How fast can your apostille really be done?
The authority is set by where the document was issued or notarized, never by where you live, and the authority sets the speed. Pick yours to see the fastest lawful route, the realistic time and what it costs with us.
Where was your document issued or notarized?
Québec public document
Birth, marriage or death certificate from the Directeur de l'état civil, court record, Registraire des entreprises extract
- Fastest route
- Urgent service at the Ministère de la Justice, filed by hand in Montréal instead of mailed.
- Realistic time
- 1 to 2 business daysThe same day on some complete public documents. The Ministère does not guarantee it, and neither do we.
- What we do
- Check the version the day you write (long-form copie d'acte, date of issue), prepare the file the morning it arrives, file it in person, email the PDF scan the day the apostille issues, ship by DHL Express.
- With us
- $139 + $79 rush handling, plus the $66.50 Ministère fee at cost and shipping.
Signed before a Québec notary or lawyer
Power of attorney, sworn declaration, notarized copy, travel consent, corporate resolution
- Fastest route
- Chambre des notaires on urgent service (about 3 business days instead of about 20), then the Ministère on urgent service, filed by hand.
- Realistic time
- About 1 week from signatureWhen the notary's document is complete. One missing element and it comes back, so we check it before it is filed.
- What we do
- Book a partner notary, in person or by video, within days. Collect the act, file and collect at the Chambre and the Ministère, scan the day it issues.
- With us
- $229 + $79 rush handling, plus the urgent Chambre certificate ($206.96), the Ministère fee ($66.50) and the notary's own fee.
Ontario document
Issued in Ontario, or notarized by an Ontario notary public
- Fastest route
- In person at Official Documents Services, 777 Bay Street, Toronto, instead of the mail queue of up to 15 business days.
- Realistic time
- Within 48 business hoursOf your documents reaching our agent in Toronto, Monday to Friday. A 24-hour option can be arranged on request.
- What we do
- Our partner agent in the Greater Toronto Area files in person and collects the apostille, then it comes back by tracked courier and goes on to you anywhere.
- With us
- $239 first document, $109 each additional, plus the Ontario fee ($16 notarized, $32 government-issued) and $60 tracked courier to Toronto and back.
RCMP check, federal document, or another province
RCMP criminal record check, federal corporation, IRCC or Health Canada document, and documents from Manitoba, the Atlantic provinces and the territories
- Fastest route
- Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa, which offers no expedited service at any price. Priority processing can only be asked for exceptional and urgent circumstances outside your control, with proof, and not when another option exists.
- Realistic time
- About 25 business daysAs published by Global Affairs in late October 2026, plus mail each way. Plan for longer.
- What we do
- Get the file to Ottawa complete and tracked the day it reaches us, prepare the priority request with your evidence when your case qualifies, and help you ask the foreign office for more time. We say so up front when rush handling would not change anything.
- With us
- $139 per submission, government fee and shipping in the quote. RCMP fingerprints from abroad and fresh certificates can be ordered for you.
Saskatchewan document
Issued in Saskatchewan, or notarized by a Saskatchewan notary public
- Fastest route
- Authentication Services in Regina, one of the fastest queues in the country, with courier both ways.
- Realistic time
- 4 to 7 business daysFrom receipt in Regina, plus courier.
- What we do
- Courier the file to Regina with the return label inside, follow it, scan it the day it comes back.
- With us
- $139 per submission, plus the $50 Saskatchewan fee at cost and shipping.
British Columbia or Alberta document
Issued in the province, or signed before a notary of that province
- Fastest route
- Mail or courier only. Neither office sells a rush service, so the time is won before and after: a complete file the first time, courier both ways, the scan the day it returns.
- Realistic time
- 7 to 10 days · 2 to 4 weeksAlberta at least 7 to 10 business days, British Columbia 2 to 4 weeks, plus courier.
- What we do
- Check the document against the office's rules before it ships, send it tracked with a prepaid return, and look at whether a different lawful route exists for your file.
- With us
- $139 per submission, plus the provincial fee at cost ($25 Alberta, $20 B.C.) and shipping.
12 ways to speed up the apostille process in Canada
Government processing is only part of the delay. Most urgent files are won or lost on the steps around it. The ones marked are part of every urgent file we take.
Confirm the authority before anything ships
A document mailed to the wrong office loses a week in each direction. Send a photo first: we confirm the authority, the version and the route the same business day.
We do thisCheck the version and the date of issue
Québec needs the long-form copie d'acte, not the small certificate. Some countries want a document issued within the last 3 or 6 months. A PDF from a digital platform cannot be apostilled on paper.
We do thisOrder a fresh certificate at the priority rate
If your copy is too old or the wrong format, order a new one with the issuer's accelerated service while the other steps run, rather than waiting for the mail.
