British Columbia's competent authority is the BC Authentication Program, administered by the Order in Council (OIC) Administration Office within the Ministry of Attorney General. The office is based in Victoria.

Ministry of Attorney General OIC Administration Office - BC Authentication Program 1001 Douglas Street Victoria, BC V8W 2C5

• BC vital statistics: birth, marriage, death certificates from BC Vital Statistics
• BC court documents
• BC education documents from recognized public institutions
• Documents notarized by a BC notary public or lawyer - but only if the original document was also issued in BC

Documents notarized in BC where the original was issued outside BC are not processed by this office.

Mail or courier only. No in-person counter. No rush or while-you-wait service.

To check which date is currently being processed, send a blank email to BCAuthentication@gov.bc.ca. The automated reply states the current processing date. This is the only status-check method available without calling the office.

$20 per document. This covers return by regular Canada Post. For courier return with tracking, include a prepaid label in a minimum 8.5 × 11 inch envelope.

2 to 4 weeks from receipt. At capacity, the target is 14 business days.

BC uses riveting - a physical hole-punch-and-rivet method. The apostille certificate is permanently attached to the front of the document. Recipients abroad will see a metal rivet through the corner.

BC can verify BC notary signatures. It cannot verify the signature of an RCMP officer on an original federal criminal record check. If the destination country requires the RCMP signatory verified directly, the document must go to Global Affairs Canada, not BC.

Processing time stretches beyond the stated window during peak periods. No rush option. The auto-reply date-check email is the most-shared workaround.