Commissioner of Oaths

A Commissioner of Oaths can sign:

• Affidavit waiving vaccinations on religious grounds
• Application to amend a birth registration
• Blank statutory declaration
• City of Cornwall planning applications
• Common law status affidavits
• Consent letter for a child traveling (often called a travel document)
• Declaration affirming parentage
• Delayed birth registration forms
• Election to change the name of a child under 12
• Federal government permanent residency card applications (this is the only application where the City may make a true copy)
• Insurance claims
• Legal name change application
• Lost passport
• Municipal Information Form (MIF) for a liquor license
• Passport applications (in place of a guarantor)
• Pension attestations (confirming a person is alive and where they live)
• Residency document
• Single status certificate
• Special invitations for family members overseas
• Statutory declaration to correct an error in a registration
• Vehicle ownership transfers

A Commissioner of Oaths cannot sign:.

• Affidavits of true affidavits required for an applicant of a marriage licence (these must be signed by a notary public)
• Affidavits relating to Powers of Attorney, wills or estates
• Any affidavit related to divorce or separation
• Documents that need to be certified or if true copies need to be made
• Forms which call upon a Commissioner of Oaths yet also request certified true copies of other documents as attachments (the only exception is the federal government permanent residency application)

An oath is a solemn promise to tell the truth. When you take an oath, you are saying that your conscience binds you to act faithfully and truthfully.

An affirmation is a solemn promise that does the same thing as an oath. It is used when you cannot take an oath for religious or ethical reasons.

An affidavit is a written document that contains statements you promise are true, made by taking an oath or making an affirmation. Affidavits are often used to prove legal rights or to confirm certain facts.

The four parts of an affidavit

• Your identification
• The body (your evidence or statement of facts)
• Your signature
• The Jurat

The Jurat is the certificate signed by the Commissioner. It shows where and when you took your oath. By signing the Jurat, the Commissioner is confirming that they administered the oath to you. If you attach exhibits (extra documents) to your affidavit, the Commissioner must also sign those exhibits to certify they are part of your affidavit.