On 11 January 2024, the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention, entered into force for Canada. The relevant announcement is posted on the official portal of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).
The Canadian authorities deposited the instruments of accession to the Convention on 12 May 2023. There are now 126 contracting parties officially participating in the Convention.
Canada has been a member of the Hague Conference on Private International Law since 1968, but it has not acceded to the Apostille Convention for a long time, in part because of disputes over the allocation of apostille powers.
Today, the issue of competences has been resolved. In 2023, official Ottawa announced that Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan would independently apostille documents issued in their territories. Apostilles for the remaining provinces, territories and for documents under the jurisdiction of the central government will be issued by the Office of International Relations Canada.
Apostille is an internationally standardized form that contains information about the legality of a document and is provided in the form of a special stamp on a paper carrier or a digital mark. Apostille stamp is placed on originals and copies of documents. Apostille does not require any other certification or legalization of the document and is recognized by the public authorities of all States Parties to the Convention. Sometimes apostille may not be used if there are any other legal grounds that cancel or simplify the legalization of a document.
Until now, a complex multi-stage consular legalization procedure that took several weeks was required to legalize documents issued by official authorities in Canada, or for foreign documents to be used in Canada. Now, thanks to apostilisation, this period will be significantly reduced.
What is an apostille?
What is an apostille? Why do I need an apostille? How do I get an apostille? - Our video will explain everything you need to know about the apostille. If you have a document that needs to be certified with an apostille for use abroad, Schmidt & Schmidt will assist you! We provide apostille services in more than 100 countries worldwide.
How can we help?
If you are outside of Canada, we are happy to assist you with apostille and legalization of your documents for use abroad.
You can always contact Schmidt & Schmidt, we have great experience in legalizing of different kind of documents and provide all the services you need, including notarized copies, translations, preparation of necessary powers of attorney, legalization of documents at government authorities and consulates of foreign countries, and also delivery of documents almost all other the world.
You can read more about the procedure of legalization and apostilization on our website.
