An apostille is used to make official Canadian documents, or documents signed in Canada, recognized in a foreign country. You can think of it as a special international notarization used to authenticate documents for international use. Apostille certificates are issued under the terms of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (the 'Apostille Convention'). The Apostille Convention came into force on October 5, 1961. Signatory countries of the Apostille Convention agree to issue and accept apostille certificates. Canada joined the Apostille Convention on January 11, 2024, so apostilles are now available in Canada. The official website for the Hague Conference on Private International Law is: www.hcch.net.

Documents notarized by a notary public or lawyer in Canada are valid in Canada. However, individual countries are very cautious about accepting foreign documents. So, when a document needs to be sent to another country, an apostille certificate must be used.  An apostille certificate certifies the credentials of the notary public or lawyer for international purposes. An apostille doesn’t add additional weight to the underlying content of a document. Rather, it validates the document for international use. So once a document has been apostilled, it becomes legal and valid for overseas use, and can be sent to your recipient country.

To get started, call Vancouver Apostille at 604-685-2326, or email us at: info@vancouverapostille.ca. Tell us about your situation and any pertinent details. When clients first contact us, we always ask exactly what they need to achieve. In particular, we'll ask you about your documentation, and which country you are dealing with. Once we have all this information, we’ll send you a personalized written quote – tailored to your specific situation. We’ll outline our apostille services, and answer all your questions. Our quote will set out the cost, how long it will take, and we'll include a scan of a sample apostille certificate. Before you decide to move forward, you’ll be fully informed.

Document preparation is key to ensuring everything is processed properly. Proper preparation saves valuable time and avoids the frustration of rejected files. Based on our review of your situation, we’ll determine all the requirements, and the documents we need from you. This usually includes original certificates and other documentation, as well as your identification. Sometimes this needs to be done in person at our Vancouver Apostille office, and sometimes, it can be done remotely – we’ll let you know. After that, we take care of everything else on your behalf. This includes notarizing signatures, making certified true copies, ordering certified translations, assembling supporting documentation, completing application forms, organizing couriers, and paying all fees. At Vancouver Apostille, there’s no outsourcing. All notarial, legal, and administrative work is completed ‘in house’ by our experienced lawyer/Notary Public. This results in a completely streamlined and reliable process.

For this final step, Vancouver Apostille deals with the appropriate federal or provincial agency to obtain the apostille certification. We'll keep you updated – as soon as your documentation has been successfully apostilled, we’ll let you know the good news. The completed apostille certification makes your document 100% legal and valid for use in your destination country. No further consular or embassy processing is necessary. We’ll send you a scan of the apostilled documentation for your records. You can then pick up the originals from our Vancouver office, or for added convenience, we can courier (with tracking) your apostilled documents to your overseas contact.