Power of Attorney and the Authentication and Legalization Process
Many of our clients have made inquiries about what is required in order to have a Power of Attorney Authenticated and Legalized for use abroad. The authentication and legalization process is pretty straightforward. This process can be very frustrating and time consuming for the average individual.
A Power of Attorney is a document that is drafted typically by a lawyer. In order to have this document used abroad, the document must first be notarized by a Canadian Notary.
Once done, the Power of Attorney is authenticated by Global Affairs Canada (formerly known as Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade). The authenticated document must then be legalized by the particular Embassy or Consular Office of the destination country.
The Authentication and Legalization process is generally straightforward. One could manage this process on your own. There are two major issues that must be kept in mind – time requirements and the possibility of delay due to an incorrect document. If documents are mailed or couriered directly to Global Affairs Canada they normally take approximately four weeks to complete the authentication process.
The majority of the documents that we process are time sensitive and most clients do not wish to wait four to six weeks. In the event that the document has not been completed correctly, it will be returned to you. The end result is that there could be a significant delay.
If the document has been prepared correctly, Global Affairs Canada will forward the documents on to the particular diplomatic mission provided that the necessary instruction has been given.
By using and authentication and legalization service, such as Capital Authentication, one has the benefit of having a service provider that is very familiar with the authentication and legalization process.
If you have any questions regarding the authentication and legalization process feel free to visit our website at: www.capitalauthentication.com. Feel free to reach out to our office either by e-mail at: info@capitalauthentication.com or telephone (613) 236-9975. One of our friendly staff will be able to offer any assistance that you might require.
