Authentication
Legal Documents signed in Canada, but need to be used in another country must be “authenticated” or “legalized” before they can be recognized as valid in the foreign country. Such documents range from powers of attorney, affidavits, birth, death and marriages records, incorporation papers, deeds, patent application, and various other legal papers. Legalization is a verification process, where the validity of a document is verified. For example, if you sign a Power of Attorney before a Notary Public, the Notary Public will verify your signature, so that the receiving party of this Power of Attorney will know that it was really you who signed the document.
Procedure for notarization and authentication of documents
Legal documents emanating from Canada to be used in Hong Kong, Macao and China have to be notarized and authenticated as follows:
Step 1: Document should first be notarized by a Notary Public in Canada;
Step 2: The document should then be legalized by the Department of Foreign Affairs Canada or local provincial authorities (please contact us for details).
Step 3: Finally, it has to be authenticated by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General of the PRC.
Documents originating from Provinces of Ontario and Manitoba should be authenticated by the Consulate-General of the PRC in Toronto:
240 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5R 2P4
Tel: (416) 964-8861 Fax: (416) 324-9010
Documents originating from Province of British Columbia should be authenticated by the Consulate-General of the PRC in Vancouver:
3380 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC., Canada
V6H 3K3
Tel: (604) 736-3910 Fax: (604) 737-0154
Documents originating from the Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan should be authenticated by the Consulate-General of the PRC in Calgary:
Suite 100, 1011-6th Avenue, S. W.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
T2P 0W1
Tel: (403) 264-3322 Fax: (403) 264-6656
Documents emanating from other parts of Canada can be authenticated by the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa:
515 St. Patrick Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1N 5H3
Tel: (613) 789-3511 Fax: (613) 789-1414
