Education documents are apostilled for study abroad, foreign credential recognition, teaching visa applications, and skilled-migration assessments.

Education institutions are not government bodies. A diploma carries the president's and registrar's signatures. A transcript carries the registrar's. These are institutional officials - their signatures are not in the provincial government's signature registry. That is why education documents require an extra step before the apostille.

Ontario created a direct-apostille category for postsecondary credentials from Ontario public institutions issued since January 1, 2019. These go straight to ODS without notarization. ODS has made arrangements to verify certain institutional signatures directly.

This applies to: degrees, diplomas, and transcripts from Ontario public colleges and universities issued on or after January 1, 2019.

For documents issued before the January 2019 cutoff in Ontario, or from any institution in other provinces, the path is:

• Contact the institution's Registrar's Office
• Request a certified copy - the registrar certifies it is an official record or a true copy of the original, signs it, and applies the institutional seal
• A Canadian notary public certifies a true copy of that registrar-certified version
• Submit the notarized copy to the appropriate provincial authority or GAC

Some institutions will issue multiple certified originals with fresh official signatures on request - this eliminates the notarization step if the authority accepts registrar-certified originals directly. Ask the registrar before booking a notary.

Sealed envelopes from the registrar are accepted by many authorities. The institutional stamp on the seal demonstrates authenticity. Do not open the sealed envelope - a broken seal makes the transcript ineligible.

Letters from a registrar or dean confirming enrolment or graduation are not standardized public records. They need notarization before apostille, as the authority cannot independently verify the institutional signatory.