You might need to have your documents validated and legalized if you plan to use a Canadian document outside of Canada. This article on the blog describes how to legalize your documents for use outside of Canada and how Downtown Notary can be of assistance.
What is legalization?
In order to utilize Canadian documents outside of Canada, they must first undergo legalization.
There are three steps to getting your documents legalized:
- Have your documents notarized by a notary public
- Get your documents authenticated by either the Government Official Document Services or the Government of Canada’s Global Affairs Canada. Authentication is the formal confirmation that a signature, stamp, or seal on a document is genuine.
- Global Affairs Canada (formerly known as Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada) is the Canadian government department responsible for promoting Canada’s interests and values abroad.
- Official Document Services is the department of the Government that authenticates official documents.
- Get your documents legalized by the embassy or consulate of the country where you will be using them. The embassy or consulate will place their own stamp or seal on the document, which makes it official in that country.
Is legalization the same as apostille?
Legalization is the same as an apostille in Canada. The term “apostille” refers to the legal certification process used to allow a document issued in one nation to be used in another. Canada does not apostille documents because it is not a signatory to the agreement that governs this process. Canada instead employs legalization and authentication.
What types of documents can be legalized?
Documents that require legalization include, but are not limited to:
- Birth certificates
- Statutory declarations of marital status
- Marriage certificates
- Divorce certificates
- Death certificates
- Adoption papers
- Powers of attorney
- Educational transcripts and diplomas
How do I know if my documents need to be legalized?
Each nation has certain rules governing which kinds of documents must be legalized before they may be used there. If you’re unsure whether your documents require legalization, get advice from the consulate or embassy of the nation where they will be used.
Can electronically notarized documents be legalized?
In general, legalization is possible for documents that have been notarized using online notary services. However, to authenticate documents, Global Affairs Canada and Official Document Services demand the notary’s ink signature and embossing seal. The good news is that we can easily mail you a hard copy of your electronically notarized document with your notary’s signature and seal if you need to get it legalized.
LET JURIS NOTARY HELPDo you need to consult with someone about your legal matters or need to get any documents notarized? Get in touch with Juris Notary, and we’ll be happy to help you out or point you in the correct direction if need be.
