When you decide to embark on a new adventure by relocating to another country for work, you will likely be asked to provide certain documents to support your work visa, such as your certificate of employment and educational credentials. In most cases, these documents will also require an apostille before they will be accepted. Read on to find out how apostilles propel Canadian careers abroad.
What is Canadian document apostille?
The apostille process is a way to confirm the authenticity of a Canadian document, so that it will be officially recognized in other apostille signatory countries. Any country that has signed the Hague Apostille Convention, including Canada, will issue apostille certificates and recognize apostille certificates issued by other countries.
If the country where you are headed is not a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, your documents will require an additional step called document legalization. Document legalization is completed at the embassy or consulate of the destination country. You can find more about document legalization from our website and helpful resources here: Canadian document legalization.
What is the process to get an apostille in Canada?
Canada has joined the Hague Apostille Convention (as of January 2024), making the process to have your Canadian documents recognized abroad much more efficient compared to the old authentication and legalization process.
Here are the steps to getting an apostille on your Canadian documents:
- Identify the documents required: Determine the type of documents you need to apostille. This should be confirmed with the recipient where you are submitting your documents. Commonly requested documents required for employment abroad that typically require apostille include a certificate of employment (often in the form of a letter), University/College degrees and transcripts, birth and marriage certificates, criminal record checks, and professional experience certificates.
- Determine the appropriate apostille office: Canadian apostilles are issued by the appropriate government offices across Canada. These include Global Affairs Canada, and the provincial offices in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, or Ontario. Once you know where to have your documents apostilled, you will need to research how to prepare and submit your documents. Each apostille office has their own unique procedures, requirements, fees, and timelines.
- Submit your documents for apostille: Send your prepared documents to the designated apostille authority along with any required forms and fees. Once completed, your documents are ready to use in the destination country.
However, don’t forget that if your documents are destined for a country that is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, your documents may still need to be legalized as a final step. If this is the case, we recommend that you research the requirements of the embassy or consulate of the destination country before you begin the process.
Researching the Canadian document apostille process in advance will help to ensure that your work visa will not be held back by incorrect or incomplete documentation.
What are the steps to apostille a certificate of employment?
A certificate of employment is typically prepared as a letter from your previous employer, on letterhead, outlining your work experience. This certificate of employment may be useful in supporting your application for a new position abroad, and in some cases it is mandatory.
However, as discussed above, the certificate of employment will need to be properly prepared to before it can be apostilled. This means that your certificate of employment will need to go through the following steps:
- Your document will need to be notarized by a Canadian Notary Public. The Notary Public will make a true copy of the certificate of employment, adding their signature and embossed seal. The true copy will go through the apostille process and the original letter can remain with you, unmarked for future use.
Note that not all countries accept copies of documents. You should be sure to check with the recipient abroad (and the embassy or consulate of the destination country, if applicable) to ensure that a true copy will be accepted.
- Your document will need to be submitted to the appropriate apostille office. These offices are determined by where the document was notarized, or from where the document originated. Documents notarized in or originating from Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec, and Ontario are submitted provincially to be apostilled. All other provinces fall under Global Affairs Canada. Be sure to include any required forms and fees with your documents for apostille.
- If your certificate of employment is destined for a non-apostille country, it will need to be legalized at the embassy or consulate of the destination country. If you are not sure whether the destination country is or is not a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, you can check the Hague Apostille Convention list of members.
How can we help to apostille your certificate of employment?
We provide friendly expert assistance with the Canadian document apostille process. As Canada’s leading experts in the Canadian document apostille process, we will manage all aspects of the process for you. Contact our office for a no obligation consultation. We’ll explain the process, determine the specifics of your situation, and answer your questions. Contact us today by phone toll-free at 1-888-433-1011, or fill out our brief contact form and we will get right back to you.
