Apostille Canada | Authentication Canada | Legalization Canada | Red Seal Notary: Canada's Leading Notary Public Company

Apostille Canada (Authentication & Legalization)

When documents are notarized in Canada for use abroad, such documents must go through a process of "authentication" and "legalization" in order for them to be valid in the foreign jurisdiction. The combined process of "authentication" and "legalization" is the Canadian equivalent of "apostille certificates" issued in other countries that are signatories to The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (1961). As Canada did not sign this convention, notaries in Canada do not provide "apostille certificates". However, in most circumstances (depending on the country and document in question), Red Seal Notary can provide you with our authentication and legalization services, whereby, we will authenticate and/or legalize your notarized documents for an extra fee (for details of our fees for this service, see below).

"Authentication" is intended to remove the burden on foreign courts and foreign authorities in proving the genuineness of documents originating outside of their countries. Authentication is undertaken by both the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade ("DFAIT") and provincial authentication authorities such as the Government of Ontario's Management Board Secretariat (Official Documents) or the Official Documents and Appointments branch of Alberta's Department of Justice. Whether DFAIT and the provincial authentication authority are both required to authenticate a document depends entirely on the recipient foreign country's rules and, as such, advice should be sought from that country's embassy or consulate.

Authentication verifies the registration of a notary public as well as the notary's seal and signature. When a request is made, DFAIT and/or the provincial authentication authority checks its records to confirm the notary's registration and compares the notarial seal and signature on the document being submitted against records it holds of the notary's seal and signature. When the notary's authority, signature and seal are confirmed, the document to be authenticated will then receive a stamp (DFAIT) and/or an additional seal together with a statement from the provincial authentication authority to the effect that the notary is "known to be in good standing". Once this happens, nothing may be added to or removed from the document.

After authentication, "legalization" occurs when the document is presented to the consulate of the relevant foreign country for certification. At that point, the document normally acquires legal validity in the intended country of use.

Red Seal Notary's fees for providing authentication and legalization services are set out blow:

Authentication & Legalization

Authentication of Documents (where available)

$149.00 - $ 199.00 (plus applicable government fees)

Legalization of Documents (where available)

$149.00 - $ 199.00 (plus applicable foreign government fees)

The above fees are solely for attending at the relevant government or consulate office or sending your notarized documents to the relevant provincial or federal Canadian and/or foreign consulate and do not include government or consular fees or our regular notarization fees which are set out below:

Administering an Oath or Solemn Affirmation

First oath commissioned by a commissioner of oaths	$49.00
First oath commissioned by a notary public	$59.00
Each subsequent oath commissioned by a commissioner of oaths or notary public	$19.00

Certifying a Copy of a Document

First copy certified by a notary public	$59.00
Each subsequent document certified	$19.00

Drafting an Affidavit or Statutory Declaration

Drafting an affidavit or statutory declaration
(includes the $49.00 fee to administer an oath)

Starts at $99.00

Letter of Invitation

Letter of invitation for the purposes of applying for a Canadian or U.S. visitor's visa

$99.00

Consent to Travel Document

Drafting and notarization of consent to travel document for when a child is traveling without one or both parents

$79.00

Mobile Notary Service

Mobile Notary Services (where available)

$149.00 to $249.00

*Prices do not include any applicable provincial and/or federal taxes.

*Prices subject to change without notice.

*Prices will be adjusted down if required by law in a given jurisdiction.

If you wish to authenticate or legalize your notarized documents yourself, please visit our resources page for addresses of some of the relevant government departments and for a list of foreign consulates in Canada.

Red Seal Locations & Types of Services Offered: