Two paths, decided by who signed your document
Straight to the Ministère
Public documents
Birth, marriage and death certificates from the Directeur de l'état civil, court decisions, diplomas from recognized institutions, and Québec enterprise-register documents go directly to the Ministère de la Justice — no Chambre des notaires step.
Chambre first
Documents notarized in Québec
A notarized certified true copy, marriage contract, will, power of attorney or sworn declaration needs an authenticity certificate from the Chambre des notaires before the Ministère will apostille it.
Why the extra step? An apostille only verifies a signature the authority can recognize. The Ministère doesn't hold each notary's signature on file — it recognizes the signature of the Secretary of the Order of the Chambre des notaires. The Chambre's authenticity certificate is the bridge that confirms your notary is a member and that the signature is genuinely theirs.
The notarized-document route, step by step
- 1. The Québec notary prepares the document — for example a certified true copy, with the notations and initials the Act respecting Apostilles requires. Missing notations are a leading reason the Chambre refuses a file.
- 2. The Chambre des notaires issues an authenticity certificate — the Secretary of the Order certifies that the signer is a member and that the signature matches the one on file.
- 3. Apply to the Ministère de la Justice — the document and the Chambre's certificate are sent together with the apostille request form.
- 4. The Ministère affixes the apostille — after verifying the Secretary of the Order's signature. Québec issues apostilles in French only.
Two traps to avoid. A Commissioner for Oaths cannot make copies or administer the sworn statement for a document that will be apostilled — it has to be a notary (or a lawyer). And if a lawyer signs the official certificate instead of a notary, the signature authentication comes from the Barreau du Québec, not the Chambre des notaires.
We handle the whole chain. We coordinate the Québec notary, obtain the Chambre des notaires authenticity certificate, and file the Ministère de la Justice apostille request — remotely, with the routing confirmed before you commit. See the Québec authority overview for fees and timelines, or start the free pre-check.
Common questions
Do all Québec documents need the Chambre des notaires step?
No. Public documents — birth, marriage and death certificates, court decisions, diplomas from recognized institutions — go straight to the Ministère de la Justice. Only documents notarized in Québec need a Chambre des notaires authenticity certificate first.
What does the Chambre des notaires certificate do?
It confirms the signer is a Québec notary and that the signature matches the one on file with the Secretary of the Order, so the Ministère de la Justice can recognize it before affixing the apostille.
Can a Commissioner for Oaths prepare my document?
Not for a document that will be apostilled. The certified copy or sworn statement has to be done by a Québec notary (or a lawyer) — a Commissioner for Oaths cannot.
How much time and cost does this add?
The Chambre des notaires step adds its own fee and processing time on top of the Ministère de la Justice apostille. We confirm the current fees and timelines for your exact document at pre-check.
Have a notarized Québec document?
Tell us what you have and the destination — we'll coordinate the notary, the Chambre des notaires certificate and the apostille, and send a fixed all-in quote within one business day.
Free pre-check