Canadian Company Documents Apostilled for Mexico
A Canadian company that invests, partners or appoints representatives in Mexico usually files its Certificate of Status and articles, apostilled and translated, with a notario or corredor público. Which authority apostilles them depends on whether the company is federal or provincial.
Which Mexican offices ask for this document
These are the most common procedures; the receiving office may ask for more:
Notary Procedures in Mexico: Property, Estates and Companies
- A power of attorney signed in the U.S. or Canada must be signed before a notary there and apostilled in that same state or province.
- Once in Mexico it is translated by a perito, and the notario usually formalizes it (protocolización) before it is used.
- Have the Mexican notario review the wording before you sign, so it includes the powers the transaction needs.
Which version works and which does not
An apostille can only go on a public document with the right signature and seal:
- Official certificate from Corporations Canada or the provincial business registry
- Uncertified online database printouts
How to prepare this document
Follow this order so the authority apostilles it and the Mexican office accepts it:
Order the certificate from Corporations Canada (federal companies) or the provincial registry.
Apostille from Global Affairs Canada (federal documents) or the province, depending on who issued the document.
Spanish translation by a perito and delivery to the notario or corredor público in Mexico.
Which authority apostilles your document?
The apostille comes from a specific office, depending on where the document was issued or signed. Pick your case:
Document review needed
We do not yet have a confirmed route for this combination. We review your document before telling you where it goes.
Already living in Mexico?
Tell us whether your company is incorporated with Corporations Canada or a province and which documents your notario asked for. With that we order the certificates, arrange the right apostille and coordinate the translation.
1. Online review
Send us a photo or scan of the document. We check the signature, seal and authority before you send anything.
2. Shipping originals
If the procedure needs the original, we tell you how to send it by tracked courier or collect it from your address.
3. Delivery to your door
We send the apostilled document and, if you asked for it, the translation by a perito anywhere in Mexico.
Translation by a perito traductor
Mexican offices usually ask for documents in English or French to be translated into Spanish by a perito traductor authorized by the state judiciary. The translation normally includes the apostille. Each office decides which peritos it accepts: some only take peritos from their own state.
Usual timelines
These are the authorities’ timelines; shipping and translation are on top:
Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them
Sending a federal certificate to a province (or the other way round).
Certificates several months old that the bank or notario no longer accepts.
Apostille questions: Corporate Documents (Certificate of Good Standing, Articles)
How do I know if my company is federal or provincial?
Your certificate of incorporation says so: if Corporations Canada issued it, it is federal and the apostille comes from Global Affairs Canada; if a provincial registry issued it, the apostille depends on that province.
Are the company’s internal minutes apostilled too?
Yes, but they must first be certified before a notary, because the apostille goes on the notary’s signature, not on the private document.
My company is federal (Corporations Canada). Who apostilles its documents?
Documents issued by Corporations Canada are federal and are apostilled by Global Affairs Canada, usually within 20 to 25 business days. Those of companies incorporated in a province with its own authority, such as Ontario, are apostilled in that province.
We help you in Mexico
- Global Affairs Canada (Authentication Services Section): https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/about-a-propos/services/authentication-authentification_documents.aspx
- Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery (Official Document Services): https://www.ontario.ca/page/authenticate-document-use-outside-canada
- Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH): https://www.hcch.net/es/instruments/conventions/specialised-sections/apostille
Pre-review: Corporate Documents (Certificate of Good Standing, Articles)
Before any paper moves, we review your document: who issued it, whether the signature and seal can be apostilled and what the Mexican office needs. You get the timeline and a quote in writing.
Pre-review: Corporate Documents (Certificate of Good Standing, Articles)
We check the authority, signature and seal, and send you a quote before you ship the original.