Certification

Other government agencies or departments, within Canada or other jurisdictions, may require that the copy of the record(s) you are requesting be certified.  Certification validates the authenticity of the copy.  If you are uncertain as to whether or not the copy you are ordering should be certified, please contact the requesting agency directly before submitting your order.  A fee is applied for certification of records.

A copy of a record certified by the Provincial Archivist under the authority of the Museum Act [SBC 2003, c.12, s.11(4)] attests to the record being a true copy of the record in the possession of the British Columbia Archives.  It “(a) is admissible in evidence without proof of the official character of the person appearing to have signed the copy, and (b) has, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, the same evidentiary value as the original would have if it were proved in the ordinary way.”

In the event that this certification is not adequate for the agency requesting the copy, services are available through Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada to authenticate documents as being true copies of original Canadian documents. 

Note that certificates for divorces granted under the Canada Divorce Act of 1985 can be obtained from the issuing court registry.