# Apostille in Federal — Global Affairs Canada

- **Source:** https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/federal/
- **Title:** Apostille in Federal — Global Affairs Canada — Canada | Andrii Co.
- **Language:** en · also published as Markdown at /{lang}/handbook/apostille/ca/federal/index.md for: en

> Apostille guide for Federal — Global Affairs Canada, Canada: the competent authority is Global Affairs Canada, Authentication Services Section (JLAC). Verified 2026-08-09.

Everything below is transcribed from this office's own published sources and printed in its words. A value we could not confirm against an official page is marked "(unverified)" — but the absence of that marker is not a guarantee that a fact was checked, and the source's own doubts stay inside the notes reproduced here verbatim. Confirm fees, addresses and deadlines with the office before you send documents or money.

- **Jurisdiction:** Federal — Global Affairs Canada, Canada
- **Verified as of:** August 9, 2026

About this entry's sources: The step-etape-1 source URL stands for the whole step series (through step-etape-5)

## Who issues the apostille

Global Affairs Canada, Authentication Services Section (JLAC)

HCCH listing: "Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada". Apostilles also available at some Canadian diplomatic/consular missions abroad. Covers: (a) documents issued by the Government of Canada (e.g., RCMP criminal record checks from RCMP headquarters, federal export permits, federal corporate documents); (b) documents issued or notarized in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon (the 8 jurisdictions without their own competent authority). Canada acceded to the Apostille Convention effective January 11, 2024

## Which documents this office will accept

- **Wet ink:** The document must carry an original, hand-signed signature (and seal where one applies). An electronically notarized document — what a remote online notarization produces — cannot satisfy that, so a RON notarization cannot feed this paper chain.
- **Copies:** Plain photocopies refused. Vital statistics: notarized copies NOT accepted ("if you need a copy, it must be issued by the appropriate vital statistics office")
- **provincial/territorial vital statistics birth/death/marriage certificates; divorce certificates signed by a court clerk; original university/college diplomas signed by registrar; RCMP HQ criminal record checks with Director General signature + dry seal; court documents with original seal/signature/judge's name:** No notarization needed
- **provincial/municipal police checks, bank documents, medical documents, school (K-12) diplomas, business records, private legal documents, etc.:** Notarization required
- **From the source:** Document must bear "an original, recognized signature (and seal, if applicable)". Pocket-sized certificates and religious-institution documents refused. Laminated/glued documents refused. Non-English/French documents need a certified translation (member of a provincial translators' association) or notarized translator attestation; exceptions: diplomas in Greek/Latin, proof-of-life documents under half a page. Remote-notarization interplay: GAC requires original/wet-ink signatures and seals — remotely executed, purely electronic notarizations are generally unusable for apostille unless printed/wet-signed by the commissioner

## Certifications you may need first

No additional certification step is required before the apostille.

## The request form

A PDF request form. Form: EXT2165 Download: https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/assets/pdfs/about-a_propos/services/authentication-authentification/ext2165e.pdf Authentication Request form EXT2165

## Requesting online

Part of the request is made online; the documents themselves still reach the office on paper. Portal: https://apostille-gac.powerappsportals.com/en/search-document/ Partial — online triage portal (launched Oct 30, 2025) to determine document requirements and start a request; physical documents must still be mailed/dropped off

## Where to go in person

- **Ottawa** — 2421 Lancaster Road, Ottawa, ON Documents are dropped off here. Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (except statutory holidays) Drop-off only at the distribution centre. "The Authentication Services Section does not offer in-person service" — no counter service, no same-day; documents returned by mail/courier only

## What it costs

- **$0.00 CAD** flat fee — Applies to: all (requests submitted in Canada) — "We do not charge a fee for our service."
- **$50.00 CAD** per document — Applies to: all (requests at Canadian diplomatic/consular missions abroad) — At Canadian missions abroad: $50/document (Consular Fees (Specialized Services) Regulations; per HCCH page)

## How to pay

- N/A (free in Canada). Return shipping is the applicant's responsibility — see returnShipping

## Where to send your documents

- **Mailing address:** Global Affairs Canada, Authentication Services Section, 2421 Lancaster Road, Ottawa, ON K1B 4L5, Canada
- **From the source:** Address in effect since Aug 15, 2024

## How long it takes

- **By mail:** 90% of applications in 25 business days (the site phrases it as currently processing applications received 25 business days ago), plus mailing time "normally 5-10 business days if shipped from Canada."
- **Expedited:** Priority processing only for "exceptional and urgent circumstances outside of your control."
- The office runs a rolling date-based queue and posts the live currently-processing date on its updates page; the reference snapshot records the ~25-business-day figure, not a dated queue position, so this is encoded as fixedRange (rollingDate requires the posted date — never invented)
- Courier account numbers are not accepted; only prepaid labels
- Applicant must enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope or prepaid courier shipping label for return

## Checking status and verifying an apostille

- **Verification register:** https://apostille-gac.powerappsportals.com/en/eregister-eregistre/ — Verification tool launched June 20, 2025; verifies apostilles issued by Global Affairs Canada, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia
- **Check request status:** https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/about-a_propos/services/authentication-authentification/status-statut.aspx?lang=eng — Online portal for service request numbers starting "R-"

## Remote online notarization

This authority issues apostilles but commissions no notaries, so there are no remote-notarization rules at this level. They belong to the state or province where the notary holds their commission.

> **RCW 42.45.230(5):** I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in this state. I am not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.

## Other Canada jurisdictions (Markdown)

- [Apostille in Alberta](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/alberta/index.md)
- [Apostille in British Columbia](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/british-columbia/index.md)
- [Apostille in Manitoba](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/manitoba/index.md)
- [Apostille in New Brunswick](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/new-brunswick/index.md)
- [Apostille in Newfoundland and Labrador](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/newfoundland-and-labrador/index.md)
- [Apostille in Northwest Territories](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/northwest-territories/index.md)
- [Apostille in Nova Scotia](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/nova-scotia/index.md)
- [Apostille in Nunavut](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/nunavut/index.md)
- [Apostille in Ontario](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/ontario/index.md)
- [Apostille in Prince Edward Island](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/prince-edward-island/index.md)
- [Apostille in Quebec](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/quebec/index.md)
- [Apostille in Saskatchewan](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/saskatchewan/index.md)
- [Apostille in Yukon](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/ca/yukon/index.md)

## All jurisdictions (Markdown)

- [Apostille requirements, jurisdiction by jurisdiction](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/index.md)

## Other pages on this site (Markdown)

- [All international document services. One stop location in Washington state.](https://andrii.co/en/index.md)
- [Mobile notary and expedited apostille for Greater Seattle](https://andrii.co/en/notary/index.md)
- [Book a notary or apostille appointment](https://andrii.co/en/notary/booking/index.md)
- [Form I-9 verification, done in person and on time](https://andrii.co/en/notary/i9/index.md)
- [Washington State apostille](https://andrii.co/en/apostille/index.md)
- [Service of process, served right and proven on paper.](https://andrii.co/en/service-of-process/index.md)
- [We chase the record so you don't have to.](https://andrii.co/en/vital-records/index.md)
- [A real address that answers your mail and tells you about it.](https://andrii.co/en/registered-agent/index.md)
- [A local face in Washington](https://andrii.co/en/commercial-representation/index.md)
- [Privacy notice](https://andrii.co/en/privacy/index.md)
- [Terms of Service](https://andrii.co/en/terms/index.md)

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