Apostille Certificates for Canadian Documents

An apostille is an internationally recognized certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document for use in a foreign country. Canada became a member of the Hague Apostille Convention on January 11, 2024, introducing a new process for obtaining apostilles on Canadian documents.

What Is an Apostille?

Under the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, member countries recognize a standardized certificate — the apostille — as sufficient proof of a document's authenticity. Instead of the multi-step legalization process previously required, a single apostille from the country of origin is sufficient for use in any other member country.

When Do You Need an Apostille?

You need an apostille when a foreign government, institution, or authority requires a Canadian document to be authenticated for use in their country — for example, for foreign employment, education, marriage, property transactions, immigration, or court proceedings in another country. The foreign authority will typically specify that an apostille is required.

The New Canadian Process (Since January 11, 2024)

Prior to Canada joining the Hague Convention, Canadians had to go through a cumbersome multi-step legalization process. Since January 2024:

• For federal documents (passports, certificates issued by federal departments): contact Global Affairs Canada or the issuing federal department.
• For provincial documents issued by Nova Scotia (birth certificates, marriage certificates, corporate records, court documents): contact the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies or the relevant provincial office.
• For privately notarized documents (a document you have had notarized): the document must first be notarized by a Nova Scotia Notary, then submitted to the appropriate authority for the apostille certificate to be affixed.

How Worry Free Will Can Help

If your document needs to be notarized before the apostille is obtained, Worry Free Will & Notary can provide the notarization. The apostille itself is then obtained from the appropriate government authority — this is not a step a Notary performs, but the notarization is the necessary first step for privately executed documents.