Document Authentication & Legalization in Canada

George Brook, CEO of International Documents Canada answers questions about how to authenticate and legalize a Canadian document.

He is going to answer three key questions in this video:

• what is document authentication and legalization
• what are the steps of Canadian authentication and legalization
• and what are your options for having your documents authenticated and legalized

By the end of this video you will feel informed about the authentication and legalization process, and to know you have some resources you can turn to you.

Let's get started with the first question:

What is document authentication and legalization?

When you need a Canadian document certified as legal in another country it needs to go through a specific process. This process is called document authentication and legalization.

You may have heard the term apostille used and are wondering how this term relates to document authentication and legalization. In Canada apostille is simply another name for the document authentication and legalization process. The term apostille refers to the Hague apostille convention, signed into effect in 1961. This is a very interesting convention but you don't actually need to know anything about it because Canada didn't sign. Because we didn't sign the Hague apostille convention, the Canadian equivalent of the apostille process is technically called document authentication and legalization.

Alright question two, what are the steps in the Canadian authentication and legalization process?

There are three sequential steps in the authentication and legalization process in Canada

• step 1: is notarization
• step 2: authentication
• and step 3: legalization


Let's quickly take a look at each one.
Notarization involves having a notary or lawyer witness the signatures on a document, and then they will put their signed notary seal on the documents certifying that the signature is legitimate.
After your document has been notarized the second step is to have it authenticated at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa, otherwise known as DEFAIT.

DEFAIT will check that the notary or lawyer who notarized a document is currently in good standing and will then attach a certificate of authentication to your document

The final step in the Canadian authentication and legalization process
is to have your document legalized by the embassy or consulate of the country in question. A consular official at the Embassy will check that all is in order with your document and that it has been properly authenticated and then will add a certificate of legalization to the front page.

This completes the Canadian document authentication and legalization process, your document is now recognized as legal in this country.

Visit us at: http://www.idocscanada.ca/