Government of Canada services and information in Algiers, Algeria

Refer to International adoption.

"Kafala" is the legal way to adopt a child in Algeria, but not like adoption as defined by Canadian law.

It has to be noted that kafala for Algerian children is only given to parents of Islamic faith.

Since kafala is the equivalent to guardianship not adoption, children under the kafala system are not eligible for immediate citizenship.

Your adopted child and yourself will have to go through the international adoption and immigration process before your child could join you in Canada.

Refer to Children born outside of Canada.

The Canadian registration certifcate of birth abroad are no longer issued since 1977.

If your child is born outside of Canada, you do not need to register the birth in Canada.

If you are Canadian and you have a child born in Algeria, you will need to submit an application for a citizenship certificate for him/her in order to get a Canadian passport.

In Algeria, it is mandatory to register the birth of any child within 5 days of delivery to the civil registrar of the place of birth. After 5 days, regularization by judicial means is necessary. Contact the vital statistics (État civil) office in the city of your residence for conditions to get this document.

More information available under the Acte de naissance.

Refer to Canadian citizenship.

If you were born in Canada, you do not need to apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate. Your proof of Canadian citizenship is your birth certificate issued by the province or territory where you were born.

If you are Canadian and you have a child who was born in Algeria, you need to submit an application for a citizenship certificate for them in order to get a Canadian passport.

In order to determine if you are a Canadian citizen, see: Apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate: Who can apply.

Complete a citizenship application before booking an appointment to present your documents in person. Bring your online payment receipt to your appointment. Please add your full name, your phone number and email address when booking your appointment. Without these details, the appointment is void.

Pay your application fees online before you apply for citizenship services.

Citizenship certificates cannot be mailed. You should book an appointment for a citizenship pick-up to collect the certificate. Please add your full name, your phone number and email address when booking your appointment. Without these details, the appointment is void.

Australians: Australian citizenship applications are not accepted at this office - you should contact the Australian Embassy in Cairo.

Refer to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Criminal record checks. This procedure usually involves that you submit your fingerprints.

Note: The Embassy does not provide fingerprinting services and cannot provide updates of any ongoing applications.

However, there are two ways to get this document:

1. To get a criminal record extract from the RCMP, you must first find a local police station that takes fingerprints.
   • You may then collect an application form C-216C from the consular section and send your application to the RCMP directly with the relevant documents.
   • For more information, please visit the RCMP website.
2. You may get a Canadian police recordthrough a private company.

For references purposes, two Canadian companies offering this service are:

• Worldwide Forensinc Services Inc.
• Sterling backcheck

Legalization of a criminal record check

Algerian authorities sometimes require that the document be legalized by the Embassy. Our consular service can legalize Canadian Criminal Record checks issued by the RCMP headquarters in Ottawa, Canada.

If your document was issued by another police service, you must have this document notarized in Canada before you submit it to us for legalization. More information can be found under the Notarial services section.

Refer to Death abroad.

In Algeria, a declaration of death must be completed within 24 hours.

More details regarding the death declaration are available at acte de décès (interieur.gov.dz).

Cremation services are not available in Algeria.

Following the death of a Canadian citizen in Algeria, the family or relatives of the deceased can contact us to get a list of funeral homes as well, as the procedure to follow to repatriate the remains to Canada.

More information available on Foreigners (interieur.gov.dz).

Divorce procedure in Algeria

In case of a divorce procedure, it is recommended to seek advice from a lawyer. See Ask Travel under General Consular Services for a list of lawyers in Algeria or email us at algercs@international.gc.ca.

Frequently asked question:

Is my Canadian divorce recognised in Algeria?

Any divorce judgement issued by a foreign court must be recognised by Algeria. An act of execution (Exequatur du jugement de divorce) must be obtained from the tribunal in Algeria.

Act of execution is a court order by an Algerian judge which makes enforceable in Algeria a final judgment of divorce or ruling of a foreign Court/Tribunal.

It should be noted that the Embassy cannot intervene in divorce proceedings or get legal documents.

To get the exequatur of a judgment, it is advisable to consult a lawyer in Algeria.

The Embassy cannot give any legal advice. If you need to discuss your situation with a professional lawyer, you can contact one of the lawyers listed on Ask Travel. Choose Emergency Assistance and then click on Which lawyers can I contact abroad.

