Getting a BC Apostille by Mail: What Can Be Done Remotely and What Needs Originals

Since Canada joined the Apostille Convention, BC documents headed to member countries are authenticated with an apostille from the Province. If you live outside Vancouver or abroad, it helps to know that the Province's authentication program works by mail and courier, not walk-in appointments.

There is no fully online apostille, though, and some documents must be originals. Here is what can be handled remotely, what cannot, and how to avoid having a document sent back.

Is there an online apostille in BC?

Not entirely. The BC Authentication Program, run by the Ministry of Attorney General, is the competent authority for documents issued or notarized in BC. The Apostille Convention came into effect in Canada on 11 January 2024, and documents the Province authenticates on or after that date receive an apostille certificate. The apostille confirms that the signature and seal on the document are genuine; it does not certify what the document says.

As of 1 November 2026, the online part is the BC Document Authentication Request form and card payment. You print, sign and date the form and send it with your documents by mail or courier to Victoria. The Province says rush, walk-in, drop-off and while-you-wait services are not available.

• Fee. $20 per document, which includes return by regular Canada Post mail without tracking.
• Processing time. 2 to 4 weeks, not including mail time, according to the Province.
• Limit. Up to 20 documents per request form.
• Use. Authenticated documents are for use outside Canada only.

Which documents qualify, and when originals are needed

The Province authenticates BC public documents submitted in the format each document type requires. It publishes separate preparation guidance for vital statistics, registries, court, education and notarized documents, and it does not authenticate photocopies. Some documents must be originals, and vital statistics documents are given as an example. For other types, a notarized copy may be accepted, depending on the document.

Documents issued in another province, territory or country cannot be authenticated in BC. If your document was issued outside BC, including by the federal government, check with the program before you send it. Our guide to certified true copies explains when a notarized copy can stand in for an original.

Notarized documents: the notary must be on file

If the receiving country wants a notarized document, such as a declaration, a consent or a power of attorney for property abroad, the notarization must be done by a BC lawyer or notary who is on file with the authentication program. Being on file is not automatic; each lawyer or notary has to apply.

The Province lists common reasons a document is returned without an apostille, including:

• the notarization date, signature or seal is missing or illegible;
• the wrong seal is used, for example where the document was signed as a commissioner for taking affidavits rather than as a notary;
• the document is over 40 pages and the program was not contacted first;
• a translation does not meet the Province's translation requirements, which call for the original and translation to be notarized as a set; or
• the request form or payment is missing.

Where remote steps fit, and where they do not

Much of the work can be done without visiting us: a video consultation, confirming what the destination country requires, reviewing drafts by email, and couriering an original BC document to us so we can prepare and send the request for you.

Signing is different. The Province's authentication pages do not say whether a document notarized or commissioned by video will be authenticated. Until they do, we plan for any document going to the program to be signed in person before the lawyer-notary. If you are outside Canada and need to sign something, it is often more practical to sign before a notary where you are and have it authenticated there; our guide to signing BC legal documents from outside Canada explains the options.

Whatever the route, the Province advises checking first with the embassy or consulate of the destination country. If that country is not a member of the Apostille Convention, the document may also need legalization by its embassy or consulate. Our guide to using a BC document abroad under the Hague Convention covers the background.

A mail-in checklist

• Confirm the requirements. Ask the receiving authority, embassy or consulate exactly what it needs.
• Prepare the document in the right format. An original, a notarized copy or a notarized signature, depending on the document type.
• Complete the request form on a computer. Print, sign and date it; the Province no longer accepts the old cover letter.
• Pay. By card online, or by cheque, money order or bank draft payable to the Minister of Finance.
• Send it. By mail or courier to Ministry of Attorney General, OIC Administration Office, Attention: BC Authentication Program, 1001 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8W 2C5. The Province suggests a courier because Canada Post mail may be delayed.
• Plan the return. Regular return mail has no tracking, so look at the Province's return mail options if you need a tracked return.
• Allow time. 2 to 4 weeks for processing, plus mail time each way.

Need a BC document ready for use abroad? Start with what the destination requires

Our notary services team can confirm what the receiving country asks for, notarize documents signed at our office, and prepare and send the authentication request to the Province for you.

Call 604-259-2844 or send us a message to arrange a consultation by video or at our Vancouver office.