Allonge - The physical form of the apostille certificate in Canada. A separate sheet securely attached to the underlying document, printed in English and French.

Apostille - A standardized certificate issued under the 1961 Hague Convention confirming the origin of a public document. Accepted across all Convention member countries.

Authentication - The process of verifying a signature, seal, or stamp on a document. The base step for both apostille (Hague) and certificate of authentication (non-Hague) outputs.

C-216C - The RCMP fingerprint form used for Criminal Record Check applications.

CCRTIS - Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services. The RCMP unit in Ottawa that processes fingerprint-based criminal record checks.

Certificate of authentication - The output of the authentication process when the destination country is not a Hague member. Equivalent to an apostille in function but used for non-Convention destinations.

Certified true copy - A copy of a document examined by a notary public and certified as accurate, with wet-ink signature, stamp or seal, and date.

Chambre des notaires du Québec (CNQ) - The professional governing body for Quebec civil-law notaries. Required to verify Quebec notary signatures before the Ministère de la Justice will apostille a Quebec notarial act.

Commissioner of oaths - A professional authorized to witness signatures and administer oaths in limited contexts. Not a substitute for a notary public for apostille submissions.

Competent authority - The government body designated to issue apostilles in a jurisdiction. Canada has six: one federal (GAC) and five provincial.

CTTIC - Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council. The national umbrella organization whose member provincial associations certify translators recognized by Canadian authorities.

Embassy legalization / attestation - The step required for non-Hague country destinations. The destination country's embassy in Canada stamps the authenticated document.

GAC - Global Affairs Canada. The federal competent authority and Canada's national contact point with the HCCH.

Hague Apostille Convention - The Convention of October 5, 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. Canada joined January 11, 2024.

HCCH - Hague Conference on Private International Law. The international organization that administers the Convention and maintains the list of member states.

Jure sanguinis - Citizenship by descent ("by right of blood"). Several countries grant citizenship to descendants of nationals who emigrated; apostilled Canadian civil records are commonly required.

Long-form birth certificate - A birth certificate that includes both parents' names and full registration details. Often required for citizenship, dual-citizenship, and marriage-abroad applications.

Ministère de la Justice - Quebec's competent authority for apostilles. Full name: Direction générale des registres et de la certification.

Notary public - A government-authorized professional who witnesses signatures, administers oaths, and certifies copies of documents. In Quebec, this role belongs to a civil-law notary, a distinct legal professional under the Notaries Act.

ODS - Official Documents Services. Ontario's provincial competent authority for apostilles and certificates of authentication. Located at 777 Bay Street, Lower Level, Toronto.

OIC Administration Office - Order in Council Administration Office. The BC government office that administers the BC Authentication Program.

OTTIAQ - Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec. The Quebec professional association for certified translators recognized for apostille-related submissions.

Polymer certificate - A vital statistics certificate issued on durable polymer (plastic-based) material with embedded security features. The standard format accepted by Canadian competent authorities.

Public document - Under the Convention: documents from courts and tribunals, administrative documents, notarial acts, and official certificates placed on privately signed documents.

RON (Remote Online Notarization) - Notarization conducted by video with digital signatures. Legal in some provinces but not accepted by Ontario ODS, which requires wet-ink physical documents.

Short-form birth certificate - A birth certificate showing essential personal data without parents' names. Acceptable for some purposes; not sufficient for citizenship, dual-citizenship, or most marriage-abroad applications.

Statement in lieu - Global Affairs Canada's document confirming Canada does not issue certificates of non-impediment to marriage. Does not confirm personal marital status.

Triage portal - GAC's online tool that identifies which authority should handle a specific document, based on a short series of questions.

Validity window - The period within which a document - not the apostille - must have been issued to be acceptable to the receiving authority. Commonly 3 to 6 months for criminal record checks.

Wet-ink signature - A handwritten signature applied in physical ink on a paper document. Required by Ontario ODS and most Canadian competent authorities for apostille submissions.