As of January 11, 2024, Canada will accede to the Hague Convention, also known as the Apostille Convention. This means that the authenticity of Canadian government-issued documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, as well as education documents, export and corporate papers, can be easily confirmed with an apostille stamp.
Apostille is the process of legalizing a document for its subsequent submission to government agencies of another country. The apostille stamp confirms the signature and seal of the person who issued it, in other words, the authenticity of the document itself. Without an apostille, the document will not have legal force in another country. A document certified with an apostille stamp can be used equally in any of the 124 countries that have signed the convention, without additional certification.
Currently, documents issued in Canada undergo consular legalization for use in other countries. This is a complex and lengthy process that requires first contacting the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then the consulate of the country where the document will be used. For example, legalization of documentation at Mexican consulates in Canada can take weeks.
The Canadian government says that "more than 200,000 Canadian public documents are certified each year, and joining the Convention will give Canadians a cost-effective and streamlined method of receiving their Canadian documents abroad."
Mexico signed the Hague Convention in 1995. For a foreign document to be valid in Mexican territory, it is enough to have an apostille stamp on it. Moreover, before submitting to government authorities, such a document must be translated into Spanish by an official translator of Mexico. Mexican government authorities do not accept transfers made in other jurisdictions.
Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are also parties to the Hague Convention, therefore Mexico accepts documents issued and apostilled in these countries without any problems.
Canada will begin to apostille documents only in 2024. This means that until then you will have to continue to have your documentation certified at the nearest Mexican consulate in Canada if you plan to use them in Mexico. In particular, when applying for a residence permit in Mexico based on family ties with a resident of the country.