Canada has not joined the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Therefore, documents from Canada cannot be legalized by apostille, they will only be recognized abroad after consular legalization, meaning their authenticity must be confirmed separately.
By consular legalization the signature and the seal of foreign documents are authenticated. Responsible is the respective embassy of the country in which the document shall be used.
The following documents can be legalized:
- Excerpts from the Trade Register
- Certificates of civil status (certificates of birth, death, marriage and divorce)
- Education documents (school reports, certificates, diplomas)
- Judicial decisions
- Notarially certified copies of documents
- Notarially certified translations
- Further notarial documents (authorizations, last will, declarations)
Legalization of foreign documents for use in Canada
Foreign documents must be legalized before they can be used in Canada. The representations and embassies of Canada all over the world are in charge of this process.
Legalization of documents from Canada for use abroad
The legalization of a document is a very lengthy procedure. It has to be authenticated by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada. The document can then be finally legalized by the respective country's embassy.
Canada Apostille Service - Original Documents Express Service
14 Business Days Service
