ServiceOntario Is Making It Easier To Authenticate Documents & Here's How It Works

ServiceOntario is continuing to expand its services for residents in the province and the latest update gives people the chance to authenticate official documents at select locations.

If you need to authenticate your birth certificate for use outside of Canada, or any other documents like a diploma or corporate powers of attorney, there are four new ServiceOntario locations where you can now get this done.

The Ontario government announced the expanded service on Tuesday, in an effort to save people both time and money.

"Whether someone is preparing for a major life event, a new job or an adventure abroad, authenticating documents for international use is often a crucial and time-sensitive matter,” said Kaleed Rasheed, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, in a press release.

Until now, document authentication services in Ontario were only available in-person or via mail at the Official Documents Services office in Toronto, located at 222 Jarvis St.

According to the government, nearly 67,000 document authentications were processed and more than 29,000 clients were served by that office between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.

The four ServiceOntario locations where this service has been expanded are:

• Ottawa: 110 Laurier Ave. West
• Sault Ste. Marie: 101-420 Queen St. East
• Thunder Bay: 113-435 James St. South
• Windsor: 205-400 City Hall Sq. East

"This change enables more individuals and businesses to have their documents authenticated via same-day service in addition to our standard mail-in options which often require up to 15 business days to complete," reads the press release.

The government noted the expanded services for document authentication also "lays the groundwork to respond to an anticipated surge of document authentication requests as a result of Canada joining the Hague Apostille Convention in January 2024."

This latest change at ServiceOntario follows another recently expanded service which allows anyone buying or selling a car at a new or used car dealership in Ontario to register the vehicle entirely online.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.