Knowing what the authorities exclude prevents wasted submissions and notarization costs.

Canadian competent authorities only apostille Canadian documents. A US birth certificate, an Indian university degree, a UAE tenancy agreement - none of these can be apostilled in Canada. They must go back to the country that issued them.

Baptismal certificates, religious marriage certificates, confirmation records, and documents issued by churches, mosques, temples, or other religious institutions are not apostilleable. They are not public documents under the Convention. If a foreign authority needs proof of a religious marriage, they need the civil marriage certificate - the government-registered record.

Diplomas or transcripts from institutions not recognized by the relevant provincial education authority cannot be apostilled. The competent authority cannot verify the signatory if the institution is not in its registry.

Any document where the required signature is missing, illegible, or not in the competent authority's registry is returned. This applies to notarized documents where:

• The notary's commission has lapsed
• The seal is too light to read
• The name on the seal does not match the registry record

• All provinces: laminated documents, wallet-size certificates, damaged documents
• Quebec: card-format documents, unsigned documents, envelopes smaller than 8.5 × 11 inches
• Ontario ODS: purely digital or RON-only documents without wet-ink physical copies

Authorities reserve the right to refuse authentication if a document appears altered, the notarial act is irregular, or the apostille would facilitate illegal activity. Suspected documents may be flagged as well as returned.