Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 11 January 2024. For anyone preparing UK documents for a Canadian immigration application, this is genuinely good news - it means an FCDO apostille is the only authentication step required on the UK side. There is no Canadian embassy attestation stage, and because Canada is English-speaking, there is no translation requirement for standard UK documents.
Which UK documents are commonly needed
Canadian immigration programmes - including Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programmes, spousal sponsorship and study permits - typically require birth certificates, marriage certificates, degree and qualification certificates, ACRO Police Certificates for criminal record disclosure, and employer reference letters. The specific list varies by programme and immigration category, so confirm with IRCC or your immigration lawyer before starting.
Documents that go directly to the FCDO
Birth, marriage and death certificates issued by the GRO, a local register office, the National Records of Scotland or GRONI carry the official registrar's wet-ink signature or seal and go directly to the FCDO for apostille. An ACRO Police Certificate bearing a wet-ink signature from an authorised official also goes directly. The FCDO authenticates the wet-ink signature, seal or stamp on the document.
Documents that need solicitor certification first
Degree certificates, professional qualifications, employer letters and reference letters are issued by private institutions and must be certified by a UK solicitor or Notary Public before the FCDO will accept them. The apostille is a physical paper certificate attached to the back of the certified document.
e-Apostille
Some document types are eligible for the e-Apostille service, which is faster and produces a digital certificate. Canadian immigration authorities generally accept e-Apostilles where available. GRO certificates, ACRO and DBS certificates are paper apostille only.
Get started
Call our team on +44 (0) 204 630 6700 to confirm the document list for your specific Canadian immigration programme and we will manage every stage.
