Canada Adopts The Apostille Convention To Streamline Document Verification

On May 12, 2023, Canada acceded to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention).

Through this accession, Canada has joined a list of 125 countries that are parties to this multilateral treaty. The underlying goal of the Apostille Convention is to facilitate legal cooperation between nations by eliminating the multi-step legalization process previously used (involving legalization of documents by a consular officer at the destination country's embassy or consulate within Canada) with the issuance of a single certificate called an Apostille.

What is the Apostille Convention?

The Apostille Convention abolishes the requirement of diplomatic or consular legalization for foreign public documents and replaces it with the issuance of an Apostille by a Competent Authority in the place where the document originates. Any country that is a signatory to the Apostille Convention is