Apostille for Canada - How to send documents from Israel to Canada?

Considering immigrating to Canada? Or maybe moving there for a period of time for studies or work? In all of these circumstances you will be required to present the Canadian authorities with various documents. In order for a document issued in Israel to be approved in Canada, it must have an apostille stamp. This article will explain everything you need to know.

Authenticating documents abroad

When you want to submit documents from Israel to any foreign country, such as an ID card, academic documents, affidavits, and the like, you must make sure each document has an apostille stamp on it. This stamp serves as verification that it is an original document, issued by a licensed authority in Israel, and therefore the foreign authority will recognize it.

Note that the apostille stamp must be obtained first on the original Hebrew document, and afterwards on the notarized translation of that document, as we explain below.

Thus, the first stage is to obtain an apostille stamp on the Hebrew document. If it is a document from a licensed public authority such as an ID card issued by the Interior Ministry or a diploma issued or approved by the Ministry of Education, the consular department of the Foreign Ministry must be contacted, and they will stamp the document with an apostille stamp. For other documents, such as an affidavit or power of attorney, you must first have a notary public authenticate the document and then turn to the magistrates’/district court to obtain the apostille stamp.

Notarized translation

As mentioned above, the first stage of authenticating Israeli documents while abroad is receiving an apostille stamp from the Foreign Ministry on the original Hebrew document. This stamp verifies the authenticity of the document, and proves that it was issued by a licensed authority. The next stage is receiving an apostille stamp from the magistrates’ court on the notarized translation of the document.

Naturally, most of documents issued in Israel are written in Hebrew. In order for them to be accepted by foreign authorities, they must be translated into the language of the foreign country, be it English, French, or any other language. Afterwards, the translation must receive an apostille stamp, and the body with the authority to do so is the court. The purpose of the court’s stamp is to verify that the notary public signed on the document is indeed a registered notary public in Israel.

How do you authenticate a document in Canada?

The procedure we have described above for authenticating documents abroad is only relevant to the countries that have signed an international convention – The Hague Convention (1961), or The Apostille Convention. This convention created a uniform procedure for authenticating documents using apostilles, so that every country signed on the convention is required to recognize documents issued in the other convention countries as valid, on the condition that they are stamped with an apostille stamp.

Canada is one of the only first-world countries not signed on the Apostille Convention. Why? Because the convention must be binding in all the territories of the country signed on it, and Canada is a federal country, some of whose provinces refuse to accept the conditions of the convention (which arguably may hinder their authority to exclusively approve the validity of documents issued in those provinces).

Many Israelis immigrate to Canada or travel there for extended periods of time, for work or studies. That being the case, how can they authenticate Israeli documents for use in Canada? Well, despite the fact that Canada is not part of the convention, the document authentication procedure is identical to what we have described above. The only difference is that there is one more step in the process. After receiving the apostille stamps on the Hebrew document and on the notarized translation of it, you must turn to the Canadian embassy with these documents for their approval. Once embassy approval is obtained, the documents may then be submitted to the relevant authorities in Canada.

In certain circumstances (student exchange programs, moving an employee between branches of a company that operates in both Canada and in Israel), when there is a cooperation between the institution that issued the document and the institution receiving it, it is enough for the document to be authenticated by the institution that issued it and (if it was issued in Hebrew) translated with a notarized translation into English/French, with no need for an apostille stamp.

How do you authenticate documents from Canada in Israel?

When someone wishes to submit a document from a country signed on The Hague Convention to the Israeli authorities, it must bear an apostille stamp granted by a government authority in the foreign country, such as the Foreign Ministry or the Ministry of Justice. Afterwards, the document must undergo notarized translation into Hebrew and then it may be submitted to the Israeli authorities.

Canada, as mentioned, is not a signatory to the Hague Convention. Therefore, when you want to authenticate documents from Canada, the procedure is different. First, the authorized official must sign the original documents. At the second stage, their signature must be authenticated by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Afterwards, the documents must be submitted to the Israeli embassy in Canada for authentication, and only then may they be submitted in Israel.

How can we help?

As we have seen, the process of authenticating documents abroad in general, and specifically in Canada, entails a multi-level procedure. Due to the importance of the issue and its complexity, it is recommended to seek the assistance of an attorney who will perform the procedure for you efficiently and professionally, so that the documents you require will be accepted by the foreign country without problems. Are you interested in authenticating documents from Canada in Israel? This is also not a simple procedure. Our offices specialize in the immigration field and thus deal with authenticating Israeli documents abroad and foreign documents in Israel, from Canada and other countries. Our offices are proficient in the procedures required for authenticating documents in every country and will be glad to assist you.