Canada is not a member of The Hague Convention. Therefore, all Canadian documents must be authenticated through diplomatic channels in order to be valid in Spain.

NOTE: THE EMBASSY OF SPAIN IN OTTAWA ONLY AUTHENTICATES CANADIAN DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED BY INSTITUTIONS LOCATED WITHIN THE EMBASSY’S CONSULAR JURISDICTION (OTTAWA AND GATINEAU)

For authentication of documents issued in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario (except Ottawa), Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut, you need to contact the Consulate General of Spain in Toronto to find out the process to legalize your documents:

2 Bloor Street East
Suite 1201
Toronto, ON
M4W 1A8
TEL: (416) 977-1661
Fax: (416) 593-4949
E-mail:  cog.toronto@mae.es
Web: www.maec.es/subwebs/Consulados/Toronto/en/home/Paginas/Home.aspx

For authentication of documents issued in the provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec (except Gatineau), and Newfoundland and Labrador, you need to contact the Consulate General of Spain in Montreal to find out the process to legalize your documents:

1 Westmount Square, Suite 1456
Montréal, Québec
H3Z 2P9
TEL: (514) 935-5235
Fax: (514) 935-4655
E-mail:   cog.montreal@mae.es
Web: http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Consulados/Montreal/en/home/Paginas/Home.aspx 

WARNING: Photocopies of documents will not be authenticated by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs unless they have been previously certified by a Canadian lawyer or Notary Public.

PROCEDURE FOR THE AUTHENTICATION OF DOCUMENTS

For the following documents:

• TRANSCRIPTS AND DIPLOMAS  ISSUED BY CANADIAN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS LOCATED IN OTTAWA AND GATINEAU.
• BIRTH, DEATH, MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY THE REGISTRY OFFICES OF ONTARIO AND QUÉBEC FOR EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE IN OTTAWA AND GATINEAU.
• CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS (ONLY FROM THE RCMP)
  

 you are required to take these steps:

1.       Submit the document in person, or mail the original to:

Department of Foreign Affairs
Legal Advisory Division
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A OG2
Canada
Telephone: 1-800-267-8376 (Toll Free in Canada)
                 613-944-4000 (in the National Capital Region and outside Canada)
                 613-944-9136 (TTY for the deaf)
Business hours: 10:30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m, Monday to Friday.

A Canadian official from the Department of Foreign Affairs will stamp and sign the document in order to authenticate the signature of the competent authority who issued the certificate or diploma.
When requesting authentication of a document from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, you must also send a letter either in English or French requesting that the authenticated document be sent to:

Embassy of Spain in Ottawa
Consular Section
74 Stanley Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1M 1P4
Tel:  (613) 747-2252
Fax: (613) 744-1224
Business hours: 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.

The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs will send the document to the Embassy of Spain by hand, so you do not have to include any envelope or postage stamps.

NOTE:

Marriage search documents issued by the province of Ontario must be notarized.

As of February 1st, 2010 all criminal record checks, fingerprint/clearance certificates, and any documents originating from the RCMP, must first be notarized prior to authentication.  

2.       The Spanish official in charge of the Consular Section at the Embassy of Spain in Ottawa will authenticate the signature of the Canadian Official from the Department of Foreign Affairs only when the corresponding consular fee ($CAN 9.60 per document) has been paid to the Embassy, by certified cheque or money order made out to the “Embassy of Spain”. The cheque will be annexed to the documents forwarded to the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs in a closed envelope addressed to the Embassy of Spain. These types of cheques are available at any Spanish banking institution.
Upon receipt of the cheque and once the signatures have been authenticated, the document will be forwarded to you by regular mail to the address you provide us with. If you need us to send it to you by certified mail to Spain, provided the address is not a P.O. box, you must add $CAN 18.70 to the total amount of the cheque, whereas if you wish the document to be sent to an address within Canada, you must provide a prepaid, self-addressed, PRIORITY COURIER envelope or an XPRESS POST envelope from Canada Post. In any case, the Embassy shall not be responsible for any problem, delay or loss of documents that may occur when these are returned to you.

3.      Also, in order to authenticate the signature of the Spanish official at the Embassy, the document must be forwarded to:

Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación
Sección de Legalizaciones
C/. Juan de Mena, 4
28071 Madrid
TEL: 34 91 379-1606/1608/1609

 ·   OTHER DOCUMENTS, issued by Canadian institutions located in Ottawa and Gatineau:

1.       Authenticate first the document before a Canadian Notary Public.

2.      Follow the same steps as for the authentication of Academic Transcripts and Diplomas, Certificates of Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce and Criminal Record Certificates.