May 23, 23

NEWS / Canada joins Apostille Convention

Global Affairs Canada has announced that the country will be joining the 1961 Convention Abolishing the Requirements of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, usually referred to as the Apostille or Hague Convention, with the Convention taking full effect on January 11, 2024. Canada’s accession to the Convention will greatly simplify the authentication process for Canadian documents that need to be used in other countries that are members of the Convention, as well as for documents originating from Convention member states that need to be used in Canada. Canada has historically been the only Western nation that did not accept apostilles. In order to legalize documents from a Convention member state for use in Canada, one had to obtain the relevant authentication certificates before legalizing the document with the Canadian embassy in the country of origin. A US-issued birth certificate, for example, had to be authenticated at the state and federal level in the US before being legalized by the Canadian embassy or consulate. Starting 2024, it would be sufficient to obtain an apostille from the state in which the birth certificate was issued. It is not yet clear if Canada will adopt the e-App program that allows for the electronic issuance and verification of apostilles. Jurisdictions that have implemented the e-App program as of now include Brazil, Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and the US State of Montana. Canada joins another major economic power, China, in adopting the Apostille Convention to simplify the process of legalizing public documents this year. Last year saw the accession of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.