Document preparation is very important when immigrating from your home country to another. While you don’t need to authenticate your documents in Canada, an apostille certificate will be needed for your document to be accepted as legitimate in Mexico.

An apostille is a certification of authentication provided under the Hague Apostille Convention. This simplifies the process of document legalization between countries that are part of the convention. You can consider apostille as an international legalization seal that makes your documents legal internationally.

Submission and Processing of Apostille Requests in Canada

As a Canadian preparing for your move to Mexican adventure, it's important that you first learn the process of getting your documents apostilled for paperwork in Mexico. The process has been simplified with Canada's recent entry into the Hague Apostille Convention. You can follow the below-given sections one by one to complete the apostille process.

Should I Get All of My Canadian Documents Apostilled?

No. Not all of your Canadian documents are going to require an apostille stamp on them. Most of the time, you only need to apostille your public documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, and business and educational documents before using them in a foreign country. A simple way to confirm if your document should be apostilled is to check in with the authority where you are going to submit it. There’s no need to perform the entire process if they say that your document will be accepted without the need for an apostille.

Prepare Your Documents

Get your documents in order before you send them in for an apostille stamp. You can only apostille originals and certified copies. It is also a good idea to check that your documents are complete and do not have any missing details or signatures on them. You don’t want to spend time and money on getting an apostille for a document that is incomplete in the first place. For example, your birth certificate must be signed by a vital statistics officer. Similarly, your university degree must have the signature of the university registrar.

Document Notarization

Depending on a document’s type, you might need to get it notarized before it can be apostilled. Notarization will help the apostille authority verify that the details and signatures on your documents are authentic. The Globeia team helps our clients determine whether their documents need notarization or if they can be apostilled without this extra step. It is important to know this beforehand, to avoid wasting money unnecessarily.

Request an Apostille

Now that all of your documents are ready and notarized (if applicable), let’s move to the main step of submitting them for apostillization. Currently, a total of 5 authorities have been designated by the Government of Canada to receive and process apostille requests, depending on who issued them. Global Affairs Canada is the first one on the list, so you can get your documents apostilled through their office. The process will require you to attach the original document, or its certified copy, with a filled apostille request form. The form also requires your contact information and address for returning the apostilled document to you.

Processing of Apostille

Your document will be verified by checking the signature, seal, or stamp that it carries. An apostille will be issued if everything checks out. While the processing times can vary, this new alternative is generally quicker than the previously used process of authentication and legalization.

Using Your Apostilled Documents in Mexico

Received your apostilled documents back? Now, they are ready for use in Mexico and will be accepted as authentic without requiring any further certification or legalization by the Mexican Embassy or Consulate.

At Globeia, we have often been contacted by clients for the translation of their Canadian documents into Spanish. This is because Spanish is Mexico’s official language and Canadian documents are usually issued in English or French. Always check the requirements of the Mexican authority you're dealing with to ensure your documents don’t run into any issues.

Using Professional Document Apostille Services

As promised, here’s that tip to get your Canadian documents apostilled faster. Submitting your documents for apostille involves getting them notarized and translated (if applicable) and attaching an apostille request form before sending them to the designated apostille authority. Professional services like Globeia can do all of these steps on your behalf and save you the hassle of doing it yourself.

We ensure that your documents are in order and there are no missing signatures or certifications that can lead to the rejection of your apostille request. Globeia’s customer care representatives also manage any follow-up communication and mail the apostilled documents back to you. This allows you to complete the process online and skip the long waiting time.

FAQs

What is Apostille? Can I get an apostille in Canada?

It is a certification used for the authentication and legalisation of documents issued by government departments and agencies. The stamp verifies the authenticity of your documents. In most foreign countries, you need to get apostille legalisation of your documents before you can use them for official purposes. Before the Apostille Hague Convention, everyone had to follow the authentication and legalization process. This cumbersome document legalization process was made more efficient during the 1960s when the Hague Apostille Convention was signed by participating countries. This streamlined the process required to authenticate a document considerably and issues a Hague stamp. Documents with this seal are then fully authenticated and legalized.

What is the equivalent of apostille in Canada?

If you are from a country that signed up for the Hague Convention, then an Apostille seal will be enough to legalize your documents. However, if you need apostilization of documents originating from Canada, then you will need to complete the long and tiring process of authentication and legalization to get your document legalized. With the help of a certified service, you can bypass these hurdles to easily get notarisation and legalisation of your documents in Canada. Make sure that the service you choose is reputable and has ample experience in dealing with the ministry of external affairs.

Written by :

We are a background screening and document verification agency in Toronto. While we cover the Greater Toronto Area for in-person appointments, the bulk of our clientele uses our online services from different countries of the world. Globeia makes it simple and cost-effective for companies and individuals to navigate governmental red tape without breaking the bank.

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