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Apostille for Corporations Canada documents

Your federal corporation’s certificate of incorporation, certificate of compliance or articles, apostilled for a bank, a registry or a partner abroad. We check that the document is in a format Global Affairs Canada will accept, file it, and deliver it anywhere in the world, with a scan the day the apostille is issued. One fixed price per submission, however many documents.

Get a fixed quote Federal or provincial?
Authority
Global Affairs Canada
All federal corporate records
Timeline
About 25 business days
Federal queue, plus delivery
Our fee
$139 per submission
Any number of documents
Delivered to
Anywhere
Your office, or straight to the recipient abroad
What we apostille

Corporations Canada documents, and what they are used for abroad

Corporations Canada is the federal registry for corporations under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA), the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and the Canada Cooperatives Act. Everything it issues is a federal document, apostilled by Global Affairs Canada.

Certificate of incorporation

The charter document, with the articles. Asked for to register a branch or subsidiary, open a corporate bank account or sign with a distributor abroad.

Certificate of compliance

Canada’s federal equivalent of a certificate of good standing or status: the corporation exists, has filed its annual returns and paid its fees. Foreign banks, registries and tender committees often want one issued recently.

Articles and certificates of amendment

Name changes, share structure, amalgamation and continuance. Needed when the foreign record must match the current corporate name or structure.

Certified copies of filed documents

Notices of directors and of registered office, and the by-laws of not-for-profit corporations: proof of who runs the company and where it is, for KYC checks abroad.

Check before you order

Is your corporation federal or provincial?

The registry that issued the document decides which authority apostilles it. Look at the top of your certificate.

This page

Federal

Header “Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Corporations Canada”, and a reference to the Canada Business Corporations Act or the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. Goes to Global Affairs Canada.

Québec

Registraire des entreprises

A 10-digit Québec enterprise number (NEQ) and a statement of information from the Registraire des entreprises. Goes to Québec’s own authority: see apostille in Québec.

Other provinces

Provincial registry

Ontario Business Registry, BC Registries, Alberta Corporate Registry and the others each issue their own certificate of status, apostilled by that province. See authorities by province.

Registered in both? A federal corporation also registers in each province where it operates, so it can hold a Québec or Ontario registration too. The foreign recipient almost always wants the incorporating jurisdiction’s certificate, which for a federal company is the Corporations Canada one.
The format matters

A downloaded PDF is not always enough

Global Affairs Canada authenticates documents that carry an original, recognized signature, on paper. A certificate printed from the Online Filing Centre, or a copy of the articles downloaded from the federal corporation search, may not meet that test as it is, and a refusal costs weeks.

So we look at what you have before anything is filed. If it can go as is, we file it. If it cannot, we order the right version from Corporations Canada, usually a certified copy, which it issues by email or mail at $40 per document, passed on at cost.

  • Check the date the recipient expects. Many foreign registries and banks only accept a certificate of compliance issued in the last 3 to 6 months. A fresh one is cheaper than a second apostille.
  • Check the name. If the corporation changed its name, the recipient may need the certificate of amendment as well as the certificate of incorporation.
  • Non-Hague destination? For the United Arab Emirates, Qatar or Kuwait, the same documents are authenticated by Global Affairs Canada, then legalized by the embassy. We run both steps.
Signed by the company

Resolutions, powers of attorney and officer’s certificates

These are signed by your directors or officers, not by Corporations Canada, so a Canadian notary certifies the signature first, and the apostille then comes from the province where the notary is authorized. We book the notary, including remote notarization where the province allows it, and send the federal certificates and the notarized documents as one coordinated file.

All corporate and commercial documents →

How it works

Three steps, one contact

Send scans and the destination

The certificates you have, the country, and who will receive them.

Fixed quote in one business day

We confirm the format, flag anything that would be refused and quote one all-in price. Nothing to pay now.

Filed, scanned, delivered

Tracked filing, a scan with the apostille number the day it is issued, then delivery to you or to the recipient abroad.

Common questions
Who apostilles Corporations Canada documents?
Global Affairs Canada, in Ottawa. Corporations Canada is a federal registry, so its certificates and certified copies are federal documents, whichever province your office is in. The apostille is accepted in every country that is party to the Hague Apostille Convention.
Can a certificate of compliance be apostilled?
Yes. The certificate of compliance is the federal equivalent of a certificate of good standing, and it is one of the corporate documents we apostille most often. Check how recent the recipient wants it: many ask for one issued in the last 3 to 6 months.
Can I apostille the PDF I downloaded from Corporations Canada?
Not always. Global Affairs Canada needs an original, recognized signature, on paper. We check the document you have first; when it will not be accepted as is, we order a certified copy from Corporations Canada for you.
How long does it take?
The federal queue is currently about 25 business days, plus 5 to 10 business days of mail each way. Delivery comes on top: a few days in Canada, 3 to 5 business days by DHL Express to most countries. If your deadline is tight, tell us when you ask for the quote.
My corporation is incorporated in Québec or Ontario. Is this the right page?
No. A provincial corporation’s documents are apostilled by that province’s authority. A Québec company’s statement of information from the Registraire des entreprises goes to Québec’s authority, and an Ontario certificate of status goes to Ontario. We handle both; the routing is just different.
Can you send the apostilled documents directly to our bank or lawyer abroad?
Yes. We ship by DHL Express to any address you give us, with a signature on delivery, and send you the scan and the apostille number first so the recipient can start their review.
Do the documents need a translation?
That depends on the recipient. When a translation is required, it is usually done after the apostille, so that the apostille is translated too. Ask the recipient which translator they accept before ordering one; we can coordinate it.
5.0 on Google
“I highly recommend this agency. They keep you informed every step of the way, providing accurate and reliable information…”
David Alvarez-Carbonell, Google review
“Great team and excellent coordination; I received my apostille in less than 6 days, just in time for my trip. Best of luck to the whole team!”
Ludy_Daan, Google review
“I highly recommend Viapostille. Their team was professional, attentive…”
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Send us your Corporations Canada documents and the destination

We check the format, confirm the route and send a fixed all-in quote within one business day. Nothing is payable until we file.

Get a fixed quote