Marriage documents need authentication for international purposes like migration. There are two methods of authentication at the district and state levels using notaries. The documents then proceed to the home department, state department, and Ministry of External Affairs for authentication and embassy attestation. Marriage certificate authentication processes vary between countries and Indian states, but are generally needed for family visas in countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others. Various state home departments are responsible for authentication before documents receive apostille certification from the Ministry of External Affairs.