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CENTRECANADIANBENEFITSCommissioner & Notary Solutions

Know before you book

Notary or commissioner? Online or in person?

Not every document can be signed over video. Here's how the two roles differ in Ontario, which documents we can complete online, and which need an in-person appointment with a wet-ink signature.

Notary public vs commissioner

A notary can do everything a commissioner can, plus a few things a commissioner can't. The biggest practical difference for you is whether the service can be done remotely.

Commissioner for taking affidavits

Administers oaths, affirmations and declarations, and confirms your identity and that you understand what you're swearing to. A commissioner doesn't check whether the contents are true.

Can do

Affidavits, statutory declarations, solemn declarations and sworn statements.

Can't do

Certify true copies, verify signatures, or notarize documents.

Can be done online by secure video

Notary public

Has all the powers of a commissioner and can also attest to documents and signatures. Notarized documents carry an embossed notarial seal.

Can do

Everything a commissioner can, plus certified true copies, signature verification and notarization.

Can't do

Notarize remotely. Ontario law does not currently allow notarization over video.

Notarial services are in person only

What can be done online, and what can't

Use this as a guide. When you book, we confirm the right appointment type for your exact document.

Online by secure video

Commissioning services, signed electronically during a live session.

  • Affidavits for courts, tribunals, employers and insurers
  • Statutory and solemn declarations — name changes, lost documents, common-law status, residency
  • Sworn statements supporting benefit, pension and insurance claims
  • Remote IDV (Identity Verification) — a secure government-ID and selfie check
  • Travel consent letters that only need to be sworn or declared, when the recipient accepts a remotely commissioned copy

What a remote session requires

Live two-way audio and video for the whole session, tamper-evident document controls, confirmation of your identity, audit trail and a record of the session. You must be able to see and hear the commissioner, and they must be able to see and hear you.

In person, with wet-ink signatures

Book a time at our office for these.

  • Certified true copies of ID, diplomas, records and other originals
  • Notarized signatures and any document that must be notarized
  • Documents for use outside Canada, which usually need a notarized wet-ink original before authentication or an apostille
  • Travel consent letters where the airline, border agency or destination country asks for a notarized original
  • Any document whose recipient won't accept an electronically signed or remotely commissioned copy

Wills, powers of attorney and similar documents

Wills, codicils, powers of attorney, and negotiable instruments such as cheques and promissory notes fall outside Ontario's electronic signature law and have their own signing and witnessing rules. We'll point you to the right professional for these.

Check with whoever receives your document

Even when remote commissioning is legal, some organizations insist on an original with a wet-ink signature or an embossed seal. A quick call to the court, agency, bank or embassy before you book can save you a second appointment.

Still not sure which you need?

Email info@benefitclaims.ca and we'll tell you before you book.

Book an appointment

This page is general information about Ontario rules as of October 2026, based on guidance from Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General. Rules in other provinces and countries differ.