Since apostilles and authentication procedures take time (in some cases, processing times can take several weeks) and require in-person visits to consulates and embassies, it`s important to understand the requirements of the country you`re expanding into. The good news? If you choose Notaire Centre-Ville to take care of the legalization of your documents, we will take care of all this for you! It depends on the consulate or embassy that legalizes your documents. Some consulates and embassies only accept Global Affairs Canada certifications, and others only accept Global Affairs Canada or Official Document Services authentications. Contact us using the form on this page or email us at info@downtown-notary.ca for assistance. Apostille documents generally do not require additional legalization or legalization by the embassy or consulate of the foreign country where a company wishes to operate. Between countries that are party to Hague Convention #12, documents can be certified through a streamlined process known as an apostille (pronounced “ah-pa-steel”). In countries that are not party to Hague Convention #12, which require apostille certificates, documents must go through a more elaborate process known as authentication and legalization. In both cases, government agencies must verify notarial confirmations or signatures on the relevant documents. In the United States, the offices of county clerks, the secretary of state, or equivalent state depository agencies, and even some courts may be involved in the certification process.
Documents requiring legalization will be forwarded for legalization by the U.S. Department of State`s Office of Authentication before being forwarded to the embassy or consulate of the country where they are intended. Save time and leave the paperwork, tracking and management of your apostille or authentication and legalization applications to CSC. Now, there are many countries that have not signed the apostille treaty, Canada is one of them. Visit our Canada Apostille information page to learn more. Countries that have not signed still use the original process to validate a document for legal purposes in other countries, called authentication and legalization. That`s where Marriage Legalization Services Canada comes in to help. Let me help you explain the terms authentication and legalization.
To be eligible for certification, all documents filed with the U.S. Department of State that are not in English must be accompanied by a notarized and certified English translation. For example, Canada, a major trading partner of the United States, is not a member of the Hague Convention, so the apostille process does not apply. If an apostille is mistakenly submitted for authentication for use in Canada, it will be rejected and rendered unusable. A company must obtain a clean version before resubmitting it to a Canadian embassy or consulate. This is a complex process where authentication is obtained from a number of officials both in the country where the document was issued and with an official residence such as the embassy or consulate of the country where the document is used. The entire authentication and legalization process is accompanied by signature checks. Global Affairs Canada`s authentication officer authenticates the document with a red authentication stamp. They write the name of the signatures of the person they have certified or notarized, and then add their own signatures for further action (legalization). During the legalization segment of the process, the consulate or embassy adds its own certificate, sticker or stamp to your documents. Each consulate or embassy differs from the others in terms of style, format, color and language of the process. The legalization process verifies that the embassy or consulate recognizes the signatures of the Global Affairs Canada authentication officer.
When presenting a document from one country for use in another country, the receiving party often requires proof of authenticity for the signature and seals of the public official who issued, issued or certified a copy of the document. The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 on Exemption from Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents or Apostille Convention greatly simplified the process through a document called apostille, eliminating the need for embassy or consular legalization. More than 120 countries are now parties to the Convention. For U.S. documents destined for a country that is not a party to this Hague Convention, there are many more steps in the document legalization process (as described below). The process depends on whether you are legalizing public documents, such as certified copies of court documents, or private documents, such as a U.S. company`s bylaws or a private contract. Once authentication is obtained, a company must apply for certification in the foreign jurisdiction. This process is called “legalization” and takes place at the country`s embassy or consulate in the United States.
The steps in the flowcharts above show how documents are authenticated and what legalization requirements apply to both public and private documents. Please note that there may be deviations in this basic process that are not shown here, often in relation to the legalization requirements of embassies or consulates. For example, multi-factor authentication, the Secretary of State (SOS) at the state level certifies the signature and seal of the notary on the original document, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) certifies the signature and seal of the SOS, and foreign embassies and consulates in the United States verify the signature and DOS seal on the document, etc. Save time and hassle with Downtown Notary`s authentication and legalization services for international documents. We can provide you with all three steps – notarization, authentication and legalization – quickly and easily. You don`t need to schedule multiple appointments for each service – we can do it all for you! If you want to comply with this document certification process, a business unit must understand the proper process for authenticating relevant documents. There are two ways to do this: apostille and authentication.
The notary will bring your certified documents to the embassy or consulate for legalization. For your documents to be certified and legalized, they must be original. However, for some documents, such as diplomas or birth certificates, individuals often do not prefer all of these stamps over their original documents. In this case, they must go to a notary and obtain an authentic copy of the document, stamped, signed and dated by the lawyer himself. Authentication can only take place if the document has been notarized. The second step, authentication, is when the Department of Global Affairs issues the authenticity of the document, and this is an important step for legalization. Please note that the document must be certified prior to legalization. For Canadian documents to be officially recognized abroad, they must be legalized and legalized. It is important to understand these terms and what they mean in relation to Canadian documents.
First, organizations around the world may require your documents to be officially notarized, authenticated, and legalized to prove their authenticity. As the equivalent of apostille and legalization worldwide, document authentication and legalization in Canada follows a three-step approach. 1. Notarization – Requires a notary or lawyer to approve signatures on your document, followed by a seal of accreditation. 2. Authentication – Involves searching for a certificate of authenticity for your document from the Department of Global Affairs. 3. Legalization – Last step in which we attach a certificate of legalization after a government representative from the embassy has carefully checked your document. Absolute. We can handle all three steps – notarization, authentication or legalization – or just one or two of these steps – it`s up to you! Contact us via the form on this page or by e-mail at info@downtown-notary.ca and we will be happy to help you.