What is a legalization?
Most documents signed in Canada need to be legalized to have legal effects in Argentina.
Legalization consists of verifying that the signature and the stamp on the document bears resemblance with those registered in the signature registry of the Consulate. This registry is made up of notaries and public officials. You can access a list of public notaries in activity and civil registry officials whose signature is registered at the following link.
Legalization does not imply any judgment on the content of the document, it only means that the signature was verified.
If the signature on the document is registered, the Consulate can legalize the document directly. You may ask if a particular signature is registered by email.
In case the signature of the document is not registered, you will need to authenticate the document by a provincial authority (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon) or by Global Affairs Canada before filing it in the Consulate.
In the case of documents issued by public officers, it is suggested that their signature be authenticated directly, and to avoid the legalization of true copies certified by notaries.
The documents are legalized individually and separately: the consular fee is paid per document. Several documents stapled together cannot be legalized.
Once the signature is verified, and the corresponding consular fees are paid, a security folio will be stapled. In this way, the document is legalized and may have legal effects in Argentina.
What documents may be legalized?
The following documents can be legalized:
- Birth, death and marriage certificates.
- Notarial documents of individuals: powers of attorney, contracts, acceptance of donations, etc.
- Notarial documents of commercial nature: board of directors resolutions, bylaws, acceptance of management positions, etc.
- Good manufacturing practice certificates of pharmaceutical products (GMP): as these certificates have an electronic signature, please foward the PDF file issued by Health Canada by email. The Consulate will verify the signature, print and legalize the certificate.
- Tax residence affidavits certified by the Canada Revenue Agency: to legalize this documents please visit the following link.
- E-Manufacturer's Certificate to Export Licensed Medical Devices from Canada - Free Sale Certificate issued by Health Canada: these documents must be authenticated by Global Affairs Canada, and will be rejected if it is intervened by a notary.
- Certificates of Origin, refurbishment or warranty: these documents must be signed by a representative of a Canadian Chamber of Commerce whose signature is registered.
- RCMP criminal background check certificates: these documents can be legalized directly, without the need or prior authentication by Global Affairs Canada.
- Diplomas and transcripts: these documents cannot be declared original or true copies by notaries. The signature of the educational authority (Dean, School Director, officer of the Ministry of Education, etc.) must be directly authenticated by Global Affairs Canada or by a provincial authority.
Documents to request residencies in Argentina
When requesting the legalization of documentation to apply for residence in Argentina (for example, criminal record certificates, birth or marriage certificates), the following form (link) must be attached to the request.
The documentation will not be legalized when the applicant is in Canada and has not applied for the visa corresponding to their reason for travel.
If the applicant is in Argentina, you must file the request of his/her permanent or temporary residence. The Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM) will assign you a file number and formally request you file the corresponding documentation. Only the documents whose presentation was requested by the DNM will be legalized.
What documents cannot be legalized?
- Documents whose signature is not registered and are not authenticated by any provincial authority or Global Affairs Canada.
- Laminated documents.
- Photocopies without original signature.
- Documents that do not state who is the person who signed it.
- Documents that are stapled or joined together with other documents.
- Documents signed by public officials or notaries who practice outside our circumscription.
- Notarial certificates with numerous annexed documents of different nature.
- Printed/Paper GMP certificates for pharmaceutical products.
- Documentation to request residencies in Argentina for applicants who do not request the corresponding visa, or who have not filed a formal request before the DNM.
Documents that do not comply with requirements to be legalized will be rejected and/or returned by mail. If you have questions regarding a particular document, please send an email with a scanned copy.
Visto
Commercial invoices, price lists and vehicle sale applications issued by Canada are also not subject to legalization. In these cases the figure of the "visto" is applied. This intervention on the documents has the purpose of supporting that they were presented to the Consulate on a certain date, and does not imply the verification of their signature. You can access the consular fees of the "visto" in the following link. The procedure for requesting the "visto" on a document is the same as for legalizations.
How to request the legalization of a document?
In general, documents are legalized within 5 business days of receipt. In case of urgency, you may pay the rush fee and we will process the document within 2 business days.
The documents can be delivered for legalization in person or by post.
1. In person:
You may bring the document(s) to be legalized to our office during bussiness hours (9 to 15 hours) and with the following completed form. Appointments are not necessary. The documents will be received and consular fees will be charged. You will then receive an email to pick up the legalized document during our bussiness hours.
2. By post mail:
Mail the document along with this form and a prepaid return envelope (due to problems with the courier, Fedex return envelopes will not be accepted).
Consular fees may be paid by money order / certified cheque payable to Consulate General of Argentina (please include it in the envelope), or by credit / debit card (we will send an email with a link to make an online payment upon receiving the document).
Once the payment is verified, we will return the legalized document(s) using the prepaid envelope provided by the applicant. The applicant will be responsible in the event that the document is lost in the mail.
