Definition: A Power of Attorney is a legal document that gives someone else the right to act on your behalf, in other word a power of attorney is a legal document that allows one person to give someone else the authority to act or to make a decision on your behalf. In the document you name another person to do certain things for you as your legal representative. In legal expressions you are named a grantor and the person you authorized or name to act for you is named an attorney.

Who can give a power of attorney?

You can give a power of attorney to someone if you are fully understood the natural surroundings and legal consequence of the document and your age is 18 years old or above.

Who can be given a power of attorney?

You can appoint someone as your attorney if he /she are 18 years of age or older and capable to comprehend information related to making decisions that they are authorized to make under the power of attorney

Types of Powers of Attorney:

General and Specific Powers of Attorney by their limitation, also can be various by their nature such as personal Powers of Attorney, Commercial, Corporate Powers of Attorney and Property Powers of Attorney.

For whatever reasons you may be required to provide a Power of Attorney that will be used in a overseas.

In order for a Canadian issued Power of Attorney to be recognized as legal it must be authenticated, legalized, attested or apostilled in Canada. The authentication procedure of your Power of Attorney attestation, authentication, legalization or Apostille must be start at the Notary Public or commissioner of Oath office, then by Global Affairs Canada authentication and legalization department, then finally by the embassy or consulate where you intend to use the Power of Attorney. Here again the steps for Canadian issued Power of Attorney document to be authenticated, legalized, attested in order to legally effective in specific country:

1. The Power of Attorney must be stamped by a Canadian Notary Public or commissioner of oat.
2. The Power of Attorney must be legalized by Global Affairs Canada.
3. The power of Attorney must be attested by the embassy or consulate of the interest.

Global Affairs Canada Power of Attorney Authentication Guidelines

Global Affairs Canada Authentication Services Section requirements for authentication a Power of Attorney it must be:

1. Notarized by a Canadian a Lawyer, Notary Public or commissioner of oat. Note that, you must sign the power of attorney in their presence, alternatively proved to them your official Identification document such as passport or driver license.
2. In one of Canada’s official languages English or French otherwise, it requires a translated version that has been prepared by a Canadian certified translator and further notarized.

The embassy policy for attestation, authentication, legalization or apostille of Power of Attorney

If you will use your Power of Attorney outside Canada please check or verify the information from the destination you needed to present that document from the authorities of the country of interest in order to find out which type of Power of Attorney that will be acceptable by them. Some countries, the Power of Attorney must be original and authenticated/ legalized by Global Affairs Canada and some countries will accept a notarized copy as long as its authenticated/ legalized/ attested or apostille by Global Affairs Canada.

If you authenticating your Power of Attorney in order to use it in Saudi Arabia then your educational degree must be attested by the Saudi cultural bureau and not by the embassy of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi cultural bureau degree authentication requires:

a) The Power of Attorney must be stamped by Global Affairs Canada
b) Proof of connection in Saudi Arabia such as job offer, contract an entry visa or resident card copy.

Please check our Qatar and UAE Power of Attorney authentication and legalization procedure as some other countries may have specific requirements.
In general all embassies and consulates requires a Global Affairs Canada attestation, authentication, legalization or apostille, before the document can be attested by them, our experts at Visaenterprise will handle the process for you from A-Z in a timely and efficient fashion that gives you the freedom to be at ease.

Making your Canadian Power of Attorney travel ready

If you are planning to use your Canadian Power of Attorney outside Canada then make sure you make them legally legitimate in that country. Usually you need to process your document for authentication and legalization at Global Affairs Canada, Authentication Services Section (previously called DFAITD) first and then by the consulate or the embassy of the country where you are planning to use them. You may also have to check if your document needs to be translated to the official language of that country. Our document authentication specialists will be ready to guide and complete the authentication; legalization, attestation and translation process for you. Our office is located in the heart of Ottawa’s diplomatic and economic center. Simply contact us and you can consider your document travel ready in a few days or less depending on the embassy processing time, however our link with embassies is solid, which should allow us to obtain the authentication and attestation by them in timely manner.

If I’m located outside Ottawa or Canada, how can Authentication, legalization, attestation or apostille process of my documents be done?

If you traveled without authenticating or legalizing your Canadian Power of Attorney and you find out that you need to obtain an authentication and legalization of your Canadian Power of Attorney then, you can simply contact us and courier us your Canadian Power of Attorney and leave the rest for our Authentication, legalization, attestation or apostille experts. You do not need to travel back to Canada; we will act on your behalf and get the authentication process completed for you in a timely manner and then courier the authenticated degree or certificate right back to you wherever you are.

Our service is designed to provide authentication, attestation, legalization services for the following clients:

d) Client is located outside Canada
e) Client located outside Ottawa
f) Client lives in Ottawa and prefer our experts to deal with the process entirely

Our clients are located across the globe in places such as the Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Europe, Africa, across the Americas and in the Oceanic.

You may also be located in BC, Alberta, Central Canada, Nunavut, the territories, Quebec and Ontario or Atlantic Canada we are here to serve you all from coast to coast. Our expert team will make the attestation, authentication, legalization or apostille process stress fee in order to give you peace of mind.

Supporting and Additional documents you may require to authentication them

When you ask for authentication, legalization, attestation or apostille services at some consulate or embassy, they may require supporting documentation in order to legalize and authenticate your document. For example in order to process a University degree, diploma certificate or other educational document for Attestation, authentication, legalization or apostille they may ask for supporting documents such as sealed transcript or other verification and conformation from the issuing entity. Please consult with our specialist for a specific embassy requirement.
Also if you are moving outside Canada it’s advisable that you authenticate and legalize your Canadian personal and educational documents that you may use while you are there, such as your Collage Diploma, University Degree, Letter of Experience, Marriage Certificate, Birth Certificate, Death Certificate and Divorce Certificate.