Canada joins Apostille Convention to facilitate use of public documents abroad

May 16, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

Global Affairs Canada today issued the following statement on Canada’s accession to the Apostille Convention:

“Canada has formally joined the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, otherwise known as the Apostille Convention.

“The Apostille Convention will come into effect in Canada on January 11, 2024. Joining the Convention means that Canadian citizens and businesses will be able to submit Canadian public documents, such as birth and marriage certificates and education, export and corporate records, for an authenticity certificate called an ‘apostille.’ This certificate will allow the documents to be used in any of the 124 countries that are members of the convention.

“Over 200,000 Canadian public documents are authenticated every year, and this accession will give Canadians a cost-effective, streamlined method for getting their Canadian public documents accepted abroad.

“More information about the changes will be made available before the convention comes into effect. Until it does, Canadian documents will continue to be authenticated according to the specific legalization requirements of their countries of destination and the procedures currently in place.”

Associated links

• Apostille Convention
• The Hague Conference on Private International Law
• The Hague Conference on Private International Law celebrates its thousandth treaty action: Canada accedes to the 1961 Apostille Convention