We can order itFile in person wherever the office allows it
Toronto and Montréal accept documents by hand. That alone removes days of mail and the time a file waits in a mailroom before anyone opens it.
We do thisBook the notary first, not last
On a notarized document, the signature starts the clock. A partner notary can usually see you within days, in person or by video, so book before anything else is ready.
We book itBuy urgent service at every step that sells one
The Chambre des notaires certifies a Québec notary's signature in about 3 business days on urgent service ($206.96) instead of about 20 ($77.03). It is the single biggest saving on a notarized file.
We do thisRun each authority in parallel
A Québec birth certificate and an RCMP check are two separate queues. Start both the same day instead of one after the other.
We do thisCourier both ways, never regular mail
Send the documents tracked, with a prepaid return label inside, so nothing waits in a queue for postage or gets lost on the way back.
We do thisAt Global Affairs, ask for priority only with proof
It exists only for exceptional and urgent circumstances outside your control. A dated letter from the foreign authority, a refusal notice or a booked appointment abroad makes the case. A wish to go faster does not.
We prepare itAsk the foreign office for more time, in writing
Attach the courier tracking number and the authority's request number. Many offices extend a deadline when they can see the apostille is genuinely in process.
Start abroad with the scan, book the translator now
We email a high-resolution colour scan the day the apostille issues. Some offices accept it to open the file, and your sworn translator can start that day instead of the day the original lands.
We do thisAsk whether a notarized copy would be accepted
For some documents, a certified true copy made by a notary goes to the notary's own authority, which can be faster. Only when the receiving office confirms in writing that it accepts a notarized copy.
What an urgent file costs
One written total before you pay, government fees at cost, paid in two halves: 50% when you accept the quote, 50% once the apostille is issued and the PDF is in your inbox, before the originals ship.
- Filed in person at 777 Bay Street by our Toronto partner agent
- Collected within 48 business hours, Monday to Friday
- 24-hour option on request
- Plus the Ontario fee ($16 or $32) and $60 tracked courier
- Prepared the same business day it reaches us
- Filed by hand in Montréal where the office allows it
- Urgent service requested at every step that has one
- PDF scan the day it issues, DHL Express worldwide
- Partner notary in person or by video
- Chambre des notaires urgent, $206.96 at cost
- Ministère de la Justice, $66.50 at cost
- The notary bills their own fee directly
Full grid, shipping by region and worked examples on the pricing page.
What money can speed up, and what it cannot
Can be sped up
- Everything around the authority: intake, checks, filing, courier, scans
- Ontario, by filing in person instead of mailing
- Québec, with urgent service filed by hand in Montréal
- Québec notarial acts, with the Chambre's urgent service
- A refused or outdated document, by ordering the right one at the priority rate
Cannot be bought, by anyone
- A rush at Global Affairs Canada. It has no expedited service, and a provider changes nothing to its queue
- A rush in British Columbia or Alberta, which have none
- Skipping the Chambre des notaires for a Québec notarial act
- An apostille on a PDF. Canadian authorities apostille paper
- A guaranteed same-day Québec apostille. It happens, it is never promised
A Québec birth certificate needed in Paris on Friday
A typical urgent file for a complete public document. Your dates will differ; your quote says what is realistic for yours.
- Monday morningYou send a photo by WhatsApp or the pre-check. Within the hour: it is the right version, recent enough, the route is the Ministère in Montréal, and here is the written total.
- MondayYou courier the certificate to us overnight, or drop it off in Laval by appointment, and pay the first half.
- TuesdayPrepared the morning it arrives, filed by hand at the Ministère de la Justice on urgent service.
- Tuesday or WednesdayThe apostille issues. The PDF scan is in your inbox the same day; you pay the second half.
- WednesdayDHL Express to Paris, with the tracking number sent to you and to whoever receives it.
The Ministère does not guarantee same-day or next-day processing. When Friday is not realistic, we tell you on Monday, before you pay.
How long does an apostille take in Canada?
Can I pay to speed up an apostille at Global Affairs Canada?
Can I get an apostille the same day in Canada?
Can I get an apostille in 24 or 48 hours?
What does the $79 rush handling pay for?
My document was refused abroad and I have a deadline. What should I do first?
Is a scan of the apostille enough to start my file abroad?
Do you work on weekends?
Read more
“Amazing! Auguste the man on top of it, very competent, professional and speedy! No time to waste type company!”
“Id give more stars if I could. Auguste made this daunting process smooth and easy. Would recommend…”
“I highly recommend this agency. They keep you informed every step of the way, providing accurate and reliable information and finding solutions to every issue that may arise. They are professional, responsive, and genuinely committed to making the entire process as smooth and stress-free as possible.”
Tell us your deadline
Send a photo of your document and your date. You get the fastest lawful route and one written total within the hour, 9 am to 10 pm Eastern, every day.
Get my fastest route +1 (438) 300-2448