I need a Commissioner of Oaths or Notary Public

Commissioners are authorized to take your oath or solemn affirmation when you sign an affidavit (sworn or affirmed document) or statutory declaration. When you sign an affidavit in front of a Commissioner of Oaths you are swearing or affirming that the contents of the document are true. The Commissioner will sign the document as well, and type, print or stamp their name and the words “A Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia”

For information about becoming a Commissioner of Oaths visit the Nova Scotia Department of Justice website at novascotia.ca/just/legal_services/commissioner_oaths.asp, or call 902-424-4030.

Finding a Commissioner of Oaths

• All practising lawyers are Commissioners of Oaths.  The Nova Scotia Barristers' Society has an online lawyer directory at: https://members.nsbs.org/LawyerSearch

• You can also call the Nova Scotia Department of Justice at 902-424-4030 for the name of a Commissioner of Oaths in your community.
  
  
• You can have some types of documents commissioned at any ACCESS Nova Scotia location in the province, at no cost - generally documents you need to file with ACCESS Nova Scotia.  Contact Access Nova Scotia for details
  
  
•  If you are filing documents with the court that need to be commissioned you can have that done at the court. Depending on the court there may be no fee to have court staff commission documents, or there may be a fee. Contact the court for more information.

• Other people in your community may also be Commissioners, such as:
  • some provincial or municipal government employees, including court staff
  • some police officers (officers, municipal chiefs of police)
  • funeral directors
  • Commissionaires Nova Scotia
  • officers in the Canadian Armed Forces
  • Band Council member
  • Members of the Nova Scotia legislature (MLAs)

A Notary can "Notarize" copies of documents. This means verifying that a copy of a document is a true copy of the original. Contact a lawyer if you need the services of a notary.  Law offices that provide notary services advertise online and in the yellow pages. There is a fee to have a document notarized, usually in the range of $40 to $75 for a single document with a discount for any additional documents.

Global Affairs Canada, Authentication Services Section, authenticates Canadian documents for use abroad, including:

• official Canadian documents, such as birth, marriage or death certificates, educational documents (transcripts, degrees, diplomas), criminal clearance certificates; and
• documents signed by a Canadian notary public or Commissioner of Oaths.

Global Affairs also issues Statements in lieu of Certificates of Non-Impediment to Marriage Abroad for persons who want to get married outside Canada in a country where such a document is needed. For more information visit international.gc.ca or call 1 800 267-8376.

Nova Scotia's Department of Justice, Legal Services Division, Authentication Services also authenticates documents for use abroad.    For information contact the Nova Scotia Department of Justice at [email protected] or 902-424-4390.