Documents Explained

Global Affairs Canada - Authentication of documents services suggestions for the documents types notarizations

Adoption papers

Documents related to the adoption of a child must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates documents such as:

adoption agreements
adoption certificates
adoption related forms

Visit the homepage for more information.

Apprenticeship and trade certificates

Apprenticeship and trade certificates must be notarized

Bank documents

Bank documents must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates documents such as:

bank statements
financial records

Birth certificate

Birth certificates must be issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. They do not need to be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada cannot authenticate birth certificates that are:

notarized copies (if you need a copy, it must be issued by the appropriate vital statistics office)
issued by religious institutions
pocket-sized

Please note that Global Affairs Canada do not authenticate proofs of birth issued by hospitals containing the name of a newborn, even if they are notarized.

Burial or cremation documents

Burial or cremation documents must be notarized. You must send a death certificate issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office with these documents.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates:

burial permits
cremation certificates
funeral home documents (except death certificates)

Business or corporate records

Business or corporate records must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates documents such as:

commercial invoices
corporate bylaws
articles of incorporation
provincial business registration documents
letters of employment
letters of invitation
reference letters
packing slips

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) attestations or certificates

Canadian Food Inspection Agency attestation or certificates do not need to be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates:

export certificates
certified manufacturers’ declarations
certificates of free sale and health attestations
animal health certificates

Canadian Intellectual Property Office certificates

We authenticate certificates issued by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). Certificates bearing the original signature or seal of a CIPO official do not need to be notarized. All others must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates documents such as:

trademark registration certificates
industrial design registration certificates
copyright registration certificates

Certificate of free sale

A certificate of free sale issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency can be authenticated as is. All others must be notarized.

Certificates of Origin

A Certificate of Origin issued electronically by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce using the essCert system can be authenticated as is. These certificates contain a link to an online verification portal. Certificates of Origin that are not issued with the essCert system must be notarized.

College/cégep or university diplomas

Global Affairs Canada authenticates college/cégep and university diplomas issued in Canada by recognized post-secondary educational institutions. Original college and university diplomas do not need to be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada uses an ink stamp, which is applied directly to documents when they are authenticated. Should you not want us to stamp the original, Global Affairs Canada suggest you provide us with a certified copy. Before doing so, you should check if a certified copy will be accepted in the country where your documents will be used. If you decide to get your document notarized, you do not need to submit the original to our office.
Diplomas in Latin or Greek do not require a certified translation.

College/cégep or university letters (e.g. enrollment, registration, graduation)

College/cégep or university letters, such as letters of enrollment, registration or graduation, must be notarized.

College/cégep or university transcript

Global Affairs Canada authenticates academic transcripts issued by recognized Canadian post-secondary educational institutions. Original academic transcripts that are signed by the registrar do not need to be notarized.

Commemorative certificates

Global Affairs Canada does not authenticate commemorative certificates (e.g. Canadian citizenship, secondary school graduation, birthday or marriage commemorative certificates). This is not to be confused with regular Canadian citizenship certificates, school or vital statistics documents, which Global Affairs Canada do authenticate.

Coroner’s certificate

Coroners’ certificates must be notarized.
You must send a death certificate issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office with these documents.

Corporations Canada documents

Documents issued by Corporations Canada bearing an original signature or seal do not need to be notarized.
If your Corporations Canada certificate does not have an original signature or seal, it must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates:

federal incorporation certificates
certificates of compliance
certificates of existences
certificates of continuances

Course certificate

Global Affairs Canada only authenticates course certificates issued by recognized educational institutions in Canada. These institutions must be recognized by a provincial or territorial ministry of education.
Course certificates must be notarized.

Visit the homepage for more information.

Court documents

Court orders or judgments that bear the original seal, signature, and printed name of a judge, registrar, or clerk of the court in Canada do not need to be notarized. Other court documents must be notarized.

Criminal record check

Documents issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) headquarters in Ottawa do not need to be notarized as long as:

they are signed by the Director General of the Canadian Criminal Real Time/Identification Services, and
they contain the official RCMP dry seal.

Documents issued by a provincial (for example, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec) or a municipal police agency (for example, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal Police Service) need to be notarized before being sent for authentication to our office.

Death certificate

Death certificates must be issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. They do not need to be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada cannot authenticate death certificates that are:

notarized copies (if you need a copy, it must be issued by the appropriate vital statistics office.)
issued by religious institutions
issued by funeral homes (even if notarized)

Delivery verification certificate

Global Affairs Canada authenticates delivery verification certificates issued by the Government of Canada. Delivery verification certificates do not need to be notarized.
A delivery verification certificate confirms that imported goods or technology have been delivered to the consignee.

Divorce certificate

Canadian divorce certificates that are signed by a clerk of the court do not need to be notarized.
A divorce certificate proves that the people named are legally divorced and are free to remarry. There is normally a waiting period betGlobal Affairs Canadaen the time a divorce order is granted and the issuance of a divorce certificate.

Domestic partnership certificate

Domestic partnership certificates must be issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. They do not need to be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada is unable to authenticate notarized copies of domestic partnership certificates. If you need a copy, it must be issued by the appropriate vital statistics office.

