How to Prepare Your Documents for Apostille

You might be asked for an apostille on your business or personal documents in a variety of situations. In the end, a certain procedure must be followed in order to acquire the proper signatures and stamps on a document that is intended to be used in another country.

As per the provisions of The Hague Apostille Convention, signatory nations are obligated to acknowledge public papers issued by other signatory nations, as long as those documents bear the globally recognized apostille as an authentication form. Apostilles guarantee that official documents issued in one signatory nation will be accepted as legitimate and lawful in every other signatory nation.

The document you have is not from Canada

An apostille certificate from the country of origin or legalization by the relevant diplomatic mission in the country of origin are required for documents that were not issued in Canada.

The document may be granted an apostille certificate by the country of origin if both the destination country and the country of origin have ratified the agreement.

The typical procedure is authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country of origin, followed by legalization at the destination country’s diplomatic representation, if the destination country is not a signatory to the convention.

The document you have is issued from Canada

An apostille cannot be obtained for Canadian documents because Canada is not a party to the Hague Convention. In order for Canadian documents to be accepted abroad, they need to go through an authentication and legalization procedure.

Authenticating your documents at Global Affairs Canada (JLAC) is the first step in the authentication and legalization procedure. The diplomatic mission of the nation you are visiting must then legalize them.

The legalization and authentication of Canadian documents must meet very strict guidelines set forth by the Department of Foreign Affairs – (JLAC) and every foreign diplomatic mission based in Ottawa. The process is less stressful and takes few weeks to complete when Document Legalization of Canada apostille service is used.  Feel free to contact our accredited apostille specialist at 1-833-700-5342 or by filling the below form.

Did you get a request to have your documents apostille-stamped? Documents that are going to be used abroad frequently need to have an apostille stamp applied to them. But before you begin the procedure, there are a few things you should be aware of.

An Apostille stamp: what is it?

Countries that have ratified the Hague Apostille Convention have agreed to accept public records issued by other signatory nations as long as those documents are authenticated with the addition of a “apostille,” an internationally accepted form of authentication. Apostilles guarantee that official documents issued in one signatory nation will be accepted as legitimate and lawful in every other signatory nation.

But it’s not really a stamp at all. It is an official document with a certificate attached.

In Canada, how may one obtain an apostille?

The short answer is that a Canadian document will have an apostille stamp applied to it. As of January 2024, Canada became a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. Authentication and legalization will only be done for countries who are not a member of the Apostille Convention.

What do authentication and legalization mean?

The procedure of authentication and legalization makes it possible for your Canadian documents to be accepted abroad. The procedure entails document authentication at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa, followed by legality at the country of destination’s diplomatic post. An embassy or consulate of a foreign country in Canada is known as a diplomatic mission.

The requirements for the authentication and legalization of Canadian documents are fairly strict and they are shared by Global Affairs Canada and every diplomatic mission. It’s crucial to learn about the requirements beforehand or hire an accredited company by Global Affairs Canada to that specializes in apostille of documents for use international use.

You might be required to get an apostille on your documents if you intend to conduct business or reside overseas.

The following are the top 20 types of documents that frequently need a “apostille” in order to be used abroad:

By no means is this a comprehensive list of all the documents. If properly prepared, almost any kind of document can go through this process.

What is an Apostille?

Countries that have ratified The Hague Apostille Convention have agreed to accept documents issued by other signatory nations as long as those documents are authenticated with the addition of a “apostille,” an internationally accepted form of authentication. Apostilles guarantee that official documents issued in one signatory nation will be accepted as legitimate and lawful in every other signatory nation.

As of January 11, 2024, Canada has ratified the Hague Convention. Therefore, the formally used procedure that we refer to as “authentication and legalization.” is still valid for countries who is not part of the Hauge Convention.

How Does One Go About Obtaining Authentication and Legalization?

Authenticating your documents at Global Affairs Canada is a step in the legalization and authentication process. The diplomatic embassy of your destination country must then legalize them.

The requirements for the legalization and authentication of Canadian documents are fairly stringent, and they are shared by Global Affairs Canada and every diplomatic station. Additional requirements, including notarization or translation, can be necessary in some circumstances.

We would be pleased to talk with you about your circumstances and address any questions that you may have regarding the procedure or your documentation. Contact us by phone at 1-833-700-5342 (toll free) or fill the request for a quote