Canada joins international deal to make document certification faster, cheaper

Canadians who need to certify documents for use abroad should find the process faster — and cheaper — starting today, now that Canada has joined the largest international convention for verifying documents.

The 1961 Apostille Convention streamlines the process for certifying documents for use in the other 125 countries that have signed the convention. Canada agreed to join the convention in May 2023 and the changes come into effect today across the country.

Under the convention, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec will be able to unilaterally certify documents used by Canadians working or living abroad — official government documents, financial documents, school transcripts and legal documents, among others.

The remaining provinces and territories will continue to submit documents to Global Affairs Canada (GAC), which will continue to handle the certification process.

But once a document is certified — either by GAC or by one of the five provinces doing their own certification — it can be used in any member country of the Apostille Convention with no need for repeated certifications.

It's a vast improvement over the old arrangement, said Todd McCarthy, Ontario's minister of public and business service delivery.

«It's going to be faster, simpler and less expensive to do it,» he said. «So it's good for individuals, for families, for businesses in particular. And it's one-stop shopping.»

Before now, Canadians had to submit documents for certification to GAC by mail, with a predicted turnaround time of 30 to 45 business days. They would then have to present those certified documents to the consulate or embassy of the country in which they were planning to use them.

The process would then have to be repeated