Apostilles (Authentication and Legalization) explained by a Vancouver Notary

If you need to send official documentation overseas, Brosgall Legal | Notary Services would be pleased to assist you with all your international authentication and legalization (apostille) needs. The notarization, authentication and legalization of documents is a very specialized area of the law. With language and cultural diversity, differing consular requirments,  and 'red tape', things often get quite confusing and frustrating. This article will explain more about Apostilles, and how Brosgall Legal can assist. If you have any questions, or want to book a notary appointment, please send us an email or call us at 604-685-ADAM [2326]. You may also visit our home page for further information. 

Taking the Mystery out of Notarization, Authenticaion, and Legalization

Brosgall Legal can help. One of our previous articles gave an in-depth explanation about notarization, authentication, and legalization (also known as apostille in other countries). This article is more of 'Coles Notes' summary... and because so many people come to our office in a complete panic, not even knowing what is needed, we've attached four samples of actual certificates we use for notarizations, authentications, and legalizations. The attachments at the bottom of this article should help remove much of the mystery and confusion surrounding authentication and legalization.  

Authentication and Legalization - the Verification Chain Method

Before a document can be used overseas, its authenticity must be verified. In order to do this, a document must be notarized, authenticated, and legalized. Essentially, when you need to use a document overseas, a chain of verification must be used: notarization, authentication, and legalization. Each of these three steps achieves the following results:

1. Notarization: confirms the authenticity of the original document. The notarial certificate issued by us (notary public) achieves this.
2. Authentication: confirms the registration of the notary or lawyer in their respective governing body, and verifies their signature and seal as being 100% authentic. The authentication certificate issued by the provincial authority achieves this.
3. Legalization: confirms that the entire authentication chain is valid. The legalization certificate issued by the consulate achieves this. This step is also known as 'superlegalization'.

Once these three steps are completed successfully, your document becomes legal and valid for use in the foreign jurisdiction. 

Apostille Certificate

As mentioned above, many countries (but not Canada) use a procedure called apostille certification. Apostille certification is a much simpler way of legalizing documents for use abroad, and is basically the equivalent of an international notarial seal. As Canada is not a signatory of the Hague/Apostille Convention, Canadian notaries cannot issue apostilles. Instead, all Canadian notaries must use the chain method of authentication and legalization described above.

Notarization Certificate Samples

Okay, let's remove some of the mystery... To see exactly what you will end up with once the authentication and legalization process is complete, please click on the four attachments at the bottom of this article.

1. The first is a notarization of a signature - this notarial certificate is completed in our notary office.
2. The second is a notarization of a certified copy - again, this notarization is done in our office.
3. The third is an authentication certificate - this particular certificate was issued by the B.C. Ministry of Justice (Order in Council Office), although there are three authorities who do authentications. Adam Brosgall's signature and seal are pre-registered at all of these authorities. As you will see, this example is an authentication of Adam E. Brosgall's signature, seal and professional standing. Brosgall Legal handles this process for you.
4. The final attachment is a legalization certificate - this particular certificate was issued by the Mexican consulate in Vancouver. It is a legalization of the signature and seal of the Registrar of Official Documents with the B.C. Ministry of Justice, plus that of Adam E. Brosgall. Once again, we will take care of this entire process on your behalf.

We realize that the documentation you are sending overseas is extremely important to you. Whether it is for business purposes, or for a personal matter, accuracy and timing are always critical. From beginning to end, Brosgall Legal will ensure that the notarization, authentication, and legalization of your documentation goes smoothly. We would be pleased to assist you with your international notarization, authentication and legalization requirements.

Vancouver Notary Public, Commissioner of Oaths, and Lawyer

Brosgall Legal's owner and principal, Adam Brosgall, is an experienced Vancouver Notary Public, Commissioner of Oaths, and Lawyer. He is fully qualified, licenced, and insured to do international notarizations. If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an email, or call 604-685-ADAM [2326] to book an appointment. Same day service and walk-ins are welcome. Please see our Vancouver Notary home page for our other services, and we look forward to seeing you.