Authentication of documents: 2. Requirements for your document

Adoption papers

Documents related to the adoption of a child must be notarized.

We authenticate documents such as:

• adoption agreements
• adoption certificates
• adoption related forms

Apprenticeship and trade certificates

Apprenticeship and trade certificates must be notarized.

Bank documents

Bank documents must be notarized.

We authenticate 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.

We 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 we 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.

We authenticate:

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

Business or corporate records

Business or corporate records must be notarized.

We authenticate 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.

We authenticate:

• 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.

We authenticate 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

College/cégep or university diplomas

We authenticate 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.

We use an ink stamp, which is applied directly to documents when they are authenticated. Should you not want us to stamp the original, we 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 transcript

We authenticate 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.

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.

Commemorative certificates

We do 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 we 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.

We authenticate:

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

Course certificate

We only authenticate 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.

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 (example, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec) or a municipal police agency (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.

We 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

We authenticate 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 between 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

We are 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

We only authenticate diplomas issued by recognized elementary or high schools in Canada. These schools must be recognized by a provincial or territorial ministry of education.

Elementary and high school diplomas must be notarized.

Elementary or high school report card or transcript

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.

Fingerprint forms

Fingerprints forms (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 records checks issued by Canadian municipal, provincial or federal authorities (please look up “Criminal record check” on this page for information about those).

Federal legislation

Certified copies of federal laws and regulations that have been signed by the clerk of the parliaments 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.

Foreign documents (Non-Canadian documents)

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

Please note that our office does not authenticate foreign documents for use abroad. For additional information, please consult our FAQ - Do you authenticate foreign documents for use in Canada? and Do you authenticate foreign documents for use abroad?

Health Canada licences

We authenticate licences issued by Health Canada (for example, product licences or establishment licences). 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.

We authenticate licences such as:

• drug establishment licences
• medical device licences

Identity documents

If you need to have a Canadian identity document (for example, a driver’s licence or a passport) authenticated, you must submit a notarized copy of it. You do not need to enclose the original document with your authentication request.

Immigration, permanent resident or citizenship certificates or documents

We authenticate 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, search of citizenship letters or other historical immigration records need to get notarized.

Please note that we do 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

We only authenticate language school certificates issued by recognized institutions in Canada.

A recognized institution is accredited by:

• Languages Canada
• TESL Canada
• TESL Ontario

Language school certificates from recognized institutions must be notarized.

Letters provided by an educational institution

We only authenticate letters from schools recognized by a provincial or territorial ministry of education.

Letters issued by an educational institution must be notarized.

We authenticate:

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

Marriage certificate

Marriage certificates must be issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. They do not need to be notarized.

We 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 licences

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

Marriage search letter

We only authenticate marriage search letters issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office.

Marriage search letters bearing the original signature or seal of the appropriate vital statistics registrar do not need to be notarized. Otherwise, they need to be notarized.

Make sure you have everything you need if you are getting married outside Canada.

Medical documents

Medical documents must be notarized.

We authenticate medical documents such as:

• medical certificates
• doctor’s notes
• prescriptions

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

Name change certificate

We authenticate name change certificates issued by a provincial or territorial vital statistics office. They do not need to be notarized.

We are unable to authenticate notarized copies. If you need a copy, it must be issued by the appropriate vital statistics office.

Other government documents

Documents issued by the Government of Canada, or by the government of any Canadian province or territory, that are not listed on this page must be notarized.

If you have questions about documents not listed, please contact us.

Examples of Government of Canada documents that must be notarized include:

• Canada Revenue Agency documents
• Service Canada documents
• certificate of coverage
• Canada Pension Plan certificate
• documents from other federal departments and agencies

Private legal documents

Private legal documents must be notarized.

We authenticate private legal documents such as:

• wills
• powers 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:

• 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 a proof of life. If the text is longer than half a page, it must be translated according to these instructions.

Record of employment

We authenticate records of employment issued in accordance with Service Canada guidelines. Records of employment must be notarized.

Request for international judicial assistance

We authenticate 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 letter 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, we suggest you to ensure with your country of destination that authentication and legalization is indeed a requirement. Please note that we may refuse to authenticate these documents if we have confirmation that authentication is not required.