Apostille in British Columbia
Which documents this office will accept
- From the source
Depends on document type — some documents must be notarized by a B.C. Notary Public or lawyer first; "Some types of public documents should not be notarized before authentication" (e.g., vital statistics originals are authenticated directly). Non-English content requires translation per BC's translation requirements. Since Dec 18, 2023, every request must identify the destination country per document. No ID required from the applicant. Apostille attached to all documents authenticated in B.C. on or after Jan 11, 2024
Certifications you may need first
No additional certification step is required before the apostille.
The request form
- Form
No paper form: the request is made through the online portal.
- Where to get it
- From the source
B.C. Document Authentication Request form (same PayBC URL as the online request)
Requesting online
- Online route
Part of the request is made online; the documents themselves still reach the office on paper.
- From the source
Online request form + payment (documents still sent by mail/courier); must be completed on desktop, not mobile
Where to go in person
The source lists no office for in-person service.
What it costs
- Fee
$20.00 CAD per document
"There is a standard $20 fee for each document authentication"
How to pay
- By mail
Money order, certified cheque / bank draft, or cheque.
- Online
Card payment.
- Make it payable to
Minister of Finance
Copy that exactly as written.
- From the source
Online via PayBC form (Mastercard, Debit Mastercard, Visa, Visa Debit, American Express); by mail: money order, bank draft, personal or business cheque (CAD or USD) payable to "Minister of Finance" (bank draft represented under the cashiersCheck token)
Where to send your documents
- Mailing address
- Ministry of Attorney General, OIC Administration Office, Attention: BC Authentication Program, 1001 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8W 2C5
- From the source
HCCH lists a PO Box 9280 Stn Prov Govt variant
How long it takes
- By mail
"2 to 4 weeks, not including mail time" (current published estimate)
Getting your documents back
Return shipping is included.
Fee includes return by regular Canada Post; courier return requires prepaid arrangements
Checking status and verifying an apostille
- Verify an issued apostille
https://apostille-gac.powerappsportals.com/en/eregister-eregistre/
BC apostilles verifiable via the shared GAC tool (covers GAC, AB, SK, BC). No separate BC-run register found
- Check a request's status
No status-tracking page is published for this office.
Remote online notarization
- Status
Remote online notarization is permitted here.
- Legal basis
No BC statute expressly authorizes remote notarial certificates. Two pillars: (1) Attorney General's "Direction to Commissioners for Taking Affidavits" (originally COVID-19) — remote commissioning per the BC Courts' remote-commissioning direction; "The Provincial State of Emergency for COVID-19 ended... June 30, 2021. The direction continues until further notice" (page last updated Nov 26, 2025 — still active, no rescission). (2) Law Society of BC Code of Professional Conduct, Appendix A (annotated) — remote commissioning provisions added July 2024, amended Nov 2024 (permanent professional-conduct basis for lawyers)
- How the signer is identified
LSBC Appendix A, verbatim: "the deponent must show the lawyer the front and back of the deponent's valid and current government-issued photo identification"; "The lawyer must compare the video image of the deponent and information in the deponent's government-issued photo identity document to be reasonably satisfied." No KBA
- Fee caps
No maximum fee is recorded here for a remote act or for a standard notarial act. A missing cap is not the same as “no cap” — the reason is in the notes below.
- From the source
Permitted, ongoing (no sunset) but framed as guidance rather than statute. LSBC Appendix A: "a lawyer may discharge the lawyer's ethical and professional obligations regarding commissioning an affidavit or solemn declaration where the lawyer and deponent are not physically together through the use of electronic and video technology." Affidavit must include a paragraph "describing that the deponent was not physically present before the lawyer as commissioner, but was in the lawyer's electronic presence linked with the lawyer utilizing video technology." Commissioner must "confirm that the recipient of the affidavit or declaration will accept a document that has been commissioned remotely." BC Land Title & Survey Authority separately allows remote witnessing of land title affidavits (Practice Bulletin 01-20, 2020). Who can do it: commissioners for taking affidavits (Evidence Act s. 56 appointees; lawyers and BC notaries are commissioners), BC notaries public (Society of Notaries Public of BC members), lawyers. Fee rules: no statutory cap; BC notaries set their own fees (Society publishes no mandatory tariff). Market rate (as of Aug 2026): Canada Notary (canadanotary.ca) offers BC virtual commissioning of affidavits/statutory declarations via video (fee via calculator). Apostille interplay: GAC and provincial competent authorities require original/wet-ink signatures and seals — remotely executed, purely electronic notarizations are generally unusable for apostille unless printed/wet-signed by the commissioner
Other things the source says
In-person offices: none. "All authentication requests must be sent by mail or by courier." "Rush, walk-in, drop off and while-you-wait services are not available."