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Property abroad · British Columbia

Selling or managing property abroad from B.C.

It usually takes a power of attorney: signed here, accepted there. There are three ways to get one from British Columbia. Ours is one of them, and this page says when another fits you better.

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01

Three ways to sign a power of attorney from B.C.

Which one suits you depends on your citizenship, your deadline and the language of the document. All three are legitimate.

The country's consulate or embassy

If you are a citizen, your own consulate can usually certify a power of attorney. The Apostille Convention does not apply to documents made by consular officers, so a power of attorney certified by your own consul generally goes home without an apostille.

In British Columbia, though, several countries have no consulate that does this. Then it means an appointment and a trip — for Ukraine, to Edmonton. The country guides below have the details.

Good fit when you are a citizen of that country and have time for an appointment — and for travel, if the consulate is outside B.C.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Convention, Article 1 · checked September 28, 2026

A B.C. notary or lawyer, then the B.C. apostille

No border to cross: in B.C., every lawyer is also a notary public. After the notarization, the province's Authentication Program attaches the apostille — CA$20 per document, by mail or courier only, currently 2 to 4 weeks plus mail time.

The catch is language. A document that is not entirely in English must first be translated into English and notarized together with its translation — side-by-side bilingual documents included.

Good fit when the document is in English and your deadline is more than a month away.

Source: B.C. government — notarized documents, B.C. government — fees, B.C. government — processing times, B.C. government — translation requirements · checked September 28, 2026

A Washington notary at the border, then the Washington apostille

That's us

We meet you at Peace Arch Park — no U.S. visa or border crossing needed — or in Blaine, WA, and take the document to the Washington Secretary of State: apostille the same business day, the next business day, or within 7 days.

Washington requires only the notary's certificate to be in English, or in two languages one of which is English, so the document itself can stay in Ukrainian, Russian or whatever language the other country expects.

Good fit when your deadline is close, or the document is not in English.

Source: RCW 42.45.130 (Washington law) · checked September 28, 2026

An apostille from British Columbia and one from Washington State do the same job under the Hague Convention. The routes differ in speed, cost and language rules, not in validity.

02

What an apostille does

An apostille is a one-page certificate confirming that the signature and seal on a document are genuine, so that another country accepts the document without having it certified again by its consulate. It works only between the countries that have joined the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention.

Canada joined on January 11, 2024; the United States has been a member since 1981. For a notarized document, the apostille comes from where it was notarized: the B.C. Authentication Program for a B.C. notary, the Washington Secretary of State for a Washington notary.

Source: Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), B.C. government — about the program · checked September 28, 2026

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Country guides

What each country's consulates offer in Canada, what its notaries and registries ask for, and which route usually fits. More countries are on the way.

UkraineNo Ukrainian consulate in B.C. — the province is served from Edmonton.Read the guide United KingdomThe British consulate witnesses signatures only in exceptional cases — and many UK deeds need only a witness, not a notary.Read the guide
04

Country not listed?

Check the Hague Conference's status table first. If the country is a party to the Apostille Convention, the three routes above work the same way: email us the country and the document, and we will tell you honestly which one fits.

If it is not a party — Iran is one example — no apostille, from us or from B.C., will be accepted there. The document then needs consular legalization instead: ask that country's embassy or consulate what they require.

Source: Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) · checked September 28, 2026

05

Before you book anyone

Three things that save a second appointment:

  • Get the final text from the lawyer or notary in the other country. We notarize your signature; we do not draft or edit documents.
  • Ask them whether they accept a power of attorney signed abroad before a local notary, with an apostille, and in which language it must be.
  • Check that the names, dates of birth and passport numbers in the text match the ID you will bring.

I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in this state. I am not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.

Not sure which route fits?

Send us the document and the country.

We will tell you which route suits your deadline, even when the answer is your consulate or a B.C. notary. Most emails are answered within a few hours during business hours.

Email notary@andrii.coBook a signingCall (206) 319-3543