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If you’ve been required to prove you were born in Canada when you visit or move to another country, you may need to have your Canadian birth certificate authenticated and legalized. However, the process to authenticate and legalize a Canadian birth certificate can be a little complicated to the layperson. At International Documents Canada we specialize in assisting our clients with this confusing process, and we’ve provided some important details about the process for you here.

Below you’ll learn what type of birth certificate is acceptable for authentication, and more about the authentication and legalization process.

Do You Have the Correct Type of Birth Certificate?

Before doing anything, you’ll need to verify that you have the correct type of birth certificate for the Canada authentication process. Unfortunately, a short-form birth certificate isn’t acceptable and cannot be used for authentication purposes; you’ll need a long-form birth certificate. This means those wallet-sized birth certificates can’t be used. However, if you don’t currently have a long-form birth certificate to use for the authentication process, you can order a new one from the government quite easily. If you need more info on how to do this, the friendly staff at International Documents Canada can point you in the right direction – contact us.

How Do I Authenticate & Legalize a Birth Certificate?

Authenticating and legalizing a birth certificate is a three-step process that first begins with preparing your birth certificate for processing. The requirements for preparing a birth certificate are laid out by Global Affairs Canada and the embassy or consulate that will be legalizing your document. After preparing your birth certificate it will be then sent to Global Affairs. If all is in order a red stamp will be placed directly on the document, confirming it’s a legal and authenticated document issued by the Canadian government.

Then, the authenticated birth certificate will need to be presented for legalization at the consulate or embassy of the country where it will be used. The consulate staff will review your authenticated Canadian birth certificate to ensure that it meets all of their requirements and if so, a sticker or stamp will be placed on the document to certify it has been legalized.

Contact us for birth certificate authentication in Canada

To learn more about the authentication and legalization process, contact International Documents Canada today or visit our FAQs page online. You can also call us at 1 (888) 433-1011 – our friendly staff would welcome a chance to answer your questions.

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