Global Affairs Canada Authentication of Documents

The actual authentication of a document is quick. Once the Global Affairs Canada Authentication Agent has verified the official signature it is as quick as a few stamps and a signature so about 2 minutes. This answer usually makes many of our client’s ask, “why does it take 15 business days or more then?” Good question and one we have been asking ourselves more often lately as things get back to normal with other government services. To keep people up to date Global Affairs Canada does post a monthly estimated average processing time which for the month of September is 15 business days. If dealing with them directly they also do not respond to request or the confirmation of receipt of your document until 25-30 business days after you have sent it.  

If you need to validate a Canadian document for official use in a foreign country, it is important to get it right the first time. Time is often of the essence for our clients, and waiting 25-30 business days for Global Affairs Canada to respond is not always feasible. At ALSC, we offer faster service solutions and our experts can save you time and money with shipping. Our ALSC order status tracker and email updates keep you informed throughout the process, providing peace of mind. By choosing ALSC authentication services, you can avoid frustration and delays associated with waiting for Global Affairs Canada to confirm receipt or authentication issues with your document. Our team of international document experts provides exceptional customer service and can answer any questions you may have. This is what sets ALSC apart from navigating the public service on your own – our clients want an expert to guide them.

Unfortunately, no due to Global Affairs Canada’s temporary operating rules it makes it impossible for us to offer our 1, 3 or 10-day Authentication Service. So, for now we will only be offering one speed of service based on their current authentication processing times learn more here. 

No, they can either authenticate the original document, if it has an official signature recognized by Global Affairs Canada or a notarized copy made by a Canadian Notary. The authentication process requires the document to be physically present because it is reliant on the official signature on the document and not the content of the document. What Global Affairs Canada is doing when authenticating a document is verifying the official signature on your document and confirming it matches the one in their registry. If the document is a digital scan or photocopy there is no real signature to authenticate only a copy of a signature. If you need help with sending your document to us for authentication, simply ask your ALSC agent about our easy shipping solutions.

When using a document internationally it’s important to check with the requesting party in-country for requirements to find out the correct type of document that you need. In most cases, they will need you to provide your document in a certain format style or the original document itself. To reiterate, in no way can a digital scan or photocopy of a document be authenticated with Global Affairs Canada.

In some cases, you may want to make a notarized copy of your original Canadian document in order to keep your original document in pristine shape for use in the future. For those clients that must have their Canadian documents notarized, it is because their document does not have an official signature on it that is recognized by Global Affairs Canada. In these cases, you will need to have your document notarized by a Canadian Notary. This is a service we can provide if you send the Original Document to our office. Simply ask your ALSC agent about our notarization service.

In order to use your notarized document internationally, the document must go through a few more government steps to be validated. The first of these steps is to have the Notary Public’s signature authenticated at Global Affairs Canada. All registered Canadian Notaries have their signatures on file with Global Affairs Canada. Therefore, all English or French documents that have been Notarized by a Canadian Notary can be authenticated if it is for use internationally. As this question comes up often and with so much misleading information about this on the internet, we thought it important to hear it from the experts at ALSC.

The simple answer is, Yes, it does matter. Global Affairs Canada will only authenticate a foreign language document if a notarized translation in English or French has been prepared by a certified Canadian translator. This problem comes up often for our clients which is why we help with translation services. If this is you simply speak with one of our ALSC agents, they will be able to assist with the fastest and most economical way to have your foreign language document authenticated.

To get started with the translation of your foreign language document for the authentication and legalization process in Canada is easy with ALSC. All we require is a scan of the original notarized foreign language document for review as fees are determined on a per word basis. In the rare case where we are unable to assist because of the availability of a translator in the language required for your document, we will quickly let you know. In most cases we will be able to help, responding back with our quote for translation services with the required notary fee and the authentication and legalization service fees to complete the process.

No, all documents are authenticated by the Global Affairs Canada Authentication Services Section located in Ottawa which is near our ALSC National Office. Our ALSC Service Centers in Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Mississauga, North York, Montreal, and Halifax are to assure our clients’ regional ease of access to authentication services across Canada with free FedEx shipping saving them both time and money.

If you want to use one of our ALSC Service Center, submit a request a personal quote or call our toll free number at 1-800-336-1132 Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM to speak to a friendly agent at our Ottawa National Office. We generally require 1-hour notice to set up an appointment for you at any of our Service Center locations. Once this has been done you are ready to drop off your ALSC order form, documents, and embassy requirements if necessary, at the ALSC Service Center most convenient to you. The reception staff will be waiting for you to ship the document overnight to our National Office in Ottawa, where it will be processed. Now we do our part, first updating you by email that your document has been received by our Ottawa National Office for processing. In the email, we will provide you a file number so you can keep up to date using our Order Status Tracker.

Upon completion of the process, we will update you by email that your document on its way back by ALSC Service Center. After FedEx delivers the package you will be notified by email and you can pick up your completed document at our ALSC Service Center at your convenience Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, it’s that easy.