magistrate/Notary: It takes just a day to get an affidavit. It’s a sworn document that reads the name, parents’ names, address and date of birth along with the status of the affiant. The applicant requires submission of the affidavit of his parents also. You should reach the court at 9 in the morning. 
• Home Department: It counter-attests the bachelorhood certificate or certificate of no impediment on the same day. So, it takes just a day also. Its processing begins at 9 a.m. 
• MEA: This department will require two days to counter-attest your certificate in Delhi or Mumbai. One day will be over in your certificate submission. You can get it counter-attested the very next or in two to four days. You should reach before 5 in the evening. 
• Embassy: However, it takes just 3 hours to 4 hours to sign your certificate. But sometimes, it can be a 3 to 5 days long process due to heavy work load. It starts working at 9 in the morning.  

How much do you have to pay for its attestation?
• Notary/Affidavit: INR 100 (variable)
• Home Department: Nil
• MEA: INR 20+ (Variable)
• Embassy: Variable (in thousands)

In all, it may cost in between INR 5,000 and INR 15,000 for the attestation from all departments. 
What documents do you need to support it?
For Affidavit/Notary: 
• Original and photocopy of Aadhaar Card/ Voter ID Card/Driving licence
• Original Passport & its photocopy
• Photographs

For Home Department Attestation:
• Original proofs of the residential proof (like Aadhaar Card/ PAN Card/ Voter ID/ Driving Licence)
• Affidavit

For MEA:
• Original and photocopy of your Passport 
• Affidavit

For Embassy: 
• Only original passport 
• And, affidavit

How do you attest it by self? 
You would have two options:
1. Through agents/agencies
2. Through outsourcing organizations 
3. By self