Moving to Portugal, Spain or the Netherlands: residence documents
A residence visa for any of the three hinges on two authenticated documents: a criminal-record certificate and your birth certificate, apostilled and translated. The trap is that your RCMP federal criminal record is apostilled federally by Global Affairs Canada, not by Ontario — so different documents in your file take different routes.
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Portugal (D7 and similar), Spain (non-lucrative and digital-nomad routes) and the Netherlands each grant residence through their consulate before you leave Canada, and each wants proof you have no criminal record plus your civil identity documents. For Portugal, the criminal-record certificate is typically required to have been issued within the last 90 days and carry a Hague apostille; Spain requires apostilled records with a sworn Spanish translation, often covering every country you have lived in recently.
This is the guide where the "which authority" question really bites. An RCMP national criminal record check is a federal document, so it is apostilled by Global Affairs Canada. An Ontario birth certificate or a local Ontario police check is a provincial document, apostilled by Ontario’s ODS. Same application, two different counters. We handle the Ontario side in person and will tell you plainly which of your documents must go through the federal process.
Identification numbers — Portugal’s NIF, Spain’s NIE — are issued as part of settling in, not something we apostille; they usually flow from your residence application or a tax-office registration. Focus your authentication budget on the criminal-record and civil documents the consulate actually lists.
Documents this situation needs
- Criminal-record certificateRCMP federal check is apostilled federally by Global Affairs Canada
- Local Ontario police checkif requested — provincial, apostilled by ODS
- Birth certificateapostilled, then translated
- Marriage certificateif applying with a spouse
- Sworn translationPortuguese, Spanish or Dutch as required
Realistic timeline
- Ontario documents (birth cert, local police check)
- Same-day rush available; dropped before 10 AM
- RCMP federal criminal record
- Federal apostille via Global Affairs Canada — plan extra time
- Portugal 90-day window
- Authenticate the criminal record close to your appointment
All-in cost
Ontario documents start at $170 for the first and $50 each additional. A federally issued RCMP record follows the Global Affairs Canada process rather than our ODS filing — call us and we’ll map every document in your file to the right authority in one quote.
Before you order — confirm your specifics
Requirements differ sharply by country and visa type, and Spain in particular may want records from each country you have lived in, with recency limits. Do not authenticate on assumption — send us your consulate’s checklist and we’ll separate the Ontario items from the federal ones.
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First document included · $50 each additional
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FAQ
Portugal · Spain · NL: common questions
Sources
We cite the authorities that set these requirements. Rules change and edge cases exist, so always confirm the current checklist with the authority handling your file before you order.
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- Emailken@speedyapostille.ca
- HoursMon–Fri 9:00–18:00 · Sat by appointment
- Service areaToronto & Greater Toronto Area
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Text us a photo of your document and we'll reply with the exact price and turnaround — from $170, government fee included, often the same business day. No call required.