Canada Apostille Service

Certify documents issued in Canada for official use in the United States and abroad.

Certify documents issued in Canada for international use

Apostille Stamps in Canada can be obtained to authenticate official Canadian and provincial documents including Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates, RCMP Criminal Record Checks, Divorce certificates, Canadian university degrees and school certificates, name change certificates and corporate documents.

Since Canada joined the Apostille Convention in January 2024, Canadian documents required for other Convention countries can now be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp and no longer require attestation by the embassy of the recipient country. Canadian Apostilles are issued by Global Affairs Canada and by the Provincial Authorities of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

  • Apostilles issued by Global Affairs Canada take around 3 months
  • Apostilles issued by Provincial authorities take 5 - 15 business days
  • Isarey can assist with obtaining Apostille stamps from Global Affairs and Canadian Provinces. We also arrange embassy attestation in Ottawa for Canadian documents required for non-Apostille countries, including Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Right arrowFAQs - Canada Apostille Services

Right arrowGet a Quotation to Apostille Canadian Documents

Right arrowCertify international documents for use in Canada

Canadian Documents that can be authenticated with Apostille Stamps

  • Apostille Canadian birth, marriage and death certificates

    Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

    We obtain apostilles for Canadian birth, marriage and death certificates from the Provincial Authorities of Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan, and from Global Affairs Canada (other provinces and territories).
    Certificates must be issued by the provincial or territorial vital statistics office. Notarized copies are not valid for apostilles.
  • Apostille RCMP police checks in Canada

    Criminal Record Checks

    Certificates issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Ottawa are submitted to Global Affairs Canada for Apostille Stamps. Certificates issued by a provincial or municipal police agency need to be notarized and apostilled at Global Affairs oy by the Provincial authority (depending on the province of issue).
    For information about obtaining a name-based or fingerprints-based record check, see:
    RCMP Criminal record checksExternal link (opens in new tab)
  • Apostille Canadian university degrees and transcripts.

    College and university diplomas

    Canadian Apostilles can be obtained for educational certificates and documents issued by recognised academic institutions, including CEGEP diplomas, letters of enrolment and registration, academic transcripts.
    Degree certificates required for submission to authorities in Qatar, Vietnam or UAE are then attested at the respective embassy in Ottawa.
  • Notarized Documents

    Powers of Attorney, Affidavits, certified passport copies, contracts and other private documents certified by a notary in Canada.
  • Business and corporate documents

    Apostilles are obtained for corporate certificates issued by Corporations Canada, including federal incorporation certificates, certificates of compliance, certificates of existences and certificates of continuances. Canadian business and corporate records, including corporate by-laws, articles of incorporation, provincial business registration documents can also be authenticated once certified by a notary. Apostilles can also be obtained for certificates issued by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (e.g. trademark registration certificates), Certificates of Free Sale issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Certificates of Origin issued by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
  • Trade documents

    Apostille Canadian certificates of origin, certificates of free sale, commercial invoices, product health certificates, GMP certificates and other trade documents
  • Change of Name Certificate

    Canadian name change certificates must be issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. Notarized copies are not valid for an Apostille.

Isarey provides document attestation services in Canada to private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide. To find out about certifying Canadian documents for use in the United States and abroad, use our online quotation form or email us a scan or description of the documents you need to certify. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed:

6 steps to certify document issued in Canada

  1. Upload the documents you need attested or send them to us by email.
  2. Our experts will pre-check your documents to ensure that they are eligible for Apostille certification or consular legalization in the country where they are issued, and we’ll assist you locally in preparing them if required.
  3. We’ll send you a quotation with the total cost of the process (final price including all fees, certified translation when required and courier costs) and an estimation of how long the process will take to complete.
  4. We’ll arrange a secure courier to collect your original documents (where electronic versions are not sufficient).
  5. As soon as we receive your documents, we will confirm your order and proceed with the attestation process. Where appropriate, we will arrange certified copies for the attestation process so that we can return your originals directly.
  6. We return the attested documents to you by secure international courier.

Legalize Canadian Documents

Canadian documents can be legalized for cross-border use by means of Apostille Certification or Consular Legalization

Apostille Certification

An Apostille Stamp is a simplified procedure of international attestation. When affixed to documents, Apostilles are directly recognised by the authorities of over 120 countries (Signatories of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents Hague Apostille ConventionExternal link (opens in new tab)) as certifying the document’s validity, without requiring additional certification.

Since Canada is a signatory to the convention, Isarey can assist by obtaining Apostille Certification for Canadian documents so that they are valid for official use in other signatory countries, including: ES SpainSpain - IT ItalyItaly - PT PortugalPortugal - GR GreeceGreece - CY CyprusCyprus - FR FranceFrance - SA Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia - DE GermanyGermany - CN ChinaChina

Consular Legalization
Consular Legalization is required when a document from Canada is to be used in a non-signatory country. In this case, following authentication by authorities in Canada, the document must be certified a second time in Canada by the embassy representing the country where the document is to be used.

