Legalization of Canadian birth, marriage and death certificates issued by Vital Statistics
Canadian civil status certificates (e.g. birth, marriage or death certificates) issued by Vital Statistics do not include a handwritten signature. Therefore, they need to be authenticated by the competent Authority prior to the legalization by the German mission.
Documents to be used in Germany need to be long form certificates (registered form) only. Frame form certificates cannot be legalised.
Please obtain the authentication of the original document you want to use in Germany independently with the competent authority of the province issuing the document.
No responsibility is taken for the provided information on local fees. It is recommended to ask the authority for updated information on their fees and procedures. The fee for the service provided must be paid in Canadian Dollars by cheque or money order. Payments can be made from Germany by international money order (internationale Geldanweisung) or cash in CAD. Please contact your bank for further details and ensure in particular that no charges will be incurred by the recipient in Canada.
Please note: The German mission cannot assume any such fees on your behalf.
List of competent Canadian Authorities in the Provinces and Territories
Alberta | Alberta Justice Deputy Provincial Secretary's Office Tel: (+1) 780 427 5981 Email: gov%27%ab%27%ca,mary%27%clark www.justice.gov.ab.ca/official/authentication.aspx fee: CAD$ 10 made out to the “Minister of Finance, Alberta” |
British Columbia | Please note that only certificates issued on or after 1 January 1986 can be processed. Please note as well, Vital Statistics Agency and Order in Council Administration are both located in Victoria but are different authorities. A birth/marriage/death certificate issued by Vital Statistics Agency is not sent automatically to Order in Council Administration. Order in Council Administration Ministry of Attorney General fee: CAD$ 30, made out to the “Minister of Finance, BC” |
Ontario | Ontario Official Documents Services Ministry of Government Service fee: CAD$ 32, made out to the“Minister of Finance, Ontario” Please advise that the authentication is for the German foreign missions in Canada and ask for a handwritten signature. Please be aware that your certificate of authentication without a handwritten signature by the Official Documents Services cannot be legalized by the German foreign missions. |
Northwest Territories | Nortwest Territories Health and Social Services Registrar General of Vital Statistics Tel.: (+1) 867 777 7420 oder 7418 fee: to our knowledge none |
Saskatchewan | Deputy Provincial Secretary Authentication Service Tel.: (+1) 306 787-3899 Email: gov%27%sk%27%ca,glenna%27%hamilton fee: CAD$ 25, made out to the “Minister of Finance, Saskatchewan” |
Yukon Territory | Yukon Health and Social Services Sylvia Kitching (courier or walking: Tel.: (+1) 867 667 5207 Email: gov%27%yk%27%ca,sylvia%27%kitching fee: to our knowledge none |
Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island Québec Nunavut Territory | Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada 111 Sussex Drive mailing adress: Tel.: 1-800-267-8376 (toll-free in Canada) www.international.gc.ca/about-a_propos/authentication- authentification_documents fee: to our knowledge none Please advise that the authentication is for the German foreign missions in Canada and ask for a handwritten signature. Please be aware that your certificate of authentication without a handwritten signature by the Official Documents Services cannot be legalized by the German foreign missions. Process time will be 40 business days (8 weeks) from the time your documents are received. |
Please bring the authenticated certificate to the Embassy or Consulate, either in person, or through a representative.
The fee for the legalization is approximately CAD$ 30 per document, depending on the current exchange rate.
Mailing Process
If you are not able to process the legalization with the German Mission yourself the process can also be conducted by mail. Please send the following paperwork to the German Embassy or Consulate:
- the certificate and authentication you wish to be legalized
- certified cheque or money order for the amount of CAD$ 30 for each document, made out to the competent German mission ("German Embassy Ottawa," "German Consulate Toronto" or "German Consulate Vancouver"); for security reasons we would not recommend to mail cash.
- a self-addressed stamped envelope (Xpresspost from Canada Post)
The legalized document will be returned in your prepaid envelope. For any references please quote your phone number and / or e-mail-address.
The German Embassy or Consulate does not assume liability for documents lost in mail.
Process for persons residing in Germany
If you are in Germany and want the legalized document to be sent to an address in Germany, send your document to the competent Canadian Authority for authentication first. Please ask in your covering letter to forward the certificate and authentication togetherwith your letter to the German Embassy or Consulate for legalization.
In your letter to the German Embassy or Consulate include a declaration (in German or English) that you will pay our fee of €30 (€20 for the legalization + €10 for postage) and provide your address in Germany to which the legalized document should be sent. If we do not have a German adress the legalization can not be processed. We will send an invoice with the legalized document so that you can pay the fee into an account in Germany. The invoice will contain the necessary bank details. We do not accept advance payment.
For any references please quote your e-mail-address.
The German Embassy or Consulate does not assume liability for documents lost in mail.
