Document Commissioning

Non-municipal documents requiring a commissioner of oaths and affidavits can be commissioned at City Hall, 70 Collier Street. Appointments are required for most documents and you must attend in person to have your document commissioned.

The Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act empowers municipal clerks and other officials to take various types of declarations and to administer oaths. A commissioner for taking affidavits, also known as a commissioner of oaths, is not the same as a notary public. A commissioner has the authority to administer oaths and take affidavits only. The City of Barrie does not provide notary services; therefore, the City cannot certify true copies of documents.

Type of Documents

Documents that can be commissioned at an appointment with Legislative Services include but are not limited to:
- Consent letter for travelling with a child (commonly referred to as a travel document)
- Insurance claims
- Statutory declaration for Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) – statement of common law status/supporting children
- Vehicle ownership transfers
- Invitation letters for a visitor’s visa
- Affidavit waiving vaccinations
- Statutory declaration of lost identification
- Affidavits regarding City business:
  Property tax matters
  Municipal elections
  Complaint under the Council Code of Conduct
- Poll being conducted by the City
- Pension purpose attestations of the recipient being alive and confirming their residency
See how to book an appointment.
Service Barrie staff can commission the following vital statistics forms in person, no appointment required. Please visit Service Barrie on the first floor at City Hall, 70 Collier Street, during operating hours (8:30am–4:30pm, Monday–Friday).
- Legal name change applications
- Delayed birth registration forms
- Application to amend birth registration
- Election to change the name of a child under the age of 12
- Statutory declaration by an applicant to correct an error in registration
The following documents cannot be commissioned as they require a notary public:
- Age of majority/Ontario photo ID applications
- Any documents noting the signature of a Notary Public is required
- Any documents requiring the signature of a guarantor (document will note this requirement)
- Court and/or legal documents (related to civil issues)
- Custody documents
- Declaration of claimant and indemnity
- Declaration for replacement of shares
- Divorce, separation, marriage, or cohabitation documents
- Estate settlement documents
- International educational institution or association documents, including photographs
- Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services Family Responsibility Office forms
- Powers of attorney
- Real estate documents, including rental lease agreements
- Transfers of money or estates of a deceased person
- Wills, living wills, codicil to a will
- Certified copies of documents, and identification, unless part of an affidavit

How to Book an Appointment

If you need an appointment for the type of document you're looking to have commissioned, please contact Service Barrie by email at service.barrie@barrie.ca, by phone at 705-726-4242, or in person on the first floor at City Hall (70 Collier Street).

Commissioning Fee

As per the Fees By-law, Schedule C, the below service fees apply:

Commissioning an Invitation Letter: $50 + HST
Commissioning any other documents: $23.40 + HST per document

Commissioning Process

Please visit Service Barrie on the first floor at City Hall (70 Collier Street) to register and pay the service fee.
Service Barrie staff will commission your document (if applicable) or direct you to the Legislative Services Branch for your scheduled appointment to have the affidavit/declaration completed.
You must show valid government-issued identification.
The commissioner will administer an oath to you and witness your signature. The commissioner will then sign and place their commissioner's stamp on the document.

Please note:

We cannot guarantee a document can be commissioned until the commissioner sees it.
Complete your document before visiting our office, but do not sign the affidavit section of the document, as the commissioner must witness your signature.
To have a document commissioned, all parties required to sign the document must be present.
All signing parties must provide valid photo identification with a current photo, signature, and address, such as a valid driver's licence. If your photo ID does not include your address, you must also provide mail with your name and address.
The commissioner is not responsible for the content of the affidavit or declaration and does not prepare any documents. You are responsible for the content and having the correct information on the affidavit/declaration.
You must understand the details to which you will attest and that you are swearing/affirming an oath that the details are correct.

Frequently Asked Questions

A notary public is authorized under the Notaries Act to commission documents, certify documents as true copies, and verify signatures. The requirements to become a Notary Public are more stringent than those for a commissioner. Most notaries are lawyers or judicial officers. If you require a document to be “notarized” as opposed to “commissioned,” the person administering the oath or affidavit is generally a lawyer.