If someone wants to live and work in another country, they need to prepare their documents. Depending on the country, the process can vary. Any country that is not part of the Apostille Convention has longer document legalisation processes.
Canada is one such country that is not currently a part of the Apostille Convention. However, on 16 May 2023, Canada announced they would be signing the treaty. It will go into effect on 11 January 2024. If you plan on going to Canada before then, you will still have to use the existing legalisation process.
What are apostilles?
Apostilles allow for far simpler certification of documents. The Apostille Convention was signed in 1961, and came into effect in 1965.
Apostilles are accepted in 124 countries, with Canada now joining that number.
All that is required for an apostille is that you send your documents to the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO). Your documents are verified and attached with an Apostille Certificate. They can then be used overseas.
What is the legalisation process that is being replaced?
If you are from the UK, you usually have to get your documents notarised, and then have them legalised by the FCDO.
After, they are sent to the target nation’s embassy or consulate for attestation.
Finally, the documents are sent to the destination country to be attested. Then, your document is returned and can now be used.
This lengthier than the apostille process. Because of this, we provide assistance to anyone going through the legalisation procedure.
Canada joining the Apostille Convention means that both Canadians looking to go elsewhere, and British nationals wanting to go to Canada, will have less hassle with their document attestation.
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