Authentication of documents: Frequently asked questions

We count processing times from the day when we receive your documents in our office.

Processing time doesn’t include mailing time. Please plan on up to 5 business days for your documents to reach us when you send them to us by regular mail, and up to 5 business days for the documents to reach you when we return them to you.

Warnings:

• You must follow all our requirements and procedures. If you don't, we will return your documents by regular mail. We won't authenticate them.
• We aren't responsible for lost documents, whether shipped by regular mail or by courier.
• We can't track your documents during shipping.

We do not offer expedited services so please plan your request accordingly. If you have urgent and exceptional circumstances (generally defined as unexpected events outside of the applicant’s control and that require immediate action) and want us to consider processing your document in priority, you may contact us. Please note that you do not need to hire a third-party company to submit your request to our office.

Please note that we can only provide a status update regarding a request submitted to the Authentication Services Section only after a minimum wait time has lapsed. If you have asked us to forward your documents to an embassy, high commission or consulate, check the status of your documents with them first.

For information on the minimum wait time to request a status update and to access the status update form, please visit Check the status of your request to authenticate documents.

If you request contains at least one document that is destined to a country for which one of the options listed in the Alternatives to authentication by the Authentication Services Section at Global Affairs Canada page is available, the longer processing time will apply to the entire submission. Therefore, if you wish the documents destined to countries for which no alternative is available be processed according to the shorter processing time, you will have to submit them separately.

The requirement to get your documents authenticated by a Canadian authority (federal or provincial/territorial) is entirely determined by the laws, regulations or practices of the country where your Canadian document is destined. As a result, you will have to enquiry with appropriate authority (e.g., the embassy. High commission or consulate in Canada) of the country of destination of your document whether these or other alternatives may be available to you. Please note that the Authentication Services Section cannot advise you on the availability or suitability of any of these options.

Our office processes requests in the order in which they are received. No rush service is available at the moment. If you have urgent and exceptional circumstances (generally defined as unexpected events outside of the applicant’s control and that require immediate action) and want us to consider processing your document in priority, you may contact us. Please note that you do not need to hire a third-party company to submit your request to our office.

We do not offer in-person service. For instructions on submitting your request by mail, please visit here

The requirement to get your documents authenticated by a Canadian authority (provincial/territorial or federal) entirely depends on the laws, regulations or practices of the country where your Canadian document is intended to be used. This is not a requirement of any Canadian law or regulation.

To confirm the authentication requirement, check the with receiving authority or institution at destination or the foreign mission (embassy, high commission, or consulate) of the country where your document will be used:

• Foreign embassies and high commissions in Canada
• Foreign consulates in Canada

Be advised that some provinces and territories offer authentication services with respect to public documents issued in their jurisdictions. These services operate independently of the Government of Canada and have the same validity as the ones performed by the Authentication Services Section at Global Affairs Ottawa in Ottawa. Please note that some countries will only accept the authentication performed by Global Affairs Canada. To find out whether the country of destination of your document will accept provincial or territorial authentication, we suggest you checking with the foreign mission of the country of destination of your documents (see above link).

You must submit your request in paper format, by following steps  1, 2, 3, 4. If, however, you have documents that were issued electronically or are digitally signed, you may contact us for guidance.

If you are requesting an authentication of documents, you do not need to submit ID with your application.

Please note that if you are applying for a statement in lieu of certificate of non-impediment to marriage abroad, you must enclose a certified copy of an ID.

If you are submitted a certified, notarized copy of a document, you do not need to enclose the original version of it. Please note that some documents are only accepted in their original version (e.g., Vital Statistics documents). To find out the requirements for your document, please visit Step 2 - Requirements for your document

Please ensure to follow steps 1 to 4 on our website and include the form EXT2165 with your request. You have difficulties opening the form, please follow these instructions.

As indicated on Step 4 - Send your document, if you want us to return the document to you or forward it to a party other than a foreign mission in Ottawa, you must include a self-addressed envelope or a prepaid shipping label with your request. If you forgot to include a self-addressed envelope or a prepaid shipping label, we will return or forward your documents by regular mail with. Please note that this may cause some delays. If you wish to send a prepaid shipping label after you submitted your application to our office, you may email to us. While we will do our best to add your prepaid shipping label to your application, given the high volume of requests we must handle we cannot guarantee this will be done on time. In such case, your request will be returned by regular mail.

If you forgot to include the mandatory request form (EXT2165) with your request, you may email it to our office. While we will do our best to pair it with your application, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. In such case, your request will be returned to the sender as indicated on the envelope or any party you may have indicated in a separate piece of paper included with your application.

Our office performs authentication of name-based criminal record checks. For information the authentication of criminal record checks, please visit Step 2 - Requirements for your document.

You do not need to have your document certified by the Chambre des notaires du Québec or the Law Society of British Columbia to get it processed by our office.

We do not require that academic documents be sent in a sealed envelope from the issuing college/cégep or university

Our office requires information to be able to properly process an application, all of which are captured in the form you must submit with your application (EXT2165). As such, if you want the issuing institution to sent your document directly to our office, please ask them to include a duly filled in form with your application. If we receive documents from an institutions and no form or return instructions are enclosed, after processing we will send them back to the sender (namely, the issuing institution that sent the documents to our office).

Some Canadians mission offer authentication services. To find out if they do, please visit the website of the Canadian mission that is responsible for the country or region where you are located or intend to travel. If they offer that service, their processing time may be lower than that of the Authentication Services Sections in Ottawa.

