Apostille in Toronto: Notarizing Documents for Use Abroad

Civitas Law is a team of legal professionals under the leadership of lawyer Nasibeh Mehrpouyan, and she is both a lawyer and a notary public. We notarize documents that are headed for an apostille, explain the steps that follow, and help you avoid the small errors that get a document turned away at the counter. We work in English, French, Farsi, Russian and Serbian from our office at 4789 Yonge Street, Suite 402, at Yonge and Sheppard in North York.

Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention on January 11, 2024. Before that date, a Canadian document going abroad was authenticated in Canada and then legalized at the destination country's embassy or consulate. For countries that are parties to the Convention, the apostille now replaces that second step. For other countries, Ontario still issues a certificate of authentication, and the consulate may still need to legalize it.

The notary's part and the government's part are separate. A notary confirms who signed, or that a copy matches its original. The apostille confirms that the notary, or the official who signed a public document, is genuine. Neither one checks whether the contents of the document are true or whether the receiving office will accept it. For a broader overview of what a notary can do, see our notary public services in Toronto.

The answer depends only on the country where the document will be used.

• Convention country: the document gets an apostille. In most cases nothing more is needed from Canada, although the receiving office can still ask for a translation into its own language.
• Country outside the Convention: the document gets a certificate of authentication. The country's embassy or consulate in Canada may then need to legalize it before it is accepted.

The Hague Conference on Private International Law keeps the official list of Convention parties. As of November 2026, Russia and Serbia are parties to the Convention and Iran is not. ODS does not advise on what a foreign office wants, so ask the embassy, school, court, bank or registry that will receive the document before you sign anything. Many problems start when a client notarizes the wrong version of a form or a document that the foreign office did not ask for.

Canada has several competent authorities, and sending a document to the wrong one only wastes time.

• Ontario Official Documents Services issues apostilles and certificates of authentication for documents issued in Ontario and for documents notarized by an Ontario notary public, wherever the original was issued.
• Global Affairs Canada handles documents issued by the Government of Canada, and documents issued or notarized in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the three territories. Its authentication service is offered at no charge. You start with an online request and then mail, courier or drop off the documents at its Authentication Services Section, 2421 Lancaster Road, Ottawa. Details are on the Global Affairs Canada authentication page.
• Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and Saskatchewan issue apostilles for their own documents. A birth certificate from British Columbia, for example, goes to British Columbia, not to Ontario.

One practical result: when a federal or out of province original cannot easily be sent to its own authority, a notarized copy made in Ontario can often go to ODS instead. Whether a notarized copy is acceptable abroad is a question for the receiving office, so confirm it first.

As of November 2026, ODS accepts some Ontario public documents directly, signed by the official who issued them:

• Ontario vital statistics documents, such as birth, marriage and death certificates, including polymer birth certificates.
• Business registry documents issued from 1991 onward.
• Documents issued by the Superior Court of Justice or the Ontario Court of Justice on or after July 10, 2023. In-person requests for these can take up to 10 business days.
• Degrees, diplomas and transcripts from Ontario public colleges and universities issued since January 1, 2019.

Almost everything else goes through an Ontario notary public first. That includes affidavits and statutory declarations for use abroad, powers of attorney, consent letters, invitation letters, company resolutions, older court orders and divorce certificates, private school and older university documents, and copies of passports or records issued outside Ontario. ODS has no notary on site.

ODS will not authenticate a document that was only commissioned by a commissioner for taking affidavits, even if it carries an oath. It also refuses religious documents such as baptismal certificates, documents already legalized by a consulate, and documents issued outside Canada unless an Ontario notary witnessed a signature on them. If your document falls into one of these groups, tell us when you book and we will look at what can be done.

1. Confirm what the receiving office wants. Ask whether it needs an original, a notarized copy or a sworn declaration, and whether it needs a translation.
2. Have the document notarized, if needed. Bring it unsigned to the notary with government photo ID for each signer. The notary's full signature and seal must appear clearly on the same page, and the notary's name and seal must match ODS records.
3. Check eligibility and start a request. ODS offers an online portal to check whether a document is eligible and to open a service request. You receive a service request number by email.
4. Deliver the paper document and payment. Bring it in person to 777 Bay Street, Lower Level, Toronto, or to one of the participating ServiceOntario locations, or mail it to the Toronto office, which is the only mail-in address. Documents thicker than 7 mm (a quarter inch) need two holes punched in the upper left corner.
5. Receive the apostille. In person, the usual wait is about 30 minutes when everything is complete. By mail, ODS issues the certificate within 15 business days of receiving the document and returns it by regular mail unless you include a prepaid tracked envelope or waybill.

