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Apostille for corporate & commercial documents

Opening a subsidiary, bidding on a tender, signing with a foreign bank or registering a trademark abroad usually means apostilling corporate documents. The route depends on whether the document is government-issued or privately signed — and one category sits outside apostilles entirely.

Document typeMixed — government registry records and privately signed documents
NotarizationGovernment-issued records: often direct. Privately signed (resolutions, declarations, POAs): notarized first
Government fee$0 (Global Affairs Canada) up to $66.50 (Québec), at cost
Outside apostille scopeDocuments dealing directly with customs or commercial operations (e.g. commercial invoices, certificates of origin)

Two routes, by document

Often direct

Government registry records

A certificate of status / good standing, articles of incorporation or a certified registry extract carries an official signature, so it can often be apostilled without a notary. Federal records (Corporations Canada) route through Global Affairs Canada; provincial records through the province's authority.

Notarize first

Privately signed documents

Board resolutions, declarations, certificates of incumbency and corporate powers of attorney are signed by an officer, so a Canadian notary certifies the signature before the apostille.

The customs/commercial exception. The Apostille Convention does not apply to documents dealing directly with customs or commercial operations — typically commercial invoices and certificates of origin. Even for a Hague country, those usually go through a chamber of commerce and consular legalization instead of an apostille. We confirm which of your documents are in scope and build the right chain for the rest.

Which Canadian authority handles it

The authority is decided by where the document was issued or notarized — never by where you live now.

  • Québec records and notarizations → Québec's designated authority. Québec notarizations are verified by the Chambre des notaires first, so build in lead time.
  • Ontario → Official Document Services; British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan → each province's own authority, usually on a notarized certified true copy.
  • All other provinces and territories, plus federal documents → Global Affairs Canada (no government fee, roughly 20 business days).
See each authority's fee and timeline on the by-province overview, or start the free pre-check and we'll confirm the exact routing for your document and destination.
For a non-Hague destination, corporate documents follow the legalization chain (authentication at Global Affairs Canada, then the destination's embassy). A certified translation is often required either way; the receiving authority sets the rule.
Common questions
Can a certificate of status be apostilled directly?
Often yes — it's a government registry record with an official signature. Federal records route through Global Affairs Canada; provincial records through the province's authority.
What about commercial invoices and certificates of origin?
Those usually fall outside the Apostille Convention, which excludes documents dealing directly with customs or commercial operations. They typically need a chamber of commerce and consular legalization instead — we build that chain.
Do board resolutions need a notary?
Yes — they're signed by an officer, so a Canadian notary certifies the signature first, then the apostille verifies the notary.
Our destination isn't a Hague member — can you still help?
Yes. We run the full legalization chain: authentication at Global Affairs Canada, then legalization at the destination's embassy or consulate in Canada.

Apostille corporate documents

Send the document set and the destination — we'll sort what's in scope, build the right chain for the rest, and send a fixed all-in quote within one business day.

Free pre-check