Some provinces and territories offer authentication services with respect to public documents issued in their jurisdictions. These services operate independently of the Government of Canada and have the same validity as the ones performed by the Authentication Services Section at Global Affairs Ottawa in Ottawa. To find out whether the country of destination of your document accept provincial or territorial authentications, we suggest you checking with the embassy, high commission or consulate of your country of destination.

We do not authenticate short-form (pocket size) birth certificates. We can only authenticate original, long-form birth certificates. If you need to order one, please check with your provincial or territorial Vital Statistics office where the birth is registered.

As present, there is no set maximum age for documents to be eligible for authentication by our office. However, be advised that if we do not have the specimen signature on file of the signing official or we are otherwise unable to ascertain the authenticity or validity of the document, we may refuse to authenticate it. In such case, you will have to get your document reissued and submit a new request for authentication.

We do not currently charge a fee to authenticate documents.

Try these PDF instructions.

Find out how to apply for a statement in lieu of non-impediment to marriage.

Upon request, we can forward your authenticated documents to an embassy, high commission or consulate in Ottawa. Note that due to the COVID-19 situation, some of those offices are temporarily closed, working at a reduced capacity or cannot receive mail. Therefore, before requesting us to forward your authenticated documents, we suggest checking with them first to confirm that they are fully operational.

If after confirming their operation status you want us to forward your document, please follow these instructions. 

Do not send us cash in the mail. The authentication services we provide in Ottawa are free. If your documents must subsequently be sent to a foreign embassy, high commission, or consulate that requires payment, arrange payment directly with them.

We recommend that you send a prepaid return envelope to ensure your documents can be tracked. Your documents will be sent via regular mail with no tracking capabilities should no envelope be provided.

Documents returned via regular mail cannot be tracked.

A prepaid label is a shipping label that has been ordered and paid in advance to have your documents returned to your attention. Courier waybills with account numbers are not accepted. If a waybill is provided, your documents will be returned by regular mail with no tracking capabilities.

Documents can be sent to our office via mail or courier for authentication. Please ensure you have consulted the instructions applicable to your document(s).

We recommend you contact a Canadian company that ships internationally to provide you with a prepaid label by email. You can then print the label and include it with your documents when mailing them for authentication.

The requirement for authentication varies depending on the type of document provided. Consult the authentication requirements for your specific document(s)

We cannot authenticate plain photocopies without an original signature and seal. We may be able to authenticate copies that have been certified by a notary. Consult the requirements for your document.

Rules governing the appointment and authority of commissioners for oaths are set by the province or territory of appointment. It is our understanding that, in Canada, commissioners for oaths generally are not authorized to certify copies of documents.

All documents requiring authentication must be listed on the Authentication Request Form. We will authenticate all documents listed on the form, provided that the applicable requirements are met. If you send us supporting documents which you do not wish to have authenticated, please do not list these on the Authentication Request Form.

Yes, some documents cannot be authenticated. Find out why your document can be declined authentication.

The primary role of the Authentication Services Section is to authenticate Canadian public documents for use in other countries.

Canadian law does not require the authentication of foreign public documents before they can be used in Canada. In exceptional circumstances where authentication may be required by a Canadian organization, this service may be offered by the issuing country’s embassy, high commission, or consulate in Canada. If Global Affairs Canada’s authentication is also required by the receiving Canadian authority or organization, please email us the proof of that requirement  and include an explanation. We will assess your request and strive to provide you with a response within five business days.

The primary role of the Authentication Services Section is to authenticate Canadian public documents for use in other countries. As such, we are unable to authenticate foreign documents for use abroad.

Some provinces and territories offer authentication services with respect to public documents issued in their jurisdictions. These services operate independently of the Government of Canada. Our authentication office is located in Ottawa only.

We only authenticate death certificates issued by provincial or territorial vital statistics offices. We are unable to authentication death certificates issued by funeral homes.

Authentication certificates issued by the Government of Canada do not expire. However, some foreign authorities may refuse old authentication certificates.

We do not offer document services such a photocopies.

Courier waybills with account numbers are not accepted. Documents will be returned via regular mail if a waybill if provided.

We normally affix the apostilles to the documents using staples or eyelets. Should you want to preserve your original document (for example, your university diploma) unaltered, we suggest you provide us with a certified copy. Before doing so, you should check if a certified copy will be accepted in the country where your documents will be used. Note that when it comes to documents issued by Vital Statistics, we can issue apostilles for original documents only or certified copies issued by those offices (rather than by notaries public).

Authentication proves that the signature and seal on a document are genuine, so that the document may be recognized in another country. Ordinarily, documents authenticated by the issuing country may be then subject to requirements for legalization (i.e., further certification by consular authorities of the country of destination). Legalization speaks to the validity of a foreign document in the country of destination. Once legalized, the foreign document will normally have same validity as an equivalent document issued by the authorities of country of destination.

An apostille is a specific type of authentication certificate. Apostilles are issued by countries that are parties to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (also known as the “Apostille Convention”). The purpose of the Apostille Convention is to simplify the authentication process by removing the requirement for legalization.

The Apostille Convention will enter into force in Canada on January 11, 2024.

If we are unable to authenticate the signature on your document (for example, because it was not signed by a public official whose signature is known to our office) we may be able to authenticate a notarized copy.

Your personal information is required should we need to contact you regarding the authentication of your documents.

Please visit our Contact Details page.