Canadian Birth Certificate Apostilled for Mexico
To marry in Mexico, register a child or prove family ties with the INM, the Canadian long-form certificate needs the apostille of the right authority: the province, if it apostilles its own documents, or Global Affairs Canada. We help you identify it and complete the perito translation.
Which Mexican offices ask for this document
These are the most common procedures; the receiving office may ask for more:
Civil Marriage of a Foreign National in Mexico
- The foreign spouse’s birth certificate, apostilled in the state or province of origin and translated into Spanish by a perito.
- If previously married: an apostilled divorce decree, or the former spouse’s death certificate, with its translation.
- Passport and proof of legal stay in Mexico; each state or municipality may add requirements (medical tests, pre-marital talks, witnesses, a single status statement).
Registering in Mexico the Birth of a Child Born in the U.S. or Canada
- The child’s (or applicant’s) foreign birth certificate, apostilled by the state or province that issued it.
- Spanish translation by a perito traductor.
- The Mexican parent’s Mexican birth certificate and ID; some registries also ask for the parents’ marriage certificate.
Temporary or Permanent Residency in Mexico
- When residency is based on a family tie, the foreign marriage or birth certificate must carry the apostille of the state or province that issued it.
- As a rule, the INM does not ask for an FBI or RCMP check for residency; the consulate or INM office may request additional documents in specific cases.
- Documents in English or French are usually filed with a Spanish translation.
Which version works and which does not
An apostille can only go on a public document with the right signature and seal:
- Certified long-form copy issued by the provincial vital statistics office (for example ServiceOntario or BC Vital Statistics)
- Short or wallet-size certificates
- Commemorative certificates
- Photocopies certified by a commissioner of oaths
How to prepare this document
Follow this order so the authority apostilles it and the Mexican office accepts it:
If you do not have it, order the long-form certificate from the province of birth.
Apostille from the province (Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Quebec) or from Global Affairs Canada for the rest.
Spanish translation by a perito traductor, including the apostille.
Which authority apostilles your document?
The apostille comes from a specific office, depending on where the document was issued or signed. Pick your case:
Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery (Official Document Services)
Apostilled by Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery (Official Document Services) (Province of Ontario).
Already living in Mexico?
Send us a photo of your certificate from Mexico. We check that it is the long form, identify which authority apostilles it for your province and deliver the apostilled certificate with its translation.
1. Online review
Send us a photo or scan of the document. We check the signature, seal and authority before you send anything.
2. Shipping originals
If the procedure needs the original, we tell you how to send it by tracked courier or collect it from your address.
3. Delivery to your door
We send the apostilled document and, if you asked for it, the translation by a perito anywhere in Mexico.
Translation by a perito traductor
Mexican offices usually ask for documents in English or French to be translated into Spanish by a perito traductor authorized by the state judiciary. The translation normally includes the apostille. Each office decides which peritos it accepts: some only take peritos from their own state.
Usual timelines
These are the authorities’ timelines; shipping and translation are on top:
Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them
Filing the short certificate without parents’ names, which Mexican civil registries do not usually accept.
Sending Global Affairs Canada a certificate from a province that apostilles its own documents, which causes delays.
Apostille questions: Birth Certificate
I have the short version of my certificate. Will it work?
For the Mexican Registro Civil it normally will not, because it lacks the parents’ names. Order the long-form version from the province before apostilling.
Is a French-language certificate from Quebec translated too?
Yes. Any certificate that is not in Spanish is translated by a perito; for Quebec, the translation is made from French.
Who apostilles a Canadian birth certificate?
It depends on the province. Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec apostille their own certificates; those from the other provinces and territories are apostilled by Global Affairs Canada. In Ontario the usual turnaround is 4 to 6 business days.
We help you in Mexico
- Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery (Official Document Services): https://www.ontario.ca/page/authenticate-document-use-outside-canada
- Global Affairs Canada (Authentication Services Section): https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/about-a-propos/services/authentication-authentification_documents.aspx
Pre-review: Birth Certificate
Before any paper moves, we review your document: who issued it, whether the signature and seal can be apostilled and what the Mexican office needs. You get the timeline and a quote in writing.
Pre-review: Birth Certificate
We check the authority, signature and seal, and send you a quote before you ship the original.