Since January 2024 the Three-Step Document Chase Is One $32 Stamp
Most guides you will find online still describe the old way.
In short
Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 11 January 2024. For a destination country that is party to it, a single apostille issued by Ontario’s Official Documents Services replaces the old chain: provincial authentication, then federal legalisation, then a consular stamp.
The fee is per document: $16 for a notarized legal document, $32 for an Ontario government or court document, or a public postsecondary degree, diploma or transcript. Processing is 15 business days once ODS has it.
One decision does most of the damage to a budget: whether you apostille the original at $32 or a notarized copy at $16. The cheaper one is not always accepted abroad — ask the receiving institution first, not after.
The fee schedule, in full
Fees are payable in Canadian dollars only and all taxes are exempt. They apply to each document — two notarized documents is $32, not $16.
| Document type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Notarized legal document | $16 |
| Ontario government official document | $32 |
| Ontario court-issued document | $32 |
| Ontario public postsecondary degree, diploma or transcript | $32 |
| Filing with a foreign consulate or embassy | $32 |
| Status of good standing for a notary public | $16 |
Payment in person: cash, Visa, Mastercard, debit, certified cheque or money order. By mail: certified cheque, money order, Visa or Mastercard, with cheques payable to the Minister of Finance.
What the 2024 change actually replaced
The old process for using an Ontario document abroad had three stages and three queues. The apostille collapses them into one for convention countries.
| Before 11 January 2024 | Now, for a convention country | |
|---|---|---|
| Steps | Provincial authentication, then federal legalisation by Global Affairs, then the destination country’s consulate | A single apostille from Official Documents Services |
| What you are chasing | Three separate offices, three fee schedules, three waiting times | One office, one fee, 15 business days once received |
This is why so much online advice about Ontario documents is now wrong. If a guide, a service or a forum post describes sending your degree to Global Affairs and then to a consulate, check its date before following it.
If your destination is not in the convention, the older route still applies — and Ontario’s own fee list still carries a $32 line for filing with a foreign consulate or embassy. Establish which category your country falls into before you spend anything.
The $16 question
A notarized legal document costs half what a government-issued one costs to apostille. So the tempting route is to take a copy of your birth certificate or degree to a notary, have it certified, and apostille that.
Sometimes that is exactly right. Often it is not — many foreign authorities specifically require the apostille to sit on the original government document, and a notarized copy comes back rejected after you have paid for the notary, the apostille and the courier.
Ask the receiving institution in writing: do you accept an apostilled notarized copy, or do you require the apostille on the original? One email prevents the most common expensive mistake in this whole process. If you also need the document in another language, see our guide to certified translation — and ask whether the translation itself needs an apostille too.
How to do it
Red flags
What to do next
Send one email today, to whoever abroad will receive the document: do you require the apostille on the original, or will you accept an apostilled notarized copy? Everything else — cost, timeline, number of trips — follows from that answer.
Need a notary, a certified translator or an immigration consultant? Compare professional services in Ontario on Ontario24 and contact them directly. Ontario24 is a classified directory — we help you find and compare, and we do not vet anyone. Also useful: notary or commissioner, certified translation and credential evaluation.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know what this job should cost and what the next one will. What things cost in Ontario in 2026 puts 75 service prices in one table.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the document type, and the fee applies to each document. A notarized legal document is $16. An Ontario government official document, an Ontario court-issued document, an Ontario public postsecondary degree, diploma or transcript, and filing with a foreign consulate or embassy are each $32. Two notarized documents cost $32 in total.
Once Official Documents Services receives your document, it verifies the signatures and seals and issues the certificate of authentication or apostille within 15 business days. Budget delivery time on top of that if you are mailing documents in.
Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention effective 11 January 2024. For countries party to the convention, an apostille issued in Ontario replaces the older multi-step chain of provincial authentication, federal legalisation and a consular stamp.
Official Documents Services, the provincial authority for certificates of authentication and apostilles. ODS is the only location that processes mail-in applications; in-person submissions can be made at ODS or at select ServiceOntario locations.
Not for a country in the convention — that is the point of the apostille. For a country outside it the older route still applies, and Ontario’s fee schedule includes a separate $32 charge for filing with a foreign consulate or embassy. Confirm which category your destination falls into before paying for anything.
This is the decision that costs or saves money, since a notarized document is $16 and a government-issued one is $32. The cheaper route is not always accepted — many foreign authorities specifically require the original government document. Ask the receiving institution what they will accept before choosing.
Yes. Apostilles issued in Ontario can be verified online using the apostille number and the issuance date. That matters both for your own confidence and because the receiving institution abroad may check it.
Sources and how current this is
Checked 19 September 2026. Canada’s accession to the Hague Apostille Convention effective 11 January 2024, Official Documents Services as the Ontario authority issuing certificates of authentication and apostilles, the complete fee schedule with fees applying to each document, the accepted payment methods with cheques payable to the Minister of Finance, the availability of in-person submission at ODS and select ServiceOntario locations, and the online verification of Ontario-issued apostilles by apostille number and issuance date all come from the Ontario page on authenticating a document for use outside Canada. The 15-business-day processing time and the note that ODS is the only location processing mail-in applications come from the same provincial service. Federal context on document authentication is published by Global Affairs Canada. Whether a given destination accepts an apostilled notarized copy is set by that destination, not by Ontario — this page cannot answer it for you. Fees and timelines change; confirm at source. This is not legal or immigration advice. Ontario24 is a classified directory and does not issue apostilles or vet the businesses listed.