It is common to be asked for the legalisation of your Canadian documents that need to be used abroad. It may be a requirement to prove your identity, to support your residency permit, or to validate your educational achievements.
What is Canadian document legalisation?
The term “legalisation” is one of many terms used to describe a procedure that allows your document to be used in another country. Other terms for the process are:
What is the legalisation process called in Canada?
In Canada, the process is called authentication and legalization. This process involves having your documents authenticated at the Global Affairs Canada. Next, they must be legalized at the diplomatic mission for your destination country.
Global Affairs Canada and each diplomatic mission have very specific requirements for the authentication and legalization of Canadian documents. In some cases, additional steps such as notarization or translation may also be required.
How does the process work?
Global Affairs Canada recommends that if you are unable to attend their office in person, you should hire a private service provider, such as an authentication and legalization service. Otherwise their authentication processing time will take up to 25 business days.
Once the authentication has been completed, you will need to have the document (along with the applicable supporting documents, consular fees, and return shipping) legalized at the Embassy of Consulate of the destination country.
Use an Authentication and Legalization Service
Our downtown Ottawa location enables us to provide you with fast and reliable document authentication and legalization services. We can save you weeks of processing time and ensure your documents have been prepared correctly.
Contact our friendly staff to discuss your documents and how we can help you with this process. Call us toll free at 1-888-433-1011, or complete a Request Info form.