ODS processes only paper originals; it does not authenticate electronic documents. It also keeps no copies, so make your own before you hand anything over. Current requirements are on Ontario's authentication page.

Government fees (set by Ontario, November 2026): authentication or apostille of an Ontario document costs $16 for each notarized document and $32 for each Ontario government, court or postsecondary document, paid to Official Documents Services. Ontario sets no fee for the notarial act itself.

How we measured this: we reviewed the fees that 15 notary offices and law firms in Toronto and the GTA publish on their own websites, checked in November 2026. Figures are before HST unless stated. These are typical market fees, not Civitas Law's fees. Civitas Law tells you its fee in writing before any work starts, and any government fee is paid on top of the notary fee.

How Civitas Law can help

Civitas Law notarizes your documents and explains each authentication or apostille step; you then submit them to Official Documents Services or Global Affairs Canada yourself. If a document is not in English or French, the translation can be attested before Nasibeh Mehrpouyan as an Ontario notary public, one of the translation routes that Official Documents Services accepts. Mobile appointments at a home, hospital or office in Toronto can be arranged for an additional fee, which we confirm in writing before the visit.

A document in another language can be apostilled in Ontario only if it was issued in Canada, notarized by an Ontario notary public and accompanied by a translation. ODS accepts the translation in one of two forms:

• a translation by a member of a recognized provincial translators' association, or
• an attestation by an Ontario notary public who speaks English or French and the language of the document, with a declaration that the notary speaks both languages and that the translation is accurate.

The destination country may separately want the apostilled document translated into its own language once it arrives. That is a different step, done under that country's rules. Ask the receiving office whether it wants the translation done in Canada and apostilled, or done locally after the document arrives.

Most refusals come from details that are easy to prevent:

• The notary's signature and seal are not complete on the same page, or the seal is faint or cut off.
• The notary's name or seal does not match what ODS has on file.
• The document was commissioned rather than notarized.
• It is a scan, an email printout or an electronic file.
• The service request form is incomplete or payment is missing.
• The document was already legalized by a consulate, or it is a religious certificate.
• The document is in a third language without an accepted translation.

ODS can also refuse documents it considers fraudulent or suspicious, and it checks only signatures and seals, not content. A notary who knows these rules will place the seal and signature correctly and tell you before you leave if the document is not suitable for authentication.

As of November 2026 the province lists five places that accept apostille and authentication requests, open Monday to Friday except statutory holidays:

• Official Documents Services, 777 Bay Street, Lower Level, Toronto (8:30 am to 5 pm). This is also the only mail-in address.
• ServiceOntario, Ottawa Courthouse, 161 Elgin Street, Fourth Floor (8:30 am to 4 pm).
• ServiceOntario, 420 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie.
• ServiceOntario, Windsor City Hall, 400 City Hall Square East.
• ServiceOntario, 435 James Street South, Thunder Bay.

In-person appointments can be booked online through the province's appointment system, or by calling 1-800-267-8097 or 416-326-1234. ODS can be reached at 416-325-8416. Our office at Yonge and Sheppard is about 30 minutes from 777 Bay Street on Line 1, so many clients have documents notarized with us and then attend ODS the same week.

We notarize signatures on documents you will sign in front of us, certify true copies against originals, and prepare simple declarations, consent letters and invitation letters when the receiving office has not supplied its own form. Before you sign, the lawyer reviews the document with you in your language, so you understand what you are declaring. We also tell you which authority issues the apostille for your document and what to bring to it.

If the document raises a legal question, such as a power of attorney for property in another country, a family law matter abroad or an immigration application, a 30-minute consultation is $150 plus HST, paid when booking. Related pages: certified true copies, affidavits and statutory declarations, travel consent letters for children, notary services for immigration documents and powers of attorney. To book, call (647) 271-1646 or use our booking page.

Book a consultation online or call (647) 271-1646 (the phone is answered Monday to Friday, 9 am to 8 pm, and Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm). 30-minute consultation, $150 plus HST, paid when you book. Legal fees after that depend on the work involved, and we explain them in writing before you retain us.