Do You Need an Apostille for Your OCI Application?

What Is an Apostille?

An apostille is an official certificate that gets attached to your document. It proves that your document is real and was issued by a legitimate Canadian authority. Think of it like a stamp of approval that other countries - including India - recognize and trust.

Canada joined the international apostille system in January 2024. Before that, getting Canadian documents recognized in India was a much longer process. Now it's simpler, one apostille certificate is all you need, and India will accept it.

Does India Accept Canadian Apostilles?

Yes. India and Canada are both part of the Hague Apostille Convention. This means that a document apostilled in Canada is accepted in India without any extra steps. You do not need to visit the Indian Consulate in Toronto or the High Commission in Ottawa to get anything stamped after the apostille is done. The apostille is enough.

Which Documents Need an Apostille for OCI?

This depends on your specific situation, but here are the most common documents OCI applicants need to get apostilled:

Birth Certificate

This is the most common one. If you were born in Canada, or if you're applying for OCI for your child who was born in Canada, you'll need the Ontario birth certificate to be apostilled.

Marriage Certificate

If your OCI application involves a spouse or you need to prove a marriage, an Ontario marriage certificate may need to be apostilled. Like birth certificates, Ontario marriage certificates can go straight to apostille without notarization.

Canadian Passport or Citizenship Certificate

Sometimes a notarized certified copy of your Canadian passport needs to be apostilled. In this case, you first need a notary public to certify the copy and then it gets apostilled. We can do both in one visit.

Power of Attorney

If someone in India is handling property or legal matters on your behalf, you'll need a Power of Attorney. It has to be notarized by a Notary Public in Ontario first, and then apostilled. We handle both steps at our Brampton office.

Other Documents

Affidavits or declarations may also be required in certain situations. These need to be notarized before apostille. If you're not sure what you need, just call us and we'll walk you through it.

Does My Document Need to Be Notarized Before the Apostille?

• Birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates - issued by the Ontario government - do NOT need notarization before apostille. They go straight to apostille.

• Powers of Attorney, affidavits, certified copies of passports - these DO need to be notarized by an Ontario Notary Public first, and then apostilled.

If you bring in the wrong type of document or it's not prepared correctly, the government office will reject it and you'll have to start over. That's one of the main reasons people come to us, we check everything before submitting so you don't waste time.

How Does the Apostille Process Work in Ontario?

Step 1 Bring your document to us. Come into our Brampton office or call us first if you're not sure what you need. We'll review your document and confirm whether it needs notarization before apostille.

Step 2 We notarize it if needed. If your document needs to be notarized first, we do it right here in our office. No second appointment, no running around.

Step 3 We take it to the government office. In Ontario, apostilles are issued by Official Documents Services (ODS), located in downtown Toronto. We make weekly trips to ODS on your behalf. You don't have to take time off work or deal with downtown parking.

Step 4 You pick it up or we ship it. Once the apostille is done, the certificate is attached directly to your original document. You can pick it up from our Brampton office or have it shipped to you.

How Long Does It Take?

Our standard turnaround is within the week. We usually make our ODS trip on Thursdays.

If you need it done faster, we offer a Next Day service. Your document gets prioritized on the next available trip, typically done within one to two business days. For example, if you come in on a Monday, your document could be ready by Tuesday.

How Much Does It Cost?

Our apostille service starts at $150 for the first document. This includes the government fee that ODS charges - you are not paying that separately. If you have a second document being processed at the same time, it's $65 for the second document. Next Day service is an additional +$80.

No hidden charges. No separate fees for our travel, parking, or time. What we quote is what you pay.

You can see our full pricing at our Apostille and Authentication Services page.

What About Documents Issued in India?

Important note: Canadian apostille only works for documents issued in Canada. If you have documents that were issued in India, like an Indian birth certificate or a degree from an Indian university, those need to be apostilled by India's Ministry of External Affairs. That's a separate process handled from India. We can't apostille Indian-issued documents from here.

OCI Rules Changed in April 2026: Here's What's New

India updated its OCI rules in April 2026. A few things changed that you should know before you apply:

• No more paper applications. Everything is now done online through ociservices.gov.in.

• In-person biometrics are now required. You'll need to visit a BLS centre in person as part of the application.

• Document requirements are stricter. Getting your apostille done correctly the first time matters more than ever, because errors are more likely to cause delays or rejection.

This is a good reason to make sure your documents are properly prepared before submitting. We review every document before we submit it to ODS so nothing gets sent back.