Apostille certificates are only issued in countries that have signed the Hague Apostille agreement, which Canada has not. To find out what countries that have signed the Apostille agreement to find out more click here. If using your Canadian document in one of these countries you will be asked to get an Apostille for it. Having your document Apostilled will make it valid for use in country but if Canada has no Apostille then what do you do? To validate documents for use abroad the Canadian government follows the original process of authentication and legalization. This process was also used by countries before they signed the Hague agreement so it is accepted as the equivalent to an Apostille.
Authentication of Documents for use abroad at Global Affairs Canada
The first step to validate your document takes place at Global Affairs Canada Authentication Services Section located close to our Ottawa office. Their function is to review the official signature on your document to see if it is registered. This applies to documents like a Canadian Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Police Check, Degree, Power of Attorney or Corporate documents to name a few. Once they confirm the signature is the same as the one in their registry they authenticate the name of the person. It’s important to know that Global Affairs Canada does not authenticate the content, legality or the credibility of the document only the signature.
Current processing times for Global Affairs Canada Authentication Services Section, if sending your document by mail or courier, is 25 business days. This seems like a long time even without considering that there may be a problem with your document qualifying or needing extra attention. This is where our services can help you shorten the process to 1, 3 or 10 business days, depending on your schedule, and also guarantee that your document will be authenticated. Feel free to speak with one of our friendly staff about Global Affairs Canada and their authentication of document requirements to get started.
Ottawa Embassy Legalization also called Attestation
Now that we have authenticated your document at Global Affairs Canada it is ready for legalization at the embassy. What does that mean you ask? Good question, we hear it often, it means the embassy will verify the signature of Global Affairs Canada. After careful examination of the signature they will sign, affix the countries seal and in some cases issue a registration number. In order to qualify for legalization countries also have other requirements such as fees, forms and identification documents to name a few. It’s important to have all in order to avoid delays or even the possibility of the document not to be legalized. One of the important challenges we have in providing our services is keeping up on these ever changing requirements to ensure the quick processing of our clients documents.
If you are using your Canadian document internationally its probably for an important reason and problems are the last thing you need. We understand this, and more importantly government process, so trust Canada’s experts – we are here to help. To get started today call Canada’s experts Authentication Legalization Services Canada. Toll Free from the United States-Canada at 1-800-336-1132 or