You may have heard that Canada handles apostille services a little differently than other countries. Canada previously had a process called document authentication and legalization. That’s because Canada did not used to be a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, and therefore could not issue apostilles. However, Canada has been able to issue apostilles since January 2024.
In this article, we have collected some essential information about how to properly apostille a Canadian document.
What Are the Requirements?
When it comes to the apostille process in Canada, there are some important requirements to be aware of, including:
- First, confirm your document needs to be apostilled by communicating directly with the person or organization to whom you are submitting your documents. They can confirm whether your documents require an apostille before being submitted.
- Next, confirm the requirements of the apostille office responsible for documents from your province. This may involve notarization, having certified true copies made, or obtaining translations.
- You will need to submit your original documents for processing. Photocopies are not allowed. In some instances, it is permissible to apostille what is known as a Certified True Copy, a copy of a document that has been certified as accurate by a notary public or lawyer.
- It is essential that the name of the original signatory of the document is legible. If your document has been notarized, the name of the notary public or lawyer who did the notarization also needs to be legible.
- Religious versions of civil certificates, such as birth and marriage documents issued by a church, cannot be apostilled. Only Canadian civil certificates issued by provincial governments are eligible for the apostille process.
- Documents issued by unrecognized educational institutions cannot be apostilled. Many online universities and colleges fall into this category.
- Glued and laminated documents will not be accepted, because they’re difficult to stamp and confirm they are in fact legitimate.
Why Use an Apostille Service?
These days, in such an increasingly global world, there’s an increased demand to have documents apostilled (or authenticated and legalized). However, the process can be far from easy, especially if you’re dealing with various government agencies and foreign embassies. That’s why many choose to work with an apostille service to make the process easier and more efficient.
What Does an Apostille Service Do?
As mentioned above, there is a specific process to certify the authenticity of Canadian documents for use in a foreign country is as follows:
Step 1: Preparation for Processing: First, an expert team will work with you to ensure your documents are prepared properly for the apostille process. The specific requirements that apply to you will be identified, and the necessary steps taken to address any unmet requirements, such as notarization or translation.
Step 2: Apostille: After ensuring all of the documents have been prepared correctly, an apostille service will then take them to the apostille office. By ensuring your documents are prepared correctly the first time, an apostille service can save you many weeks of time in avoiding costly errors that require redoing the process from the beginning.
If your documents are destined for a country that signed the Hague Apostille Convention, your documents are ready to use once apostilled.
Step 3: Legalization: Once your documents have been apostilled, the apostille service will deliver them to the appropriate diplomatic for legalization.
As soon as your documents are processed, the apostille service will forward your documents to you or wherever in the world you need them.
Contact us today for apostille services in Canada!
To learn more about Canada apostille services, contact us online or call 1 (888) 433-1011.
