Certified notary services in Toronto and New York

A notary public is an officer of the law authorized to administer oaths, witness signatures, certify true copies of documents, and authenticate documents for use in legal proceedings. In Ontario, notaries public can perform a broader range of functions than commissioners of oaths — including certifying copies of documents for use outside Canada. In New York, notaries witness signatures and administer oaths. At Mayo Law, our notary services are performed by a licensed lawyer in each jurisdiction.

Both can administer oaths and witness sworn statements, but a notary public has additional authority that a commissioner of oaths does not — most importantly, the ability to certify true copies of documents (useful for documents going abroad or to government agencies), notarize documents for international use, and authenticate signatures. In Ontario, every lawyer and paralegal licensed by the Law Society of Ontario is automatically a commissioner for taking affidavits, but notaries public are appointed by the Attorney General under the Notaries Act. A licensee who wants the office applies to Official Documents Services, is exempt from the qualification requirements that other applicants must meet, and receives an appointment that does not expire while the licensee remains in good standing. Commissioners of oaths are appointed for specific purposes and have a narrower scope.

Yes. We notarize documents for use abroad regularly — including powers of attorney for foreign transactions, immigration support letters, sworn statements for foreign court proceedings, and corporate documents for foreign business registrations. Documents going to certain countries also require authentication (Global Affairs Canada or US State Department) and legalization by the receiving country’s embassy or consulate. For Hague Convention signatory countries, an apostille replaces this process. We coordinate the full authentication and apostille chain for clients.

Yes, in most cases. For straightforward notarizations — affidavits, statutory declarations, certified copies, and witnessed signatures — we typically accommodate same-day or next-business-day appointments at both our Toronto and New York offices. Documents requiring authentication or apostille take longer due to the government processing involved (typically 1 to 6 weeks depending on the country and method). Call ahead to confirm timing for your specific document.

Yes, and this is one of the specific advantages of working with a cross-border firm. A document notarized in Ontario for use in New York or vice versa needs to be done correctly to be accepted on the other side of the border — wrong format, missing seal, or wrong jurisdiction certification can cause delays or rejection. Because we are licensed in both Ontario and New York, we can advise on the correct format and notarize the document in the jurisdiction it needs to be enforceable, avoiding the back-and-forth that happens when these documents are improperly executed.

An apostille is a certification issued under the Hague Convention of 1961 that authenticates a public document (including notarized documents) for use in another Hague signatory country. As of January 2024, Canada is a party to the Hague Convention — meaning Canadian documents can now be apostilled for use in other Hague countries instead of going through the longer embassy authentication and legalization chain. The US has been a party for decades. We coordinate apostille issuance through the correct competent authority, which is Official Documents Services for a document notarized in Ontario and Global Affairs Canada for a document issued by the Government of Canada, or through the relevant US authorities for clients whose documents are going to Hague signatory countries.

Notarization fees vary by document complexity and jurisdiction. A typical affidavit or statutory declaration in Ontario is approximately $50 to $100 per document or oath. Certified copies are similar. Cross-border documents requiring multi-step authentication and apostille have additional government fees and coordination time. For complex packages — for example, a series of corporate documents going abroad — we provide a written fee quote upfront.

Bring valid government-issued photo identification (passport, driver’s license, or other accepted ID) for every person signing — the notary must verify identity at the time of signing. Bring the original document in its final form (not partially completed). Do not sign the document in advance — the signature must be witnessed by the notary. For certified copies, bring both the original document and any copies you want certified. For specific document types like immigration packages or cross-border legal documents, additional materials may be required — call ahead to confirm.