Fees and steps checked on
Canadian death certificate attestation lets a family in the UAE use a Canadian death record for an estate, a bank account, an insurance claim or a residence file. The certificate comes from the vital statistics office of the province or territory where the death was registered. It then gets a Canadian apostille, the UAE Embassy in Ottawa stamp and MOFA attestation in the UAE.
Price: from AED 1,900 plus VAT, 4 to 6 weeks, all official fees and courier included. See attestation fees.
Where the death certificate comes from
Deaths are registered by the province, not by Ottawa. The funeral home usually files the registration, and only then can the province issue a certificate. Funeral home "proof of death" letters cannot be apostilled.
| Province | Issuing office | Document names to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | ServiceOntario, Office of the Registrar General | death certificate, or certified copy of death registration |
| British Columbia | Vital Statistics Agency | death certificate |
| Quebec | Directeur de l'état civil | certificate of death, or copy of the act of death |
| Other provinces and territories | the provincial vital statistics office | death certificate |
Ontario offers the certified copy of the death registration with or without the cause of death. The version with the cause can only be ordered by mail or in person. Checked on .
Why UAE offices ask for it
- Bank accounts. A UAE bank asks for proof of death before it releases or closes an account held by the person who died.
- Estate and inheritance cases. Courts in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates usually ask for foreign documents to be attested.
- Widow's or widower's file. A surviving spouse who was sponsored by the deceased may need it for a new visa arrangement, often next to the Canadian marriage certificate.
- Insurance and end of service. Employers and insurers may want an attested copy before they pay.
If the death happened in the UAE, the UAE death certificate follows a different route. That route is on death certificate attestation.
The four stamps on a Canadian death certificate
- Notary Public in Canada. A Canadian notary certifies the certificate where the apostille office needs it. We check this from your copy.
- Canadian apostille. Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan apostille their own records. Every other province and territory uses Global Affairs Canada, formerly DFAT, which does not charge a fee.
- UAE Embassy in Ottawa. The embassy attests the apostilled certificate after a booking on the MOFA portal and VFS Global, with online payment only and at least 3 to 5 business days.
- MOFA UAE. The last stamp, after which the certificate is valid across the UAE.
Global Affairs Canada currently works on requests received about 25 business days earlier, with 5 to 10 business days of mailing and no express lane. Canada has been in the Apostille Convention since 11 January 2024. The UAE is not a member, so the apostille is not the end of the chain. The attestation vs apostille page explains the difference.
What you send us
- The original provincial death certificate, not laminated
- A copy of your passport
- The name of the UAE bank, court or office that asked for it, so we confirm the right version
- One certificate per office, if several offices need an original
Problems we see with death certificates
- Funeral home letter sent instead. Only the provincial certificate can go through the chain.
- Wrong version. Some courts want the cause of death. Order the fuller record at the start.
- French text. A Quebec certificate of death is often in French. MOFA works in Arabic or English, so add a legal translation.
- Name spelling. The name on the certificate should match the passport the UAE office holds on file.
- One copy for many offices. A bank and a court may each keep an original. Attest two certificates together.
Other Canadian records, such as degrees and birth certificates, are listed on Canada certificate attestation.
