What is Canadian document attestation?
What is Canadian document attestation?
Attestation, or document attestation, is a term used in some foreign countries to describe the process of document authentication and legalization. The term Attestation is most commonly used by diplomatic missions and often refers to the legalization of Canadian educational documents.
We work with Global Affairs Canada, the provincial authentication offices, and diplomatic missions across Canada to process personal and commercial documents for use abroad.
What are commonly requested documents for attestation?
Commonly requested documents for attestation are:
- educational (degrees, diplomas, transcripts),
- vital statistics (birth, marriage, death),
- criminal record checks,
- power of attorney, and
- export related documents.
How can you attest your documents?
Each of the offices involved with document authentication and legalization have very specific requirements. Following are some of these requirements you should be aware of:
Authentication
- Each authentication office functions based on a set jurisdiction. For example, the authentication will be issued by either by Global Affairs Canada, or by a provincial office if your documents originate from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, or Ontario.
- Each authentication office has rules about vital certificates. They may need to be original, or they may need to be issued after a certain date. These rules depend on the province/territory of origin.
- Many of the offices responsible for authentication will only authenticate an original educational document issued by a Canadian educational institution recognized by the provincial/territorial Ministry of Education.
Legalization
- Some diplomatic missions only accept original documents. Notarized copies may not be accepted.
- Some diplomatic missions require that your educational institution mail them a sealed record of transcript before they will legalize your degree or diploma.
- Some diplomatic missions have supporting document requirements. You may need to provide a passport copy, a cover letter, or application form.
It is important to identify the requirements of each step of the process, as it could cause a delay in having your documents fully attested.
How can attestation services help?
Using a service like ours can help ensure you avoid major road blocks. We can also streamline the process and save you valuable time.
For further information or to discuss your document attestation needs with one of our specialists, you may contact us toll free at 1-888-433-1011, or online using a contact form.