Countries which do not recognise Apostille certification and require consular legalization include: AE United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates - QA QatarQatar - TH ThailandThailand - TW TaiwanTaiwan - VN VietnamVietnam

Certified Translation

Where Canadian documents are to be used abroad and where the receiving country has a different official language, certified translation may also be required. Isarey takes care of any certified translations required as part of the document attestation process, ensuring that translations are carried out and certified in accordance with local regulations.

Note that a certified translation on its own only provides assurance that the translation itself is accurate and true; it does not confirm the authenticity of the original document. The original document must be legalized for a certified translation to carry equivalent legal weight.

Canada Document Resources

External resources and news about Canadian documents, apostilles and certification procedures.

CA
Canada Document Resources
Birth, Death, Marriage Certificates
Certificate of non-impediment to marriage abroad
Certificate of non-impediment to marriage abroad
Right arrowwww.international.gc.ca

Canada does not issue certificates of non-impediment to marriage. If necessary, the Authentication Service Section or, depending on the country, a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate can prepare a statement in lieu of a certificate of non-impediment to marriage abroad.

Alberta - Order a birth, death or marriage certificate
Alberta - Order a birth, death or marriage certificate
Right arrowwww.alberta.ca

Applications for certified copies of Alberta birth, death or marriage certificates can be submitted by mail.

British Columbia - order birth, death and marriage certificates
British Columbia - order birth, death and marriage certificates
Right arrowwww2.gov.bc.ca

British Columbia birth, death and marriage certificates can be ordered online, by mail or in person.

Ontario - order birth, death and marriage certificates
Right arrowwww.ontario.ca

Obtain certified copies of Ontario birth, death and marriage certificates

Quebec Certificates and copies of acts of civil status
Quebec Certificates and copies of acts of civil status
Right arrowwww.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca

A certificate or a copy of an act can be obtained for births, deaths and marriages occurring in Quebec

Criminal Record Certificates
Toronto Police Service - Criminal Record Check
Toronto Police Service - Criminal Record Check
Right arrowwww.tps.ca

A Criminal Record Check is an electronic document issued by the Toronto Police Service that indicates an applicant has no criminal convictions in the National Repository of Criminal Records maintained by the RCMP.

Vancouver - Police Information Checks
Vancouver - Police Information Checks
Right arrowvpd.ca

Police Information Checks are available to Vancouver residents by appointment. Certificates list criminal convictions from CPIC and/or local databases.

Calgary - Police Information Checks
Calgary - Police Information Checks
Right arrowwww.calgary.ca

Calgary Police Information Checks (PIC) are provided on a Calgary Police Service certificate letter and will include a Canada-wide Criminal Record History.

Edmonton - Police Information Check
Edmonton - Police Information Check
Right arrowwww.edmontonpolice.ca

Edmonton's online Police Information Check application process is fully electronic, including the results.

Apply for a Canadian Criminal Record Check
Right arrowwww.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police issue name-based and fingerprint-based (certified) record checks.

Document verification
Verify an Apostille issued in Ontario
Right arrowwww.officialdocuments.mgcs.gov.on.ca

Use this service if you want to verify an Apostille certificate issued in Ontario, Canada.

Verify an apostille issued by Quebec
Verify an apostille issued by Quebec
Right arrowregistreapostilles.gouv.qc.ca

Verify an apostille issued by Competent Authority of Quebec (in French)

CA
Canada Document News
864
Quebec notaries can no longer accept digital signatures
Right arrowmontreal.ctvnews.ca
Procedures had changed during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow people to sign documents from home once all the security checks had been made.
232
Apostille Convention Comes Into Effect In Canada On 11 January 2024
Right arrowwww.mondaq.com
The Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention) will come into effect in Canada on 11 January 2024. This will greatly simplify the process for having Canadian public documents legally certified for use in many countries.
Canada joins the Apostille Convention: What you need to know
Right arrowwww.lexology.com
On May 16th 2023, Global Affairs Canada announced that Canada has formally joined the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention). The Apostille Convention will come into effect in Canada on January 11, 2024.

The above links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; Isarey bears no responsibility for the accuracy, content or policies of external websites.

Get a Quotation for your Documents

We price each certification process individually, depending on the type and quantity of documents to be attested, the country of issue, the country of use and intended purpose, urgency, whether certified translations are required as part of the process and courier costs.

To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:

If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.

Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files (PDFExternal link (opens in new tab), Microsoft Office 365: Save a password protected document to prevent unauthorized people from opening it. Office DocumentsExternal link (opens in new tab), WinRAR Encryption Frequently asked question (FAQ) RAR foldersExternal link (opens in new tab)) and provide us with the passwords separately.

PERSONAL DATA: If your documents contain personal data belonging to people outside your household, please ensure that you are authorised to share this data before uploading your documents. If your documents contain sensitive personal data, such as biometric data, medical data or data on criminal convictions, please ensure that you indicate this when prompted, upon submitting your documents. For further information on our processing of personal data contained in uploaded documents, please see:
Privacy Policy (Customer Inquiries)

For further information on confidentiality in our handling of document content please see:
Confidentiality (Client Content)

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