Vancouver Apostille specializes in authenticating and legalizing international documentation (aka Apostille), and we would be pleased to help you process your documentation before it is sent overseas. The authentication and legalization process can be very complex to laypeople, so we’ve developed a simplified process for our clients. Simply visit our office to give us your paperwork or sign your documentation, and we handle everything else. We’ll return your documents fully authenticated and legalized, ready for use overseas.
Here are some basic FAQs, plus a list of documents that Vancouver Apostille regularly processes:
What is an Apostille?
In order to validate important documents being sent from one country to another country, certain rules and procedures must be followed. People in countries that have ratified the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention use Apostille certificates. However, people in non-signatory countries (such as Canada) rely on a 3-step procedure: notarization, authentication and legalization.
Why are Legalizations Necessary?
Historically, it was difficult to send documents between two countries. Countries were reluctant to rely on foreign documents, lawyers and notaries. International documentation was overseen by diplomats. In 1961, a number of countries ratified the Apostille Convention in the Hague, Netherlands. This new convention established a more efficient verification method: the Apostille certificate. As Canada never ratified this convention, Vancouver Apostille uses the historical diplomatic legalization method.
Can I get an actual Apostille for my documentation?
As Canada isn’t a member of the 1961 Apostille Convention, Apostille certification is not available in Canada. So, what is the alternative? Canadian documents must be notarized, authenticated, and finally legalized - the Canadian equivalent to an Apostille. Vancouver Apostille provides convenient one-stop legalization services as follows:
- Vancouver Apostille notarizes your document.
- We then send your notarized document to be authenticated by the proper BC authority, or by Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.
- Finally, Vancouver Apostille arranges for the notarized and authenticated document to be legalized by the consulate or embassy of your destination country.
Over the years, Vancouver Apostille has processed every imaginable type of document:
- Powers of attorney
- Title Deeds and international conveyance paperwork
- Passports, ID, diplomas, degrees, transcripts, birth certificates, death certificates
- Signature notarization and acknowledgements
- Corporate articles and incorporation documentation
- Bills of Sale, Letters of Intent and business contracts
- Police Record Checks and clearance certificates
- Statement in Lieu Certificate of Non-Impediment to Marriage Abroad
Founder and principal, Adam Brosgall, is an experienced Vancouver lawyer, Notary Public, and Commissioner of Oaths. He is fully qualified, licenced, and insured to handle international transactions.
Vancouver Apostille turns local into global – guaranteed!