A notary public is a licenced public officer authorised to verify the authenticity of statements, signatures, documents, and more.

The main difference between a notary public and a commissioner for taking affidavits/oaths is the scope of their authority. Whilst a commissioner’s jurisdiction is limited to administering oaths and taking affidavits; a notary public has much broader authority.

Document notarization is the process whereby a notary public verifies the authenticity of a document and the signer/signature. Once a document has been verified, it will be marked by a signature and seal. Sometimes the court will require you to notarize certain documents to ensure the document is authentic (non-fraudulent) and credible.

In Canada, documents often require notarization in order to be accepted by any of the following:

• financial institutions – such as banks;

• foreign embassies;

• the federal court system; and

• the provincial court system – such as the Ontario Courts.

Many individuals also choose to have documents notarized for a variety of personal reasons. Some of the most commonly notarized documents include, but are not limited to: deeds, wills, powers of attorney, promissory notes, separation agreements, and rental agreements.

Simply put, an affidavit is a sworn statement –either made under oath or affirmation– that has been put into writing. Ultimately, the purpose of an affidavit is to allow sworn statements to be considered as evidence by the courts, without requiring the person who made the affidavit to testify to the information in person.

Statutory declarations, like affidavits, are sworn oaths. However, the two differ based on their uses. While an affidavit is used in lieu of an oral testimony in court; a statutory declaration is used to confirm facts and most often seen outside of court.

You may be asked to provide a certified true copy of documents to support an application of some kind. Most often, these are vital identification documents such as a birth certificate, driver’s licence, passport, etc. In these situations, you would not submit the original document. Rather, you would have a notary public verify that a copy (that you provide) is in fact a true copy of the original.