Since Canada is not a member Country of the Hague Apostille Convention, all official Canadian documents must be LEGALIZED in order to be officially accepted and be fully valid in Mexico. The six Mexican Consulates in Canada have the power to legalize Canadian documents issued within their respective jurisdiction.
The Embassy of Mexico in Ottawa has the power to legalize documents issued by Canadian authorities in any of Canada’s provinces or territories.
DOCUMENTS THAT CAN BE LEGALIZED
- Birth, marriage, death and divorce certificates.
- Professional degrees (diplomas); certificates of study from college or university; grade transcripts and report cards.
- Notarial copies and certificates, notarized powers of attorney.
Records, certificates and documents issued by Canadian government departments at the federal or provincial levels. - Judicial sentences and rulings.
- Medical records certified by a notary public.
THE FOLLOWING WILL NOT BE LEGALIZED
- Documents from countries other than Canada.
- Wallet-sized birth certificates.
- Translations or photocopies that have not been stamped and signed by a Canadian notary public or lawyer with notarial powers.
- Academic documents not bearing the name and signature of the academic authority issuing them.
PROCEDURE for legalization of documents by the Embassy of Mexico
You must send the following by courier or registered mail:
- The document(s) to be legalized, previously stamped by the Authentication Services Section of the Ministry of Global Affairs Canada https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/about-a_propos/services/authentication-authentification/step-etape-1.aspx?lang=eng The interested party is responsible for obtaining this stamp. If you request the authentication of your document by mail, be advised that the Authentication Services Section may take from one to two months to process and send out your document. Documents received by the Consular Section without the authentication stamp from Global Affairs Canada will be returned to the interested party WITHOUT the corresponding legalization.
- A letter requesting the legalization of your document(s), including your contact information: full address, telephone number and email.
- Payment of legalization fees in the form of a Money Order made out to “Embassy of Mexico” in Canadian dollars. NOTE: Legalization is paid per document; for reference, count the number of stamps from the Authentication Services Section at Global Affairs Canada [Click here to check the current fee]. Take into consideration that the consular fees are adjusted at the beginning of every month.
- A prepaid envelope for the return of your documents.
Turnaround time: 5-7 working days plus mailing time.
Our mailing address: 1000-45 O'Connor street, Ottawa, Ontario. K1P1A4
It is not possible to legalize Canadian documents received by courier from abroad (outside Canada).