Global Affairs Canada: Help for alternative formats

Information throughout this site is provided in HTML as the primary format. In some cases, other software formats are provided as alternatives. To open these alternate formats, you may need to download and install a third-party software.

• PDF - Portable Document Format. To view these files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If the Adobe download site is not accessible to you, you can download Acrobat Reader from an accessible page. You can also visit the Adobe site for online conversion tools for PDF documents.

Forms in PDF format (eForms)

You need Adobe Reader 10 or higher to use forms in PDF format. Adobe Reader can be downloaded free from the Adobe website. It is available for Windows and Mac computers.

Opening PDF applications on our website

Some web browsers (like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge) do not open PDF files in Adobe Reader. They use other software. If you use other software to open the PDF forms on the Global Affairs Canada website, you may not be able to properly load, use or submit completed forms. Use only Adobe Reader 10 or higher to open these PDF forms. If you have problems opening a PDF on our website, download the file to your own computer. To do this, follow the download instructions:

For PC users

• Right-click the link.
• Select "Save target as" or "Save link as."
• Choose the location on your computer where you would like to save the file.
• Select "Save."

For Mac users

• Press the Control (ctrl) key and click on the link.
• When the option menu appears, choose "Download link to disk" or "Download linked file."
• Choose the location on your computer where you would like to store the file. Your computer will start the download once you have selected a location.
• Then, open the file from your computer.

Opening PDFs on your computer

If you have downloaded a PDF and it is not opening properly, follow these instructions:

1. Right click on the PDF.
2. Select "Open with".
3. Select "Choose program".
4. Select "Adobe Acrobat Reader".
5. Make sure to check the box that says "Always use this program to open these files".
6. Select "OK".

If a PDF document opens up blank, or you get an error message, you can try opening the document using a different browser, or installing the newest version of Internet Explorer.

If you are having an issue in Chrome or Firefox, please refer to this Adobe Help article.