U.S. Embassy Ottawa

490 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 1G8
Telephone: +1 (613) 688-5335
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: 
Fax: +1 (613) 688-3082
Email: Canada.ACS@gdit-gss.com

The Ottawa consular district includes the counties of Kingston, Lanark, Leeds, Prescott, Refrew, Russell, and Stormont in Eastern Ontario, and those parts of the Québec regions of Outaouais and Abitibi-Témiscamingue near Ottawa.

CONSULATES

U.S. Consulate General Montreal

1134 Rue Sainte-Catherine Street West
Suite 100
Montreal, Québec H3B 1H4
Canada
Telephone: +1 (514) 398-9695
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +1 (416) 645-9124
Fax: +1 (514) 398-9748
Email: Canada.ACS@gdit-gss.com

The Montreal consular district includes Greater Montreal and the regions of Southern Quebec Province (Laurentides, Lanaudiere, Laval, Montreal, Montregie, Estrie, and the southern parts of Centre-du-Quebec), including Joliete, Drummondville, and Sherbrooke.

U.S. Consulate General Toronto

360 University Ave
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1S4
Canada
Telephone: +1 (416) 595-1700
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +1 (416) 201-4056
Fax: +1 (416) 595-5466
Email: Canada.ACS@gdit-gss.com

The consular district includes the province of Ontario except for the counties of Kingston, Lanark, Leeds, Prescott, Refrew, Russell, and Stormont, which are served by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.

U.S. Consulate General Vancouver

1075 West Pender Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6E 2M6
Canada
Telephone: +1 (604) 685-4311
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +1 (604) 685-4311
Fax: +1 (604) 685-7175
Email: Canada.ACS@gdit-gss.com

The consular district includes British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

U.S. Consulate General Halifax

1969 Upper Water Street
Suite 904, Purdy’s Wharf
Tower II
B3J 3R7
Telephone: 902-812-0049
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +1 (902) 429-2480, Press 1
Email: Halifax-ACS@state.gov

The Halifax consular district includes New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

U.S. Consulate Winnipeg

201 Portage Avenue, Suite 860
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3B 3K6
Canada
Telephone: +1 (204) 940-1800
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +1 (403) 266-8962 and press "0" for assistance (Consulate General Calgary)
Fax: +1 (204) 940-1809

The Consulate in Winnipeg provides only emergency services for U.S. citizens. Routine services such as visas, passports and notarials are handled at other U.S. Consulates General, primarily Calgary.

U.S. Consulate General Quebec 
2, rue de la Terrasse Dufferin
(Vieux Quebec, behind Chateau Frontenac)
Quebec, Quebec G1R 4T9
Canada
Telephone: +1 (418) 692-2095
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +1 (418) 692-2096
Fax: +1 (418) 692-4640
Email: Canada.ACS@gdit-gss.com

The consular district includes Quebec City and those regions of Quebec Province to the North and East of the Montreal and Ottawa Districts (indicated above) – to include the area around Saguenay/Lac Saint-Jean, Rimouski and the Gaspé Peninsula – as well as the Territory of Nunavut.

U.S. Consulate General Calgary
615 Macleod Trail S.E., 10th Floor
Calgary, Alberta 
T2G 4T8, Canada
Telephone: +1 (403) 266-8962
Fax: +1 (403) 264-6630
Email: Canada.ACS@gdit-gss.comThe consular district includes Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories, excluding Nunavut.

• U.S. Embassy Ottawa
• U.S. Consulate General Montreal
• U.S. Consulate Calgary
• U.S. Consulate Vancouver  
• U.S. Consulate Quebec
• U.S. Consulate General Toronto

• Department of Justice - Canada
• Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs for Canada
• Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

Is Canada a party to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters?

Yes.

Complete information on the operation of the Convention, including an interactive online request form are available on the Hague Conference website. 

How should requests be completed?

Requests should be completed in duplicate and submitted with two sets of the documents to be served, directly to Canada’s Central Authority for the Hague Service Convention.

Service of process requests must include a copy of the initial claim and documents presented by the plaintiff, and a notification letter by which the defendant is informed about the conditions and the deadline to present an answer as well as any documents in support of the claim.

The person in the United States executing the request form should be either an attorney or clerk of court.  The applicant should include the titles attorney at law or clerk of court on the identity and address of applicant and signature/stamp fields.

Does Canada permit service via postal channels?

Canada did not formally objected to service under Article 10, and does permit service via postal channels. 

For additional information see the Hague Conference Service Convention web page and the Hague Conference Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Hague Service Convention. 

Service on a Foreign State:  

See also our Service Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) feature and FSIA Checklist for questions about service on a foreign state, agency or instrumentality.

Service of Documents from Canada in the United States: 

See information about service in the United States on the U.S. Central Authority for the Service Convention page of the Hague Conference on Private International Law Service Convention site.      

Prosecution Requests:   

U.S. federal or state prosecutors should also contact the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, Department of Justice for guidance.

Defense Requests in Criminal Matters:  

Requests for compulsion of evidence in civil, commercial, administrative or defense requests criminal matters may be submitted directly by Canadian attorneys to the appropriate Canadian court.

Canadian courts are authorized to consider foreign requests for judicial assistance under section 46 of the Canada Evidence Act and there is no requirement that letters rogatory be transmitted via diplomatic channels.

Is Canada a party to the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters?

No.

However, see Canada’s Response to the 2008 Hague Conference Questionnaire on obtaining evidence.

Are depositions of willing witnesses without the involvement of the host government or courts permissible?

There are no rules in Canada which prohibit foreign tribunals or litigants from taking evidence from a willing witness in private civil matters.

Therefore, parties in a private civil case in the United States may arrange to depose a willing witness in Canada without prior consultation with or permission from Canadian federal or provincial authorities.

The party seeking to take the deposition must arrange for a court reporter/stenographer and facilities in which to take the deposition; the U.S. Consulates in Canada do not have information on these matters, nor do they have space in which to hold the deposition.

May consular officers conduct depositions of willing witnesses?

Canada does allow U.S. Consular Officers to take the voluntary deposition of a U.S. citizen willing witness.

If the parties involved in the deposition wish to have the witness take an oath before the U.S. Consul at any point in the proceedings, they should contact the American Citizens Services Section of the nearest U.S. Consulate prior to the date of the deposition and ask for an appointment to have the oath administered at the Consulate. Fees associated with consular depositions are at 22 CFR 22.1. 

Compulsion of Testimony/Production of Documents:

When a witness is unwilling to testify or when production of documents is required, litigants may petition a Canadian court directly to compel testimony or production of documents. 

In these circumstances, the services of a Canadian lawyer will be necessary.

Is Canada a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents?

No

However, Canada does not generally require the authentication of foreign public documents.