Apostille & Authentication

Apostille Services

(For Hague Convention Countries)

As of January 11, 2024, Ontario has adopted the Hague Apostille Convention, which means you can now get an apostille certificate for documents intended for use in Hague member countries.

What is an Apostille?

An Apostille is an official certificate issued by the Official Documents Services (ODS) that confirms the authenticity of an Ontario-issued document. It is recognized by more than 125 countries that are part of the Hague Apostille Convention. See list of Hague Signatory Countries.

The apostille is issued on a separate page and attached (as an “allonge”) to your original document. The certificate can be verified online by the recipient organization.

Common Documents Eligible for Apostille:

• Birth, marriage, and death certificates (polymer originals)

• Business registry documents issued by Ontario since 1991

• Court documents (issued after July 10, 2023)

• Degrees and transcripts issued by Ontario public colleges and universities (after Jan 1, 2019)

• Notarized documents

Important: Documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified translation.

Apostille Government Fee:

$16 CAD - $32 CAD per document (non-refundable)

Authentication Services

(For Non-Hague Convention Countries)

If you are sending your documents to a country not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, you will need them to be authenticated by the Official Documents Services (ODS) and then legalized at the appropriate embassy or consulate.

What is Authentication?

Authentication verifies that the document and the signature it carries are valid and recognized by the Ontario government. This process is typically required by countries not party to the Apostille Convention.

Once authenticated, the document must then be legalized by the foreign country’s consulate or embassy in Canada.

Documents Eligible for Authentication:

The following may be authenticated without notarization:

• Ontario vital statistics documents (e.g., birth, marriage, death certificates)

• Business registry documents issued since 1991

• Court-issued documents (from July 10, 2023 onward)

• Degrees and transcripts from Ontario public colleges/universities (from Jan 1, 2019)

All other documents must be notarized before authentication.

Note: Documents not in English or French must be notarized and accompanied by a certified or notarized translation.

Authentication Government Fee:

$16 CAD - $32 CAD per document (non-refundable)

Planning to use your Canadian documents abroad? Whether you're applying for a visa, studying overseas, doing international business, or getting married outside Canada, your documents may need to be either apostilled or authenticated before they are legally recognized in another country.

We provide professional Apostille and Authentication services to help you meet international document requirements efficiently and correctly.