Common documents
What Scarborough residents usually need
Most appointments at our Scarborough office fall into three groups. The general rules are on our notarization and commissioning page; here is what comes up most for families, students and workers in Scarborough.
Immigration paperwork
- Certified true copies of passports, PR cards, degrees and marriage or birth certificates, where an IRCC guide asks for them. IRCC requires the certifier to compare the copy with the original, and relatives of the applicant can’t certify.
- Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union (IMM 5409), which both partners sign by hand in front of the person administering the declaration. IRCC’s IMM 5409 page
- Declarations and affidavits supporting a sponsorship or other application. For the application itself, see our Scarborough immigration page.
School, work and travel
- Certified copies of diplomas and transcripts for employers, colleges, universities and professional licensing bodies.
- Identity and status documents an employer, school or landlord asks to see in certified form, so you keep the original.
- Travel consent letters for a child travelling abroad without both parents. Canada says a consent letter isn’t legally required but recommends that a notary public witness the signature, and that the child carry the signed original (Government of Canada guidance).
Court and estates
- Affidavits for Small Claims Court, family court and Superior Court proceedings.
- Affidavits in a probate application, such as a witness’s affidavit about how the will was signed. Our Scarborough probate page explains the application.
- Statutory declarations for lost or replacement documents, insurance claims, and confirming that two spellings of a name refer to the same person.
Not sure which one you need? Upload the document in the quote form and we’ll tell you before you come in.
In person or by video
Notarizing and commissioning are different, and so are the rules for video
The difference decides whether you have to come to the office, and whether a document can later be used outside Canada.
Commissioning
A commissioner for taking affidavits administers an oath or affirmation and takes your affidavit or statutory declaration. Every lawyer and paralegal licensed in Ontario is a commissioner by virtue of their licence. The commissioner confirms who you are and that you understand what you are swearing or declaring; the truth of the contents remains your responsibility. Ontario’s guide to notaries and commissioners sets out the two roles.
Notarizing
A notary public can do everything a commissioner can, and can also verify that signatures and copies of documents are true or genuine. Certified true copies and notarized signatures are notarial acts, and Ontario does not permit notarization by video. Bring the original and your photo ID to the office.
Virtual commissioning, where permitted
Under Ontario Regulation 431/20, made under the Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act, an affidavit or statutory declaration can in some cases be commissioned by video. The commissioner and the person swearing must be able to see, hear and speak to each other throughout, the commissioner must confirm your identity, and the document records that it was commissioned remotely (O. Reg. 431/20 on e-Laws). Not every court, government office or institution accepts a remotely commissioned document, so check with the organization receiving it first. If it does, we can arrange the video appointment; if you are unsure, an office appointment avoids the question.
Why Wannes Law
A Toronto law firm that keeps you informed
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A licensed Ontario lawyer
Rosalie Wannes, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, is responsible for your file from start to finish.
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Fees before you commit
Instant online quotes and published flat fees, so you know the cost before you retain us.
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Every step explained
Plain-language explanations of what happens, what you provide and what we handle, at every stage.
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Direct access
Reach your lawyer and law clerk directly by phone and email while your matter is underway.
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Sign in person or remotely
Meet at our Sheppard Ave E office in Toronto, or review documents by video and courier the originals.
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English, Armenian and Arabic
Talk through your matter in the language you are most comfortable with.
Documents going abroad
Apostilles: the next stop after our office
Documents often go overseas: a degree for a job abroad, a power of attorney for property back home, a consent letter for a summer trip. Many foreign authorities want more than a signature from Ontario.
Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention on January 11, 2024. For a country that is also a member, Ontario’s Official Documents Services adds an apostille that confirms the notary’s signature and seal. Its Toronto office is at 777 Bay Street, Lower Level; you can book an in-person appointment, or submit by mail or through its online portal. Countries outside the Convention may instead require legalization by their embassy or consulate. The rules are on Ontario’s authenticate a document for use outside Canada page. Points that trip people up:
- Commissioned is not enough. Official Documents Services won’t authenticate a document commissioned by a commissioner for taking affidavits, even if it was also notarized. If the document is going abroad, ask for notarization and tell us where it is going when you upload it.
- The seal must match the office’s records. The notary’s name and seal must be identical to those on file with Official Documents Services, and the signature and seal must appear together on the same page.
