Canada Became a Member of the Hauge Apostille Convention
A Brief Overview of the Canadian Apostille Process
The Hague Apostille Convention is ratified by Canada and goes into force on January 11, 2024. But how does that apply to documents issued in Canada? The details of the recently implemented Canadian apostille process are examined, along with an explanation of some associated jargon, in the article that follows.
What is an Apostille?
The Hague Apostille Convention, an international agreement that establishes a document certification process to confirm the legitimacy of a public document from one participating country for use in another participating country, is referred to as the “apostille.” The apostille process is the name given to this document certification process.
Having ratified the Hague Apostille Convention, Canada can now apostille documents that it plans to present in other signatory nations. The recipient in the destination country should accept your apostilled Canadian document. To find out if the country that you are visiting has ratified the Hague Apostille Convention, go to Signatory Countries. Continue reading as we go over what to do at the end of this article if you want to present your Canadian documents in a country that has not ratified the Hague Apostille Convention.
Where Can I Get My Canadian Documents Apostilled?
For Canadian documents issued by the Government of Canada, the provinces of Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon, as well as the Northwest Territories, apostilles must be issued by Global Affairs Canada.
The provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and (in due course) Quebec will be in charge of providing apostilles for documents that are notarized in or originate within their respective jurisdiction.
How Can I Get My Canadian Documents Apostilled?
You must first determine which government agency is in charge of providing apostilles for your documents before you can apply for one. After you’ve established this, you must study the specifications provided by the government agency that issued the apostille.
A) The province in which the document was issued or created; B) The province in which the document was notarized (for documents that require notarization) is necessary information to determine where to obtain an apostille for a Canadian document. With this information in hand, you can use the two charts that follow to identify which government is in charge of your particular circumstance.
Table 1. Where to get an apostille on Canadian documents that have been notarized
| Document issued by | Notarized in | Send to |
|---|---|---|
| The Government of Canada Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Prince Edward Island Yukon |
Alberta | Ministry of Justice of Alberta |
| British Columbia | Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia | |
| Ontario | Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery of Ontario | |
| Saskatchewan | Ministry of Justice and Attorney General of Saskatchewan | |
| Alberta British Columbia Ontario Saskatchewan |
Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Prince Edward Island Yukon |
Global Affairs Canada |
| Alberta | Ministry of Justice of Alberta | |
| British Columbia | Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia | |
| Ontario | Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery of Ontario | |
| Saskatchewan | Ministry of Justice and Attorney General of Saskatchewan | |
| Quebec | Quebec | Ministère de la Justice du Québec (French only) Apostille services in Quebec are subject to the process underway to obtain the required government approvals |
| A foreign government | Any Canadian province or territory | Canadian authorities do not authenticate foreign documents, even if they have been notarized by a Canadian notary or notary public. The country that issued the documents may authenticate them or obtain an apostille for them. |
Table 2. Where to get an apostille on Canadian documents that are not notarized
| Document issued by | Send to |
| Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Prince Edward Island Yukon |
Global Affairs Canada |
| Alberta | Ministry of Justice of Alberta |
| British Columbia | Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia |
| Ontario | Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery of Ontario |
| Saskatchewan | Ministry of Justice and Attorney General of Saskatchewan |
If the country where I’m going isn’t a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, what should I do?
Document legalization is likely to be a necessary extra processing step if the destination country is not a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention. This entails delivering your document to the relevant consulate or embassy in the country of destination. The consular employees will verify that the apostille or authentication on your document is valid. After that, a stamp or sticker verifying the legality of your document will be instantly applied by it.
It should be noted that there is no “one size fits all” set of guidelines for the legalization process because, in contrast to the apostille process, each embassy establishes its own guidelines. This implies that you must use caution when processing document authentication and document legalization.
Can you assist with the legalization and apostille of Canadian documents?
Of course! document legalization and apostille for Canadian documents are our areas of expertise. Document Legalization of Canada have assisted hundreds of individuals and businesses with this process over the past decade. Together, we will decide which course of action makes sense for you. We will answer all of your questions during a free consultation with our professional apostille specialist. You can reach us by filling out a quick online form or by giving us a call at 1-833-700-5342 toll-free. We’ll reply to you straight away!