You can also contact a lawyer of your choice, registered with a bar association in Algeria. You can also get a list of lawyers by email at algercs@international.gc.ca.

Refer to Marriage outside Canada.

You cannot get married at a Canadian Embassy or Consulate in a foreign country. Canadian consular officials do not perform marriage ceremonies, and they do not have to attend your marriage.

Any Canadian citizen wishing to marry in Algeria, the marriage should be celebrated according to the Algerian laws.

It is also important to verify the applicable legal and religious obligations that are part of this process. Note that if the Canadian citizen wishing to enter into marriage in Algeria is a man, it is mandatory that he first convert to Islam.

Further information about the marriage procedure is available at the Algerian Ministry of the Interior and Local Authorities website (in French only).

Before leaving Canada, it is strongly recommended to ask you fiancé(e) to help you confirm the Algerian procedures by contacting the bureau des étrangers of the wilaya where you intend to get married.

Please note that the Algerian authorities will ask you, among other documents, to present a criminal record, a long format birth certificate and a certificate stating that there are no impediments to your marriage. As Canadian law does not require or provide for the issuance of this latter certificate, a statement in lieu of the certificate of non-impediment will be issued.

Before booking an appointment online for a notarial service, and in order to enable us to prepare the certificate of non-impediment, email algercs@international.gc.ca the following information (processing time is 3 days):

• Page 2 of your Canadian passport;
• Your present address in Canada;
• A phone number in Algeria where to reach you if necessary;
• Your fiancé(e)’s full name, place and date of birth;
• Your fiancé(e)’s parents full name.

When booking an appointment online, please add your full name, phone number and email address. Without these details, the appointment is void.

Before booking an appointment online for a notarial service, to obtain a Canadian criminal record authentication, please email the below to algercs@international.gc.ca (processing time is 10 days):

• Page 2 of your Canadian passport;
• Your Canadian criminal record.

When booking an appointment, please add your full name, phone number and email address. Without these details, the appointment is void.

Register a foreign marriage in Canada

As Canada does not have a central registry office, there is no specific procedure for registering your Algerian marriage at the Canadian Embassy in Algiers. Even if your new civil status is recognised in Canada, and your Algerian document is accepted by the Canadian authorities, some provincial civil status services have their own procedures for registering a marriage celebrated abroad. Please contact your provincial registry office for more information.

The consular section of the Embassy of Canada in Algiers provides notarial services, by appointment only, to Canadian citizens.

In limited cases, notarial services are offered to non-Canadian citizen if the documents are intended for use in Canada but not as part of the immigration process or visa application.

When booking your appointment, please add your full name, phone number and email address. Without these details, the appointment is void.

Note:

Documents must be in English or French, or accompanied by an official translation in English or French.

You must present your original documents and a valid Canadian passport or valid ID for non-Canadians.

Notarial services cannot provide documents to confirm your identity (such as identity confirmation form for a bank lawyer, documents for the Medical Council of Canada, or any other documents to confirm your identity to professional authorities in Canada).

Driver licences are not renewed at the Embassy but directly with your province of residence in Canada. We do not offer a certificate of conformity service for Canadian driver's licenses. However, it is possible to get a certified true copy of your original Canadian driver license.

Authentication/Attestation: (certify the document signature, the position of an official and the seal are genuine):

• Documents issued in Canada must be authenticated by Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa before the office will certify the documents (fees apply).
• Clients requiring information about authenticating documents while outside Canada, refer to Authentication of documents

Certified copy (certify the document is a true copy of the original):

• Documents presented for use in Canada (fees apply).
• Government-issued identification requiring a certified true copy (fees apply).

Witness a signature (consular officer witnesses a signature)

• Documents presented by a Canadian citizen for use in Canada or Algeria (fees apply).

You have to complete all the necessary paperwork before presenting yourself at your appointment, but leave the date and your signature blank. Those must be added in front of the officer. Note that if the witnesses must sign your document, both you and the witnesses must be present at the Embassy on your appointment day. Witnesses must have their own original official and valid pieces of identification. It is your responsibility to ensure that your witnesses meet the eligibility criteria. Your presence is mandatory for this service.

