These eight provinces and territories do not have their own designated competent authority. All documents from these regions route through Global Affairs Canada:

• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut
• Yukon

This means a Manitoba birth certificate, a Nova Scotia diploma, or a PEI marriage certificate all follow the GAC mail-in process - approximately 20 business days from receipt plus mailing time in both directions.

One edge case: if a document from one of these regions has been notarized by a notary in Ontario, Alberta, or Saskatchewan, the routing changes. The notarizing province - not the issuing province - controls the route for those three provinces. An NB document notarized in Ontario goes to ODS, not GAC. Use GAC's triage portal to confirm the correct route when documents have crossed provincial lines.

The list above can change. The federal government can designate new provincial authorities. Verify the current list before submitting.