Canadian documents• 6 min read• Published October 21, 2026

Canadian documents in Mexico: how the apostille works since 2024

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Apostilles and background checks · Fingerprint in Mexico
📌 In short

Since 11 January 2024, Canadian documents are apostilled instead of being legalized at a consulate. Who apostilles what: the provinces with their own authority, Global Affairs Canada, RCMP checks and documents legalized earlier.

What changed on 11 January 2024

Until the end of 2023, a Canadian document headed for Mexico went through a chain of steps: authentication in Canada and then legalization at a Mexican consulate. It was slow and involved several counters.

On 11 January 2024, the Hague Apostille Convention entered into force for Canada; Mexico has been a party since 1995. Since then, Canadian public documents carry an apostille issued in Canada and, with it, need no consular legalization to be used in Mexico. The text of the convention and each country's competent authorities are listed on the Hague Conference ↗ website.

What did not change: Mexico cannot apostille Canadian documents. The apostille is always issued by a Canadian authority.

Who apostilles each document?

Canada has no single apostille authority. It depends on who issued the document.

Provinces with their own authority

Five provinces apostille documents issued or notarized within their borders:

•Ontario. See the Ontario authority.
•Quebec. See the Quebec authority.
•British Columbia. See the British Columbia authority.
•Alberta. See the Alberta authority.
•Saskatchewan, which also has its own authority.

This covers, for example, provincial birth and marriage certificates, documents signed before notaries in the province and many documents from local universities.

Global Affairs Canada

Global Affairs Canada ↗ apostilles:

•Federal documents, such as citizenship certificates, federal corporation documents and the RCMP criminal record check.
•Documents from provinces and territories without their own authority: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

More on the Global Affairs Canada page.

Usual timelines

AuthorityUsual time
Ontario4 to 6 business days
Global Affairs Canada20 to 25 business days
RCMP check (before the apostille)1 to 2 weeks from when the RCMP receives the fingerprints

Add shipping time to Canada and back to Mexico. The other provinces publish their own timelines, which vary by season.

RCMP criminal record checks

The fingerprint-based RCMP criminal record check is a federal document, so its apostille is issued by Global Affairs Canada, not by the province where you lived. The full process is usually:

1.Fingerprinting in the format the RCMP accepts.
2.Submission to the RCMP and issue of the certificate.
3.Apostille by Global Affairs Canada.
4.Spanish translation by a perito traductor, if it will be filed with a Mexican authority.

See the RCMP's ↗ own requirements and our guide to the RCMP criminal record check apostille. If you need the certificate itself, see our RCMP background check service.

What about documents legalized before 2024?

If you had a document legalized at a Mexican consulate before 11 January 2024, the legalization was not cancelled when the convention took effect: it was the correct way to validate the document at the time. In practice, however, two points matter:

•How recent the document is. Many authorities want recent documents (certificates issued in the last few months, background checks less than 3 to 6 months old). A document legalized years ago may be rejected for its age, not for the legalization.
•Each office's approach. Some offices now expect to see an apostille and may hesitate over an old legalization.

If you have a legalized document and want to use it, ask the office whether it will accept it and, if possible, get the answer in writing. If not, the usual fix is to order a new copy and have it apostilled.

Mexican consulates in Canada no longer legalize Canadian public documents, because the apostille has taken that role.

Step by step for a Canadian document

1.Identify who issued the document: a province, the federal government, a university or a notary.
2.If needed, get a recent certified or notarized copy.
3.Send it to the right authority: the province, if it is one of the five with its own authority, or Global Affairs Canada otherwise.
4.Once it comes back apostilled, order the perito translation.
5.File the apostilled original together with the translation.

Canadian documents most often used in Mexico

•Birth and marriage certificates, for a civil marriage, registering children or other procedures. See birth certificates and marriage certificates.
•University degrees, for SEP revalidation.
•Powers of attorney, for real estate transactions or estates.
•Corporate documents, to set up a subsidiary or act before a notary. See corporate documents.
•RCMP background checks, when an employer, a school or another authority asks for them.

Common mistakes

•Sending an Ontario document to Global Affairs Canada (or one from another province with its own authority). It will be returned, or time will be lost.
•Apostilling a plain photocopy. The apostille goes on original public documents or on copies certified by the proper authority or a notary.
•Forgetting the translation. Most Mexican authorities ask for a Spanish translation by a perito, apostille included. Quebec documents in French are translated too.

How we can help

We identify which authority must apostille each document, handle the apostille and coordinate the perito translation. See the general guide to Canadian documents or contact us for a quote.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to what people ask us most about this procedure.

Since when have Canadian documents been apostilled?
Since 11 January 2024, when the Hague Apostille Convention entered into force for Canada.
Who apostilles the RCMP criminal record check?
Global Affairs Canada, because it is a federal document. The province where you lived cannot apostille it.
Is a document legalized before 2024 still usable?
The legalization remains valid, but many offices want recent documents or prefer an apostille. Ask the office and get the answer in writing.
How long does a Global Affairs Canada apostille take?
Usually 20 to 25 business days, plus shipping. Ontario usually takes 4 to 6 business days.

Need help with this procedure?

Fingerprint in Mexico arranges fingerprinting for FBI and RCMP background checks, apostilles for U.S. and Canadian documents, and the perito traductor translations Mexican authorities ask for.

🔒 Online orders are placed securely on our main site, fbibackgroundcheck.co.uk.

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