Note:

• The processing times for the notarial services are between 3 and 10 working days.
• We will contact you by email to collect your documents and to pay the fees.
• Consular Services: Service Standard

Australians: In accordance with the Canadian-Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement, notarial services are not available to Australian citizens.

Refer to Canadian passports and travel documents.

As a Canadian citizen, a Canadian visa cannot be issued to you. You must have a valid Canadian passport to enter Canada.

Passport validity is not extendable. You must apply for a new passport. If you do not have blank pages on your valid passport, you can renew it and pay the fees by booking an appointment.

You have to pay online for all your passport services before completing your passport application. You have to present your receipt with the application during your appointment.

Book an appointment to present in person your documents and your receipt paid online.

When you book your appointment, please add your first and last name, phone number and email address. Without these details, the appointment is void.

Important:

Please select passport application form for 'Canadians applying outside of Canada and the USA'.

If it is your first adult passport application over 16 years, it is not a simplified renewal application.

If you have more than one application at a time, please select family passport application when booking an appointment.

Mailed or emailed passport applications are not accepted.

Passports cannot be mailed. Clients have to come to the Embassy to pick up their passport.

Upon receipt of your passport, we will contact you by email inviting you to book an appointment to collect it. When collecting your passport, your original documents will be returned to you as well as your previous passport if you checked the 'Yes, please return it to me' box in the application.

• Report a lost or stolen passport

If your valid passport is lost or stolen, inaccessible, damaged send an email to algercs@international.gc.ca as soon as possible with:

• A copy of the 2nd page of your passport, if available;
• Full name and date of birth;
• Arrival date in Algeria;
• Planned travel date, if available;
• Phone number.

You must also include the following with your passport application:

• A completed Statutory Declaration form - PPTC 203;
• The original police report, along with a translation in French or English.

*If applicable, report the event to your local police station and get a police report.

Children:

For a child passport application, the presence of both parents and the children is strongly recommended.

The signature of both parents on the child passport application form is mandatory and both parents’ original IDs must be presented.

PPTFC028 (parents consent): from Monday to Wednesday, 9:00 to 11:00 without appointment.

Passport - Frequently asked questions

• Who can act as a guarantor?
• I can't find a guarantor, what can I do?
• Who can act as a reference?
• Note: References are not required to reside in Algeria or in Canada, nor are they required to be Canadian citizens.
• What proof of Canadian citizenship is acceptable?
• What are the photo requirements?
• In the event of separation or divorce, who can apply for a passport on behalf of a child?
• What are the processing times for a regular passport application?
• I have been in Algeria less than 2 months, what should I do if I am turned back at the airport because I did not have a valid Canadian passport when returning home?

You can visit the Embassy between 10:30 and 11:00, from Sunday to Wednesday with:

• Your passport used to enter Algeria and the missing flight ticket;
• Submit a completed passport application and supporting documents - follow the instructions available on the Passport page. Please select the form 'outside Canada and the United States';
• Present receipt for payment for a regular passport fees and temporary passport 110$CAN payable online.

The processing standards for a temporary passport are less than 20 working days.

Australian passports are not issued by this office. Please email algercs@international.gc.ca for more information.

Refer to Benefits for Canadians living abroad and Retiring abroad.

To apply for a retirement benefit in Canada, contact the relevant services in Canada directly. Find information at Public pensions.

For the province of Québec, contact Retraite Québec for more details.

The consular service of the Embassy does not have access to individual files related to pensions. If you have a question about your file, contact the service in Canada directly.

The consular service can help you to get certified copy of your Canadian documents if you need them to submit your retirement file in Canada.

Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Algeria.

Refer to Studying abroad and EduCanada.

The consular section at the Embassy of Canada in Algiers does not offer visa and immigration services. The consular section does not provide information related to visa applications, immigration, permanent residency and sponsorship and do not respond to emails or calls on this subject. The consular section is only responsible for services to Canadian citizens.

Refer to Travel documents – Visas.

• Apply to travel, study, work or immigrate to Canada.
• Find a visa application centre (VAC) to book an appointment to give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo).
• Submit an enquiry using the IRCC web form to contact a visa office.

Permanent residents of Canada: Find out how to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD).

Refer to Voting in an election while outside Canada.