Government of Canada to implement Apostille Convention on January 11, 2024. This system aims to simplify authentication of public documents. This means that a single certificate, called Apostillewill be needed to authenticate Canadian public documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, educational documents, government-issued export and commercial records, and notarized documents.
Member countries of the Apostille Convention should more readily accept these documents as valid.
- Date of introduction January 11, 2024
- Main objective Simplify document authentication
- Member countries : around 120 countriesincluding France, Belgium and the United Kingdom
Role of Canadian provinces in issuing Apostilles
Under this change, the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan will be responsible for issuing Apostilles for documents issued or notarized in their respective provinces. Participation in this convention eliminates some of the steps required to have Canadian documents accepted abroad.
What does this mean for travelers and immigrants?
This new method will make it possible to reduce lead times and costs authentication of public documents for use in 125 countries. Residents of British Columbia, for example, will only need an Apostille to authenticate their documents locally before sending them to a foreign consulate.
“Anyone who has ever had to authenticate public documents knows that the process can be daunting."declared Niki SharmaAttorney General of Canada. "People often have tight deadlines to have their documents authenticated locally before sending them to a foreign consulate, and we know that submitting late can have an impact on employment or study opportunities..”
When I was preparing to study in China, I had to travel from Victoria to Vancouver to have my documents authenticated in person at the Chinese embassy. It's great to know that future students won't have this extra hassle when planning their stay abroad.
Wyatt Matthewsformer international exchange student at the University of Victoria
In a nutshell:
- Possible reasons for document authentication These include moving, working or studying abroad, registering vital events (marriages, births, deaths) in their country of origin, repatriating remains, managing international affairs and settling inheritance matters.
- Issuing Apostille Certificates Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan.
- Global Affairs Canada will handle apostilles for federal documents or those originating from Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island and Yukon.
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