FAQs Archive
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If your birth certificate is destined for an apostille signatory country, it will need to go through the apostille process in the country of origin. More below on this process.
If your birth certificate is destined for a country that has signed the Hague Apostille Convention, then you will need to have the birth certificate apostilled.
The apostille process requirements will depend on the origins of your document. Some provinces have their own apostille offices (AB, BC, ON, QC, SK), and others do not. Those that do not have their own provincial offices will fall under the jurisdiction of Global Affairs Canada.
If your birth certificate is destined for a country that has not signed the Hague Apostille Convention, it will need to go through the steps to authenticate and legalize a Canadian birth certificate. These steps are document preparation, document authentication, and document legalization.
Step 1) Document preparation is the initial step of determining whether you have the correct format certificate and if it meets the criteria of the subsequent steps.
Step 2) Document authentication is done through Global Affairs Canada of the appropriate provincial office. They authenticate the original signature on the certificate.
Step 3) Document legalization is the final step and is done at the embassy or consulate of the destination country.
How you decide to proceed may depend on your deadline and budget. You can manage the process yourself by mail, or hire a service like ours to handle on your behalf. Feel free to contact our friendly specialists for a free consultation to discuss your specific document needs.
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Yes! We specialize in managing the document apostille (or authentication and legalization) process for people and organizations just like you. We assist you in the preparation process to ensure that your birth certificate will meet the criteria of the process. You send your document to our Ottawa office and we handle the apostille (and the legalization at the embassy or consulate of the destination country, if applicable).
Contact our friendly specialists for more information on how we can assist you with the apostille of your birth certificate and other documents. Call us toll-free at 1-888-433-1011 or send us an online enquiry.
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If you need to present your Canadian birth certificate outside of Canada, you may need to have your certificate apostilled. To confirm whether this is necessary, you will need to consult with the person or organization to whom you are sending your birth certificate. They are the authority on what processing is required before they can accept your document. Note that they may tell you that you need to have your birth certificate "apostilled" or "attested" or "authenticated and legalized".
If you have any questions about the apostille of your birth certificate don't hesitate to contact our friendly staff for advice.
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We can certainly help you determine how to order a new birth certificate. However, in most cases, we cannot order it for you because we do not have the authority to handle it on your behalf.
Once you have determined which format of birth certificate you require for the destination country, it can be ordered from the appropriate province. Here is a helpful list of provincial websites to order your birth certificate.
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Northwest Territories
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Yukon
Contact us to discuss the specifics of the situation and how we can be of assistance.
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Preparing a birth certificate for the apostille process means verifying the format and requirements in advance. Unlike many other types of documents, birth certificates Do Not need to be notarized first. Original Vital Statistics documents can be apostilled on the original.
It may be possible for you to apostille a copy of your birth certificate (a certified true copy made by a Notary Public). However, that will depend on the recipient's requirements (do they accept copies) and the place of origin (which determines the jurisdiction of the apostille office).
For more specific information on how your birth certificate needs to be prepared contact our friendly specialists for a free consultation, or alternatively you can consult Global Affairs Canada and the relevant embassy or consulate of the destination country.
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With many documents, notarization is required before they can be apostilled. However, original long-form birth and other vital certificates (death, marriage) do not typically need to be notarized. They can be submitted for an apostille as is. Additionally, Global Affairs Canada does not accept notarized copies of vital certificates, like birth certificates. Original official long-form certificates issued by the province are required.
Contact our friendly specialists if you have any questions about notarization and birth certificates.
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