The Canadian government has updated the guidelines for apostille on its official portal

On January 31, 2025, an updated guide for document legalization with an apostille was published on the Canada Government Website

It is emphasized that the location of the apostille depends on where the document was issued or notarized.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada certifies documents with an apostille that have been issued by the government of the country as well as by the following provinces and territories: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.

At the local level, documents are apostilled in regions such as Alberta (in English), British Columbia (in English), Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.

If a document has been notarized in Alberta, Ontario, or Saskatchewan, it must be sent to the competent authority in that province, regardless of where it was issued. In British Columbia and Quebec, the competent authority can only verify the authenticity of a notarized document if the original document was issued in that province.

Responsible authorities for apostille

Please note that not all countries require the authentication or legalization of Canadian documents before they can be used on their territory. The same applies to the obligation to submit an application instead of a certificate of no impediment to marriage if you intend to marry abroad. For this reason, as the first step, you should clarify the requirements by contacting the embassy, representation, or consulate of the country where your document will be used, the guide states.

The provincial and territorial services operate independently of the Canadian government and may have different processing times and service fees.

Particularities of legalization

If a document is partially or entirely written in a language other than English or French, a certified translation must be attached.

A certified translation is a translation that has been certified by a member of an accredited provincial translation organization.

A translation certificate can also be issued by a Canadian notary who is fluent in the relevant language. The notary must confirm that they are proficient in both languages in the pair and certify the accuracy of the translation. However, there are exceptions. Translations are not required for diplomas from Canadian universities issued in Greek or Latin, as well as for "Certificates of Life" (Les certificats de vie).

Reasons for the rejection of apostille:

• The signature and stamp cannot be verified;
• The documents have a religious nature;
• The documents were issued by foreign institutions;
• The diplomas were issued by officially unrecognized educational institutions;
• The documents are laminated.
• It is not possible to affix a sticker to the document.

If there are doubts about the authenticity of the documents or if they are associated with the risk of fraudulent activities, the competent authority has the right to report them to the police. If legalization requires contacting embassies or consulates, it should be checked whether the documents have been delivered, and the delivery time should be taken into account when determining deadlines.

How can we help?

We will be happy to help you with apostille and legalization of documents for use abroad. You can always contact Schmidt & Schmidt, we have accumulated vast experience in legalization of various documents and we provide all necessary services in this area, including making notarized copies, translation, preparation of necessary powers of attorney, legalization of documents in government agencies and consulates of foreign countries, as well as delivery of finished documents to most countries of the world. You can read more about the legalization and apostille procedure on our website.