Notary Public and Commissioner:

Question:Do I need a notary public or a commissioner for taking affidavits in Ontario?

Answer:VP Legal Services & Notary can help you confirm the right process for your document in Ontario, whether you need notary services (for verifying signatures, marks, stamps, and certified copies) or commissioning (where a commissioner administers an oath or solemn declaration and witnesses the deponent’s statement).   If your form requires a statutory declaration, affidavit, or consent to travel letter, the correct commissioning or notarization wording matters for acceptance by government agencies, lenders, and other institutions.   Avoid unlawful “online notary” services, since in Ontario notarization rules require an in-person process unless a specific regulation permits otherwise, and that permission is not broadly available.   For quick guidance on what your document needs, call (437) 286-1499 to book a free 1/4 hour consultation and get competitively priced paralegal and notary support at VP Legal Services & Notary.

Add this website to Google Preferred Sources

VP Legal Services & Notary provides Notary Public and Commissioning services.  Your documents will be lawfully notarized or commissioned with proper attention given to details as required for the specific nature and purpose of the respective documents.  This service is competitively priced, so you can trust that you are getting value for your money.

Note: For immediate help, please contact VP Legal Services & Notary by phone at: (437) 286-1499 to retain services or to discuss any specific questions that you may have.

Notary Public

A person granted Notary Public status is granted special powers by various governing authorities within a local jurisdiction that permits the person to verifying that signatures, marks, stamps, copies of documents, among other things, are true and authentic.

There are many official signed documents that must be notarized to become valid.  Examples include copies of certificates of birth, adoption, marriage, or divorce, as well as real estate transactions documents, government documents, and many more.  Notarizing a document is an organized and efficient service that typically requires only five (5) to ten (10) minutes per document.

Warning Regarding Purported Online Notary Services

In Ontario, there are notary services purporting to provide online notary services.  Online notary services are unlawful; and, recently the Law Society of Ontario issued a Notice to the Professions, meaning to lawyers and paralegals, as a reminder that online notary services are forbidden.  The perception that online notary services are permitted may arise whereas section 3(3) of the Notaries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.  N.6, states that notarization may be performed without in person requirements when permitted by a regulation to the Notaries Act; however, a review of the regulations will reveal that a permitting regulation is absent; and accordingly, online notary services are unlawful.

Commissioner for Taking Affidavits

Instead of notarizing a document as a true copy or as containing a true signature or marks, among other notary functions, many documents instead require commissioning.  A Commissioner for Taking Affidavits is empowered to administer an Oath and to witness the swearing or affirming of the Oaths of truth regarding statements made within an Affidavit or Declaration.  Of course, such is without saying that the Commissioner for Taking Affidavits confirms that what is stated within the document is true whereas the Commissioner for Taking Affidavits merely witnesses and confirms that the Deponent, being the person who swears or affirms the Oath, states that the contents of the document are true.

Pricing

Pricing for notarizing and commissioning services may vary subject to the nature of the particular requirements of the documents involved, the particular circumstances involved, and the expected time involved.