Elementary or high school diplomas

Educational documents must be issued by educational institutions recognized by a Canadian provincial or territorial ministry of education.
Your report card or transcript must be notarized.

Export permit

Export permits issued by the Government of Canada do not need to be notarized.

Federal legislation

Certified copies of federal laws and regulations that have been signed by the clerk of the parliament do not need to be notarized. They can be requested from the Senate of Canada.
All other copies of laws and regulations must be notarized.

Fingerprint forms

Fingerprints forms (for example, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Form C-216C), also known as fingerprint identification, need to be notarized. This is not to be confused with criminal record checks issued by Canadian municipal, provincial, or federal authorities (please look up “Criminal record check” on this page for information about those).

Foreign documents (Non-Canadian documents)

In most cases, you do not need to have your foreign public documents authenticated to use them in Canada. Global Affairs Canada, if the authority or organization in Canada to which you intend to submit your document requires that Global Affairs Canada authenticate it, please send us the proof along with an explanation. Global Affairs Canada will assess your request and strive to provide you with a response within five business days.

Health Canada licenses

Global Affairs Canada authenticates licenses issued by Health Canada (for example, product licenses or establishment licenses). Health Canada certificates with an original signature or seal do not need to be notarized.
If your Health Canada license does not have an original signature or seal, it must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates licenses such as:

drug establishment licenses
medical device licenses

Immigration, permanent resident or citizenship certificates or documents

Global Affairs Canada authenticates letter-sized citizenship certificates issued by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship certificates do not need to be notarized.
If you need to have your Canadian citizenship or Permanent Resident card authenticated, you must submit a notarized copy of it. You do not need to enclose the original document with your authentication request.
Records of Landing, Verifications of Status, a search of citizenship letters, or other historical immigration records need to get notarized.
Please note that Global Affairs Canada does not authenticate commemorative citizenship certificates.

International import certificate

International import certificates issued by the Government of Canada do not need to be notarized.
An international import certificate recognizes that the Government of Canada is aware of the proposed import of specific goods to Canada.

Language school certificate

Global Affairs Canada only authenticates language school certificates issued by recognized institutions in Canada.
A recognized institution is accredited by:

Language school certificates from recognized institutions must be notarized.

Letters provided by an educational institution

Global Affairs Canada only authenticates letters from schools recognized by a provincial or territorial ministry of education.
Letters issued by an educational institution must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticate:

acceptance letters
enrollment letters
admission letters
confirmations of registration
records of attendance

Visit the homepage for more information.

Marriage certificate

Marriage certificates must be issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. They do not need to be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada cannot authenticate marriage certificates that are:

notarized copies (if you need a copy, it must be issued by the appropriate vital statistics office.)
issued by religious institutions
pocket-sized

Marriage licenses

Marriage licenses must be issued and signed by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. They do not need to be notarized. Global Affairs Canada cannot authenticate marriage licenses that are not issued by provincial or territorial vital statistics office, even if they are notarized.

Marriage search letter

Medical documents

Medical documents must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates medical documents such as:

medical certificates
doctor’s notes
prescriptions

Please note that proof of births issued by hospitals is excluded from this category of documents. For more details, please see the Birth certificate.

Name change certificate

Global Affairs Canada authenticates name change certificates issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. They do not need to be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada is unable to authenticate notarized copies. If you need a copy, it must be issued by the appropriate vital statistics office.

Private legal documents

Private legal documents must be notarized.
Global Affairs Canada authenticates private legal documents such as:

wills
global Affairs Canadars of attorney
oaths and affirmations
affidavits (for example, single status affidavits)
statutory declarations

Professional certificate

Certificates of standing (or certificates of good standing) do not need to be notarized if they are issued by the following:

Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia
Chambre des Notaires of Quebec
law societies of any Canadian province or territory

All other professional certificates must be notarized.

Proof of life

Proof of life documents (also known as life certificates) must be notarized. Please note that if the document is written in a language other than English or French, you must send a certified, notarized translation with it.
Note that proof of life documents drafted in a foreign language related to a foreign pension benefit do not need to be translated into English or French to be authenticated as long as the text is no longer than half a page. On the request form, you must indicate that the document is proof of life. If the text is longer than half a page, it must be translated according to these instructions.

Record of employment

Global Affairs Canada authenticates records of employment issued in accordance with Service Canada guidelines. Records of employment must be notarized.

Request for international judicial assistance

Global Affairs Canada authenticates letters of request for international judicial assistance. Requests signed by a judge or clerk of the court do not need to be notarized.
An international judicial assistance request (or a mutual legal assistance request or letters rogatory) is a letter from a Canadian court seeking help from foreign judicial authorities in connection with a legal proceeding.

Shipment document

Shipment documents (or letters of contents) must be notarized.
If your documents are for the transport of human remains, you must send a death certificate with them. The death certificate must be issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office.

Vaccination attestations

Immunization (vaccination) attestations, such as COVID ones, need to be notarized. Before submitting these documents to our office, Global Affairs Canada suggests you ensure with your country of destination that authentication and legalization are indeed a requirement. Please note that Global Affairs Canada may refuse to authenticate these documents if Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that authentication is not required.

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