Foreign Affairs (DFAIT) Authentication of Do**ents
Criminal record checks (police clearance) or fingerprint certificates
All criminal record checks, fingerprint certificates and do**ents originating from any local or provincial police station in Canada must first be notarized by a Canadian notary or a commissioner of oaths prior to authentication. Do**ents issued by RCMP headquarters in Ottawa do not need to be notarized
Contact the embassy or consulate of the country concerned to verify if a notarized photocopy of a do**ent will be accepted or if you need to have the original do**ent notarized. If you need an original do**ent, you must request the police clearance from RCMP headquarters in Ottawa.
Do**ents originating in a foreign country
Do**ents that originate in a foreign country must be signed and sealed by an official of that country’s embassy, high commission or consulate accredited to Canada. Please ensure that the signatory’s name is printed in the Latin (western) alphabet.
Do**ents originating in Canada in a foreign language
Canadian do**ents in a foreign language must be translated by a certified Canadian translator into either English or French.
Both the original do**ent and the translation must be signed and sealed by a Canadian notary public or commissioner of oaths. Note that we will not authenticate a do**ent signed only by a certified translator.
Translated do**ents
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A translated do**ent must be sent with the original do**ent. An original do**ent in a foreign language must be translated into English or French by a certified translator. Then the translation must be certified by a Canadian notary or commissioner of oaths.
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Translated do**ents (regardless of language) can only be authenticated if they are first certified, signed and sealed by a Canadian notary or commissioner of oaths.
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If the do**ents you send are not accompanied by an English or French translation, or if do**ents are not properly certified, signed and sealed, they will be returned to you without being authenticated.
Certificates of birth, marriage or death
We authenticate original long-form birth, marriage or death certificates issued by the office of vital statistics of the relevant province or territory. Note: We do not authenticate plastic, wallet-sized versions of these certificates.
Marriage search do**ents issued by the Province of Ontario must be notarized before they will be authenticated.
Photocopies of birth, marriage or death certificates can be authenticated. However, they must be certified true copies, signed and sealed by a Canadian notary or commissioner of oaths. If the photocopies you send are not properly certified, signed and sealed, they will be returned to you without being authenticated.
Religious do**ents will not be authenticated even if they are certified, signed and sealed by a Canadian notary or commissioner of oaths. Examples include:
Education do**ents
We only authenticate degrees or student transcripts issued by Canadian educational institutions recognized by the provincial/territorial ministries of education.
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CANADIAN UNIVERSITY or college degrees or transcripts must be signed and sealed by the relevant office of the registrar, and a full signature, name and title must appear on the do**ent. Otherwise the do**ent has to be notarized before it will be authenticated.
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Canadian high school or elementary school transcripts must be signed by the principal or vice-principal of the school that issued the do**ents, and a full signature, name and title must appear on the do**ent. Only school diplomas and transcripts can be accepted without being notarized. All other letters have to be notarized before they will be authenticated.
We cannot authenticate the following unless they are notarized:
Photocopies of degrees and transcripts can be authenticated. However, these must be certified true copies, signed and sealed by either the relevant office of the registrar or a Canadian notary or the commissioner of oaths.
For more information please visit www.ottawalegalizationservice.com
