Attesting Canadian Documents (FAQs)

Yes - Canada joined the Apostille Convention in January 2024.

Canadian documents can now be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When Canadian documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.

For further information see:
Canada Apostille Services

For further information about Apostille certification in Canada, see:
Canada Apostille Services

Canadian Apostille stamps can be obtained for documents issued by the Government of Canada, by Provincial Authorities and recognized education institutions, as well as documents certified by a Canadian notary, including

• Birth, death and marriage certificates issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office.
• Criminal record checks issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) by a provincial or municipal police agency.
• Educational certificates and diplomas, including CEGEP diplomas and academic transcripts.
• Company certificates issued by Corporations Canada.
• Notarized copies of Canadian passports and identity documents.
• Court documents, including divorce certificates.

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in Canada, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Canadian apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Canadian documents, see:
Canada Apostille Services

Apostilles from Global Affairs Canada take 3 months

Apostilles that can be obtained from Provincial Authorities (Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan) take 5 - 15 business days

Canadian Apostille Stamps issued by the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario can be verified online:

• Ontario Apostille verification
• Quebec Apostille verification (in French)

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Canadian document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit a Canadian birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in Canada certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in Canada and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because Canada is a member of the Apostille Convention, Canadian documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If a Canadian document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Canadian authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in Canada or non-resident embassy accredited to Canada).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in Canada including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
• ISAREY reviews on Google

Canada Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of Canadian documents certified with Apostille stamps:

• Canadian RCMP criminal record certificate with Apostille Stamp (PDF)

See What does an Apostille look like?

Certified copies of Canadian birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates can be obtained from the vital statistics office or the province or territory where the event took place.

• Alberta - birth, death and marriage certificates
• British Columbia - birth, death and marriage certificates
• Ontario - birth, death and marriage certificates
• Quebec - birth, death and marriage certificates

Apostilles for Canadian birth, marriage and death certificates are obtained from Provincial Authorities (certificates issued in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan) or from Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa (certificates issued in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Yukon). Certificates must be issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. Notarized copies cannot be authenticated.

Canadian Apostilles are only available for original certificates issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. Notarized copies cannot be authenticated.

Documents issued by Corporations Canada bearing an original signature or seal may be submitted directly to Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa. Business or corporate records, including commercial invoices, corporate by-laws, articles of incorporation, and provincial business registration documents must be notarized and can be authenticated by Global Affairs or by Provincial Authorities (documents issued in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario or Saskatchewan).

Criminal record checks issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa. Documents issued by a provincial or municipal police agency need to be notarized before being sent for authentication to Global Affairs. Certificates issued by provincial or municipal police services in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan can be authenticated with an Apostille from the Provincial Authority.

Canadian Criminal record checks are available from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ottawa (applications must be submitted though an authorized 3rd party provider). Name-based and certified fingerprint based certificates are available. Criminal record checks are also available from Provincial and Municipal police agencies (online, in person or by mail depending on the police service).

• RCMP Criminal record checks
• Toronto - Criminal Record Check
• https://vpd.ca/contact-us/police-information-checks/
• Calgary - Police Information Checks
• Edmonton - Police Information Check

To have your fingerprints taken outside Canada for submission to the RCMP's Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS), and for more information on having your fingerprints taken in different countries, see:

• Canada criminal record check - fingerprints
• Getting your fingerprints taken

Canadian degree certificates required for submission to the authorities of Qatar or in support of Qatari visa and residency applications must be legalized by Canada Global Affairs and then attested by the Qatari embassy in Ottawa. For employment purposes, the embassy requires the original diploma and original transcripts, both legalized. A second copy of the transcripts must be sent to the embassy directly by the Registrar’s Office of the university, together with a completed "True Copy Certificate" form.

Canadian degree certificates required for submission to the authorities of Saudi Arabia can now be authenticated with an Apostille stamp, by submitting the original diploma or a certified copy to Global Affairs Canada or a Provincial Authority.

Canadian degree certificates required for submission to the Chinese authorities can now be authenticated with an Apostille stamp, by submitting the original diploma or a certified copy to Global Affairs Canada or a Provincial Authority.

Canada Apostilles can be obtained for College and University diplomas issued by recognized institutions. Original college and university diplomas, and original academic transcripts signed by the registrar, do not need to be notarized. Apostilles (applied to the original or a copy certified by a Canadian notary) are available from Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa or from provincial Authorities (Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan).

Elementary or high school diplomas can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp when issued by a recognized Canadian elementary or high school. Diplomas must be certified by a notary before being submitted for an Apostille to Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa or Provincial Authority (Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan).

A Power of Attorney can be sworn before a Canadian notary and then authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from Global Affairs Canada or by the Provincial Authorities of Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan when the notary is based in the province.

To obtain an apostille to authenticate a Canadian passport or other identity document, a copy of the original should be certified by a Canadian notary. An apostille can then be obtained from Global Affairs Canada or from the Provincial Authority where the notary is based.

For assistance notarizing Canadian passports from abroad, please Contact us.

Canadian medical certificates must be notarized. They can then be authenticated with an Apostille stamp from Global Affairs or the Provincial Authority where the notary is based.