Verification of the authenticity of foreign documents – Apostille

What is an Apostille?

Apostille is the instrument by which a government authority authenticates a document as genuine, thereby legalizing it for use in another member country under the terms laid out in the 1961Hague Convention. Once a document has been Apostilled, thereby providing official government authentication of the signatures and stamps appearing on it, it is automatically deemed legalized for use in another member country to the said Convention.

What is The Hague Convention?

This is an Intergovernmental Convention which set about establishing a simplified system to allow documentation originating in one member country to be easily recognized as authentic in another member country. The norms were established at the Hague Convention of 6 October 1961.

An Apostille consists of the following:
•         name of country from which the document emanates
•         name of person signing the document
•         the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted
•         in the case of unsigned documents, the name of the authority which has affixed the seal or stamp
•         place of certification
•         date of certification
•         the authority issuing the certificate
•         number of certificate
•         seal or stamp of authority issuing the certificate
•         signature of authority issuing the certificate

Why do I need an Apostille?

Authorities in Greece need proof that Canadian documents or signatures of Canadian officials on respective documents are genuine before they accept them.

Which stamp do I need? An Authentication or an Apostille?

That depends on the country you are dealing with.

As a general rule, countries that are party tothe Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (known as the “Apostille Convention”) - (Greece is party to that Convention) require an Apostille onpublic documents. The “Apostille Convention” also entered into force for Canada as of January 11, 2024.

Documents going to countries that are not party to the Hague Convention generally require an Authentication. These countries include China, Vietnam, most Middle Eastern countries and many others.

Apostillization/authentication services in Canada as of January 11, 2024

At present, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (Authentication Services Section) authenticates documents issued or notarized in any Canadian province or territory. As of January 11, 2024, some provincial governments are responsible for the apostillization or for authentication of documents, issued or notarized in their jurisdiction, namely, the governments of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec. Subject to some exceptions, the Departmentof Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will cease authenticating public documents issued or notarized in those provinces. The table below shows the entities that have been designated as competent authorities to issue apostilles for Canada under the Apostille Convention and are also responsible for the authentication of documents outside of the Convention’s framework:

For further details on the allocation of responsibilities as between competent authorities in Canada and responsibilities for authentication services, you can visit Changes to Authentication Services in Canada on the Department’s website. In addition, the website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, under whose auspices the Apostille Convention was concluded, publishes a list of Competent Authorities designated by Canada.

Documents eligible for authentication and apostillization

In most cases, public documents, such as those issued by governmental agencies, qualify for authentication or apostillization, without the need for notarization. Requestors of authentication and apostillization services are required to have private documents notarized and the notarization will be authenticated or apostillized. Requestors should be encouraged to consult the website of the relevant competent authority for details on notarization and other requirements.

Documents authenticated in Canada before January 11, 2024

It should be noted that the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (Authentication Services Section) will not issue apostilles for documents that it has authenticated prior to the entry into force for Canada of the Hague Convention.

For those documents authenticated in Canada before January 11, 2024, the Greek consular missions in Canada will be offering legalization services for a period of no less than three months (until April 11, 2024).