Attestation is the act of seeing and then signing a formal document to ensure that it was correctly signed by those who are bound by its contents. Attestation is a legal acknowledgement of a document’s authenticity and a confirmation that suitable procedures were followed. Essentially, an attestation is an official declaration that something is real or genuine. An attester is a person who verifies the authenticity or validity of something or someone. To certify the declarations, these truth assertions are frequently written down.

In general, an attestation is a third-party confirmation of the legality of a written agreement. The person or entity acting as the signing witness should ideally have no professional or personal ties to either of the signings. This condition is enforced by state probate law in several states. Attestations are most usually connected with important personal and financial agreements, such as wills or powers of attorney. When a witness files a police report, attestations are also employed. The witness signs to attest to the validity of their statement, and another person signs to attest to the authenticity of the first signature.

False certifications could be a violation of the False Claims Act in the United States, with violators facing damages and additional penalties. Notarization, on the other hand, necessitates a state-commissioned notary public not just signing but also stamping the document in question.

Depending on the context or nature of the claim, the concept of attestation can be used in a variety of ways. Consider the examples below:
-A person who has witnessed a crime. They write an attestation letter and sign it, detailing what they saw. A third person also signs the letter, attesting to the witness’ signature’s legitimacy.
-A person is applying for a job. They compose and submit a letter of good character attestation, stating that they have no criminal background.
-A CEO is about to sign a vendor deal with a new company. The firm needs an attestation letter declaring that the CEO’s organisation complies with industry-specific regulatory compliance criteria as part of its due diligence. The attestation letter is written and signed by the CEO.
A letter of attestation expresses the trustworthiness of a claim made by another party. The person who signs the attestation letter certifies that they have firsthand knowledge of the allegations or claims mentioned in the letter.

Wills and trusts frequently require attestations. In this case, an attestation usually confirms:
-That the testator (the person who signs the will) is mentally competent.
-The will was written freely by the testator as a statement of their objectives.
-The will was signed by the testator and witnessed by the person performing the attestation.

In the United States, state probate law dictates the form and application of attestation clauses to legal documents. While attestation clauses differ slightly from state to state, the attestation’s core function and intent are often consistent.

The history of seeking independent verification of recorded events gave rise to the attestation procedure. Multiple attestations have long been employed by biblical scholars to establish which miracles Jesus is believed to have done.

When many sources confirm the occurrence of an event, historians are always more certain. While the notion of confirming an event may be traced throughout history, the qualifications or criteria for verification are usually based on the society’s social norms and legal requirements.
Attestations can be divided into three categories:
1) State Certification – Prior to Ministry of External Affairs (“MEA“) certification, state attestation is required where appropriate state attestation is required based on the kind of certificate. For example, attestation from the State Education Department is required for educational certificates. Personal certificates shall be attested by the participating state’s General Administration Department prior to attestation by the MEA.

2) Apostille or MEA Attestation – MEA certification is prepared only when the competent state authorities have given their approval. An apostille is a type of attestation in which certificates are legalised in a way that is acceptable in all nations that have signed the Hague Convention. Apostille is a global attestation that is accepted in over 92 countries, with the majority of the Western world accepting it.

Apostille stamp is a square-shaped computer-generated sticker stamp applied to the reverse of a certificate by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. It has a unique ID number that any Hague convention associate nation can use to check its legality online.

Attesting certificates can be tedious and time-consuming. If you believe that getting your crucial certificates validated without the help of anyone else can be a difficult task. There is no need to be concerned in this instance because there are a number of document attestation services that will verify your certificates without difficulty. You will receive support regardless of your location if you are attempting to secure formal attestation from authorities.

3) Embassy Apostille – After the MEA attestation, the embassy/consulate attestation is prepared.
The law of attestation is an important aspect of the checks and balances that help to maintain a healthy business community by pushing firms to play by the rules.
It is criminal in the United States under the False Claims Act for someone to falsely certify that they have followed a laws or rule. An LLC could be held accountable under corporate law for misrepresenting its compliance status in the marketplace, but with the False Claims Act in effect, that culpability could fall directly on the person who signed the attestation form.
Individual liability for faking an attestation letter serves as a deterrent to fraud and motivates enterprises to honestly pursue compliance with industry-specific rules.
To sum up, the legitimacy of a document and the signatures on it is certified by an attestation. To avoid a conflict of interest, the person attesting to the agreement’s truthfulness should be a neutral third party. State probate rules typically govern attestations in legal documents like wills and trusts. Attestations, on the other hand, aren’t just for legal papers; they can be utilised in any profession or company.

REFERENCES-


1.) https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/attestation.asp
2.) https://www.ganintegrity.com/compliance-glossary/attestation/
3.) https://yourstory.com/mystory/d3a1b6716d-why-attestation-is-req/amp

Aishwarya Says:

I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.

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NAME- RAUNAK AGGARWAL
COURSE AND YEAR- BBA LLB AND 2ND YEAR
COLLEGE- DELHI METROPOLITAN EDUCATION, GGSIPU