- Language. A document not in English or French needs a translation from a certified translator, or a translation attested by an Ontario notary who reads both languages.
- Foreign documents. A document issued outside Canada generally can’t be apostilled in Ontario, although a signature on it that was notarized by an Ontario notary can be.
Before you come
What to bring to Sheppard Avenue East
A missing original or an unsigned page means a second visit. A few minutes with this list saves the trip back.
Bring with you
- Valid government-issued photo ID for every person signing, swearing or declaring
- The original of anything to be copied, with every page, and the copies if you already have them
- The document to be sworn or declared, unsigned, with its exhibits
- Every person who has to sign, such as both partners for an IMM 5409 or both parents where the consent letter needs them
- Any translation, if the original is not in English or French
Check first
- Exactly what the receiving organization wants: a certified copy, a notarized signature, a sworn affidavit, an apostille or a translation
- How many certified copies you need, since each one is certified separately
- Whether a remotely commissioned affidavit or declaration will be accepted, if you’d like a video appointment
- Whether the document is going outside Canada, so it is notarized rather than only commissioned
Only need an affidavit or declaration sworn? See commissioner of oaths services.
How it works
Usually one short appointment
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Step 1: Upload the document
Choose notarization, commissioner of oaths, or affidavit or declaration in the quote form and upload the document or a clear photo of it. We quote from what we see, confirm whether it needs notarizing or commissioning, and point out anything missing, such as a blank the receiving organization expects to be completed.
You provide
- The document or a clear copy
- Instructions from the organization receiving it
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Step 2: Book a time
At 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, Scarborough. Certified copies and notarized signatures are always done in person; an affidavit or declaration can be done by video where the rules and the receiving organization allow it.
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Step 3: Sign, swear or certify
We check your ID, compare copies with the originals page by page, and administer the oath or affirmation before you sign. You leave with the completed document, ready to send, or to take to Official Documents Services if it needs an apostille.
We handle
- Confirming identity
- Administering the oath or affirmation
- Completing the certificate or jurat on the document
Fees
Quoted from your document
Notarization and commissioning are quoted from the document itself: what it is, how many pages and how many copies. Upload it in the quote form for a detailed quote before you book. Official Documents Services charges its own fee for an apostille, paid to the province.
Questions
Notary and commissioning questions from Scarborough
Can I get a document notarized online in Ontario?
No. Ontario does not permit notarization by video, so certified copies and notarized signatures are done in person at our office. Some affidavits and statutory declarations can be commissioned by video under Ontario Regulation 431/20, where the organization receiving them accepts it.
Who can certify copies for my IRCC application?
Follow the certification instructions in the IRCC guide for your application. IRCC requires the certifier to compare the copy with the original and write that it is a true copy, and it doesn’t accept certification by the applicant or close relatives. Bring the originals and we certify the copies at the office.
Does a travel consent letter for my child have to be notarized?
It isn’t legally required, but the Government of Canada recommends that a notary public witness the signature, because border officers and airlines may ask for proof of consent. Bring the letter unsigned, with ID for each parent signing.
Where do I get an apostille in Toronto?
From Ontario’s Official Documents Services, at 777 Bay Street, Lower Level, by appointment, or by mail or online. The document has to be notarized first; a document that was only commissioned can’t be apostilled.
Can you take our IMM 5409 common-law declaration?
Yes. Both partners sign by hand in front of the person administering the declaration, so both attend with valid photo ID. Leave the signature lines blank until then.
Where is your office, and can I be served in Armenian or Arabic?
Wannes Law is at 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, Scarborough (Toronto), ON M1T 3K2, and serves clients in English, Armenian and Arabic. See our Scarborough page for everything else we do locally.
Areas We Serve
Notarization and commissioning for the GTA
Clients come to our Scarborough office from across Toronto and the GTA; affidavits and declarations can be commissioned by video where permitted.
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Scarborough
Notary public for Scarborough clients. Our office is on Sheppard Ave E.
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North York
In person on Sheppard Ave E, or fully remote.
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Markham
Close by in York Region, in person or by video.
Here to help
Get it certified, sworn or signed in Scarborough.
Upload your document for a quote, or call the office to arrange a time.
Prefer to talk now? Call (647) 707-7718 · Service in English, Armenian and Arabic