Global Affairs Canada released on May 16, 2023, that Canada has formally acceded to the Convention on the Abolition of the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention.
The Apostille Convention will enter into force in Canada on January 11, 2024. Accession to the Convention means that Canadian citizens and businesses can present Canadian public documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, education records, and export records, among others, to obtain a certificate of authenticity called an apostille. This certificate will allow member countries of the agreement to use the documents.
The new process streamlines immigration processes for Canadian citizens in other Hague member countries.
Information has not yet been released to understand the process for apostilling documents and the provisions in effect while the legalization process changes to apostille applications.
The new regulations will continue to be pending on January 11, 2024, while Canadian documents will continue to receive authentication according to the general legalization requirements of their destination countries.