If you have a personal or commercial Power of Attorney document that you need to use in a foreign country, it will need to be authenticated and legalized, a process also commonly referred to as apostille. For more information on Apostille in Canada, please have a look at this helpful article “Apostille Services Explained”.
What is the authentication and legalization process?
In order to use your Power of Attorney document in another country, you need to have it authenticated and legalized. First, the Power of Attorney must be signed and stamped by a Canadian Notary Public. Next, you must have your document authenticated at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFATD). Then, it must be legalized at the appropriate diplomatic mission of the destination country.
Can you manage the process yourself?
In most cases, you can manage the authentication and legalization of your Power of Attorney on your own. However, you must consider your deadlines, as well as the requirements of both DFATD and the diplomatic mission. Typically, the process will take between 4-6 weeks if done my mail. If your documents are not prepared correctly, they will be rejected.
At International Documents Canada (IDC) we manage the authentication and legalization of Canadian Power of Attorney documents on your behalf. We can have it processed in as little as a couple days!
Call us toll free at 1-888-433-1011 or visit us at idocscanada.ca
