When the question is reversed - a foreign document needed inside Canada - different rules apply. Canadian competent authorities do not apostille foreign documents. Global Affairs Canada's Authentication Services Section cannot authenticate a document issued in another country.

Because Canada joined the Convention, foreign documents from other member countries should carry a single apostille from the issuing country's authority. A US birth certificate with a state apostille from a US Secretary of State, or a UK document with an FCDO apostille, is accepted by Canadian authorities under the Convention.

The entity receiving the foreign apostilled document may be: IRCC for immigration applications, a provincial licensing body for credential recognition, a Canadian court, a Canadian university, or a financial institution. Each sets its own rules on whether an apostille satisfies its requirements. The Convention does not require every private Canadian institution to accept one automatically. Confirm with the specific recipient.

Many Canadian bodies operate in English or French. A foreign apostilled document in another language may still need a certified translation for the Canadian recipient - even though the apostille certificate itself is in English and French.

IRCC requires certified translations of all foreign documents not in English or French.

Documents from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and other non-Hague countries must go through authentication and legalization in their country of origin first - authenticated by that country's own authority, then legalized by the Canadian Embassy or High Commission in that country. This is the mirror of what Canadians do for documents going to non-Hague countries.