What are the steps to apostille a Canadian birth certificate?

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.

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 instead.

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.

How you decide to have this done may depend on your deadline and budget. You can manage it 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.