Schmidt & Schmidt covers the full spectrum of legalization services for documents issued in Canada.

Canada has been a Member of the HCCH since 1968; the Hague Convention on the Simplified Authentication entered into force on 11 January 2024.

The apostille, or the “Hague apostille” is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document (e.g., a birth, marriage or death certificate, a judgment, an extract of a register or a notarial attestation). It confirms the authenticity of the signature and the authority of an official who signed the public document.

Documents issued in Canada and certified with an apostille in accordance with the Hague Convention of 1961 are recognised in all Member States of the Hague Convention and do not require any other form of certification, such as consular legalization, which considerably reduces the costs and time required for the certification of documents. So far, more than 120 states have joined the Convention.

The apostille is not sufficient for use in the states that are not party to the Hague Convention. In this case, consular legalization applies to a public document.

Designated Competent Apostille Authorities in Canada:

• Global Affairs Canada
• The Ministry of Justice of Alberta
• The Ministry of the Attorney General of Britisch Columbia
• The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery of Ontario
• The Ministry of Justice and Attorney General of Saskatchewan
• The Ministére de la Justice du Québec

Types of documents

Legalization of Canadian educational documents for use abroad

People who study and work abroad need to apply for apostille certification to ensure that their academic qualifications and other related documents are authenticated. The certified document can be used in 125 countries or regions that have signed the Hague Convention, and it is fully recognized.

Educational documents issued in Canada, such as school reports, university degree certificates, transcripts of records, enrollment certificates and other certificates from schools or universities are not effective abroad until they are certified with an apostille. For example, an apostille for your foreign degree may be required to apply for a Master's or a PhD degree program.

To obtain an apostille of your academic certificate, you first need to ensure that your academic certificate is legal and valid, issued by a relevant educational institution and obtained through formal procedures. Usually, you may need to follow these steps:

• Submit your academic certificate to the education department for education certification. The education department will verify your academic certificates and confirm their legal status in the country. This procedure may require the applicant to provide some relevant documentation.
• Submit academic certificates to Global Affairs Canada to receive a stamp on your academic certificate with the official seal of Apostille.
• Present your document to the consular section of the specific countries Embassy or Consulate.

It should be noticed that different countries may have different certification requirements for academic certificates, so it is best to consult the professional agencies or embassies of the target country in advance.

Should a Canadian document be used in a country that does not recognize the Hague Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates or other countries not listed as a contracting party, the procedure of consular legalization, also called “embassy attestation”, applies. For a complete list of countries that accept and use apostilles, click here.

Consular legalization is the process of authenticating or certifying a legal document so a foreign country's legal system will recognize it as with full legal effect that is carried out by the diplomatic or consular mission of the country in which the document is to be used.

Consular legalization of Canadian documents for use abroad

Consular legalization is more complex, time-consuming and costly than the simpler apostille procedure. Whereas apostille is usually issued within one step, consular legalization requires several pre-certifications before a public document can be certified at the embassy or consulate of the destination country in Canada.

It is a common requirement that the document has to be translated into the official language of the destination country before submission to the embassy. It is up to the diplomatic mission to decide about the authentication procedure.

The main differences between an apostille and consular legalization of documents

The common feature between apostille and consular legalization is that they authenticate an official document for presentation to institutions in another country. However, they have many differences.

Procurement of documents from Canada

If the important documents are lost or damaged, or current copies of the documents are needed, the re-issue of the documents is required. It is not unusual for people outside Canada to encounter difficulties with obtaining new documents when abroad. Our consultants will help you procure new documents from Canada remotely, and we can arrange for your documents to be sent by courier anywhere in the world.

Certified translation of documents from Canada

Copies and transcripts of civil status documents can be translated into any language by a sworn translator in Canada or the translation can be done in the country of destination. We offer certified translations of civil status documents with further certification. The cost of the work is calculated according to the volume of the document in question.

Does the translation have to be apostillized?

Any foreign document issued in one country and used in another country must be legalized for use abroad. Therefore, the authenticity of a certified translation from Canada needs to be certified by an apostille. Consequently, many authorities may not accept certified translations from Canada if the translation has not been properly authenticated in Canada for use abroad. To avoid this confusion, translations should better be made in the state of destination of the document.