How can Canadian apostilles help to facilitate international partnerships and tax treaties? There are certain tax or financial documents, such as a certificate of residency, that may be requested by a foreign authority to facilitate partnerships and eliminate double taxation. In the following article, we will explore the related tax documents and outline the Canadian document apostille process.
What is a Certificate of Residency?
A Canadian certificate of residency is a document produced by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regarding the tax status of an individual or a business who holds residency status in Canada. The certificate of residency will confirm that the person or entity was a resident of Canada during a specific tax year and may be required if you have received income from a foreign country and you want to avoid double taxation based on the terms of a tax treaty.
Similarly, certain Canadian residents are exempt from tax completely. This typically applies to registered charities, registered pension plans, the Canadian government, and any others who can be determined as tax-exempt. The certificate of residency will confirm their tax-exempt status.
How do I apply for my Certificate of Residency?
You may apply for your certificate of residency by mail, fax, online, or by phone to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Specific information must be included, as outlined by CRA, depending on the type of application (individual, corporation, trust, partnership, or representative). We recommend you read through the CRA website page dedicated to Certificates of Residency before you submit your request. You may find the information on the CRA website here: Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) – Certificate of Residency
How can I use my Certificate of Residency in a foreign country?
When a foreign country requests proof that a particular resident of Canada (a person or a business) has a special exemption from tax in Canada, a certificate of residency can be provided as proof of the exemption.
Now that you have your certificate of residency from CRA, you will need to prepare it for use abroad. Before you can use the certificate of residency in a foreign country, you will need to take it through the apostille process.
If your destination country is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, your document will need to also go through the document legalization process and not the apostille process. For further information about the apostille process versus document legalization, we recommend you take a look at the following helpful article: The Hague Apostille Convention Vs. Document Legalization
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a type of document certification that confirms the authenticity of a
document, so that the document will be officially recognized in other apostille signatory countries. The apostille certification must be completed by the appropriate Canadian government authority. Once they are satisfied that your document meets the outlined criteria, a certificate of apostille will be applied directly to the document by the appropriate Canadian government authority.
For further information about the apostille process and the government offices involved, we recommend you take a look at the following helpful article: Understanding the Role of Canadian Government Authorities in Apostilles
How can I apostille my Certificate of Residency?
Before you can obtain the apostille certification on your certificate of residency, it will need to be notarized by a Canadian Notary Public. This is because a certificate of residency is not issued with a signature recognized by the Canadian government authorities who are responsible for issuing apostilles. Once notarized, it will have a signature that can be used to obtain an apostille.
The Canadian apostille offices function on a jurisdictional basis dependent upon where your document was notarized, as described above. You will need to submit the notarized certificate of residency to the appropriate office.
How can we help with your Canadian document apostilles?
Whether you are looking for more information, or you would like assistance with the document apostille process, we can help. Supporting our clients to navigate the ins and outs of the process has been our business for over a decade. We would welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your documents and answer your questions. Call us toll-free at 1-888-433-1011 or send us your questions through our quick Contact form. Our friendly staff will get back to you right away!
