Embassy Consulate Legalization Services
Document legalization at a foreign embassy or consulate is the second step in making Canadian documents valid for use in non-Hague Apostille countries. This process takes place at the consular section of the foreign embassy and must only be completed after the first step of authentication has been carried out. Authentication is done on the provincial or federal level by Global Affairs Canada depending on the requirements. To be accepted for legalization, most embassies have strict requirements that change frequently and must be followed correctly to avoid delays or rejection of your document. These requirements may include fees, forms, supporting documents, translations, and specific document bindings. Don't stress, our embassy legalization services provide all the information you need to complete the process.
Legalization: The Final Validation After Authentication
Legalization validates the signatures of the authentication office which is done by the consular section of the foreign embassy in the country where the document is to be used. The process is similar to authentication, which involves verifying the signature of a certified individual on a legal document. The main difference is that Global Affairs Canada authenticates the signatures of lawyers or notary publics, while embassies authenticate the signatures of Global Affairs Canada.
If you're using Canadian documents outside of Canada, legalization by an embassy or consulate is often required. Some countries, such as Qatar or the United Arab Emirates, refer to legalization as attestation. Countries that have signed the Hague Convention may refer to it as Apostille or simply Authentication, such as China.
At Global Document Solutions, we offer assistance with document apostille, attestation, authentication, and legalization at all foreign embassies and consulates in Canada. With 30 years of experience working with the diplomatic community, we have a distinct advantage in ensuring efficient processing of your sensitive documents. We are a recognized leader in our field and the recommended document legalization service provider at embassies or consulates in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Processing time for legalization is dependent on the embassy or consulate and cannot be guaranteed. For current processing time, embassy fee, and specific requirements for legalizing your document, request a personal quote.
Embassy Legalization FAQ's
The simple answer is Yes as of January 11, 2024. To make sure the process is done correctly depends on where it was issued.
The countries that will request that you get an Apostille include:
A
- Albania
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
B
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Burundi
C
- Cabo Verde
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
D
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
E
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Eswatini
F
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
G
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
H
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
I
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
J
- Jamaica
- Japan
K
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
L
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
M
- Macau
- Malawi
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
N
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niue
- North Macedonia
- Norway
O
- Oman
P
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
R
- Romania
- Russian Federation
S
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Principe
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea (Republic of Korea)
- Spain
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
T
- Tajikistan
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
U
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
V
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
List of Countries you will need to use the Authentication and Legalization Process for a Canadian Document
For your reference, we have provided a list of countries that have not ratified the Apostille Convention. It is your responsibility to verify the accuracy of this information.
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Angola
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Burkina Faso
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Cuba
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Lao
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Micronesia
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Papua New Guinea
- Qatar
- Rwanda*
- Sierra Leone
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Syria
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- United Arab Emirates
- Tanzania
- Viet Nam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
* The Apostille Convention will come into effect in Rwanda on June 5, 2024.
Dependent on the purpose of the Marriage Certificate in the foreign country, you might need to get your Birth Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Police Check, University Degree and other documents also Apostilled or Authenticated and Legalized. You will first need to confirm with the requesting party in the foreign country which additional documents you will need to provide with your Marriage Certificate. If the requesting party is an Embassy Consulate in Canada, you will need to contact them directly to confirm which other documents they will require from you
As Canada’s experts, Global Document Solutions can help you get your Canadian Marriage Certificate ready for international use by providing you with 30 years of experience with the most up to date knowledge about the rules and regulations of the Provinces, Global Affairs Canada and the Embassy. Not only will Global Document Solutions help you process your documents quickly we also make it easy by guiding you through each step providing you with the up to the minute status of your documents using our Online Status Tracker. Talk to one of our experts on how to get your Marriage Certificate accepted internationally and get the experts working for you.
No, as per the Global Affairs Canada rules and regulations, only an original Marriage Certificate issued by a Canadian Provincial Vital Statistics Department can be authenticated. A notarized or certified copy made by a Canadian Notary Public cannot be authenticated.
There are different styles of Canadian Marriage Certificates such as a Marriage Licence Certificate or Certificate of Marriage but its important to remember the one you got from your wedding ceremony is not your official marriage certificate. The provincial statistics department of the province where you married issues the official marriage certificate. If you need to order a Marriage Certificate you can find links on our resources page on how to do it.
A Canadian Marriage Certificate is initially only valid for use in Canada therefore a foreign country will not accept a Canadian Marriage Certificate. To make the Marriage Certificate valid for use in a foreign country, it will first need to go through the process of Authentication at Global Affairs Canada and then Legalization at the Embassy Consulate of the country in which the document will be used. In both steps the authenticity of the foregoing signature is verified, effectively making the document valid for use in that foreign country. Some countries might ask you to get your Marriage Certificate Apostilled since that is the process most used in that foreign country. Since Canada has not signed the Hague Apostille Convention, the original two-step process of Marriage Certificate Authentication and Legalization is considered the international equivalent of an Apostille and serves the same purpose.
Most Vital Statistics Departments have an option to have the Marriage Certificate sent directly to a third party such as Legalization Certificate of Origin. Once you have been in contact with one of our agents regarding your request and confirmed how you want to proceed, we will provide you with our mailing address where the Marriage Certificate can be sent. A few Vital Statistics Departments, such as the Quebec État Civil, do not allow your Marriage Certificate to be sent directly to a third party. In this case the Marriage Certificate will need to be delivered to you first, then you can send it to us for Authentication and Legalization.
If you have never ordered a Canadian Marriage Certificate, you have misplaced or lost your Marriage Certificate, the original you have is damaged, you can order a new or a replacement Marriage Certificate from the Provincial Vital Statistics Department in the province where the birth took place. You can find links to the various vital statistics departments on our document resources page.
