The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) issues a Certificate of Residency to a Canadian citizen or Canadian business that conducts business in Canada. In addition to confirming that a person or organization is a resident of Canada, certificates of Canadian residency also show that a tax treaty between Canada and the foreign nation operates. These certificates are necessary when a Canadian receives income from several jurisdictions or when a firm transacts with a foreign business. This is so that both parties can benefit from existing tax treaties and avoid paying taxes on the same income in multiple jurisdictions.
Where to obtain a Certificate of Residency?
A Certificate of Residency may only be obtained by submitting a request to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). In most cases, a written request is required. But sometimes, you can order it by calling the CRA or by using CRA online services. You should be advised that the processing and issuance of your Certificate of Residency request may take several weeks.
What is an authenticated Certificate of Residency?
A copy of your document that has been certified as a “true copy” of the original by a notary public is known as a certified true copy. After verifying that the copy is a “certified true copy of the original,” the notary public will sign and stamp the document after comparing it to the original.
When you don’t want the authentication and legalization process to alter your original documents, you can utilize certified true copies. Certified authentic copies, however, are not accepted by all foreign authorities or diplomatic offices. We strongly advise you to confirm with the foreign authorities that, after being validated and legalized, a certified true copy will be accepted.
What is the process of document authentication?
Your Canadian Certificate of Residency will frequently need to go through the legalization and document verification process before it can be accepted in another nation. This procedure verifies a Canadian document’s legitimacy so that it can be recognized as official in other countries. Other terminology, such apostille or attestation, may be used to describe the process of document authentication and legalization. They all discuss the same procedure for allowing a document from one country to be used in another.
The authentication of the Certificate of Residency is merely one phase of a multi-step procedure. Actually, before it may be used overseas, it needs to pass three different stages:
Step 1: Getting the Document Ready
Making ensuring your Certificate of Residency is prepared for processing is the first step. You must have it notarized before you can start. The certificate must have the embossed seal and the signature of the Canadian Notary Public.
It might also be necessary for you to submit supporting documentation or a cover letter. To find out what particular criteria the destination country may have, we advise you to get in touch with their diplomatic mission beforehand.
Step 2: Document Authentication
Your document must be submitted for authentication to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) or the relevant provincial authorities whenever it is ready. To verify that your document has been validated, the authentication office will directly affix a stamp or certificate of authentication.
Prior to selecting an authentication office to authenticate your Certificate of Residency, you have to check whether the destination country’s embassy or consulate will accept provincial authentication. Federal authentication will be accepted by almost every country. Please feel free to ask our document processing experts for guidance if you are unclear about how to proceed.
