What changed
Ontario moved to permit the remote commissioning of affidavits and declarations by audio-visual link, a change that began as a pandemic measure and has since become a permanent part of practice. Documents that once required attendance in a physical office can now, in many cases, be handled by video.
For clients this is genuinely useful. It matters most for people with mobility difficulties, those outside the Greater Toronto Area, and anyone who needs a document executed quickly while abroad.
What a remote appointment requires
Remote execution is not simply a video call. The process has requirements designed to preserve the integrity that physical attendance provided, and each one exists for a reason.
- The commissioner and the deponent must be able to see and hear each other in real time. Audio alone is not sufficient.
- Identity must be verified during the session using valid government-issued photo identification.
- The deponent must sign while the commissioner watches. Signing beforehand defeats the purpose.
- The document must be identified clearly on the call so both parties are demonstrably working from the same version.
- The jurat records that the document was commissioned remotely.
When you still need to attend in person
Remote execution is not available for everything, and the constraint is often not the law but the recipient.
- Some receiving authorities, particularly foreign governments and consulates, will not accept a remotely commissioned document, whatever Ontario permits.
- Certain document types have their own execution requirements that fall outside the remote framework.
- Where a document must be authenticated or apostilled afterwards, check the requirements of the authority handling that step first.
- Where identity cannot be satisfactorily verified over video, attendance in person is the correct answer.
The question to ask before booking
Ask the organisation receiving your document whether they accept remote commissioning, and whether they require notarisation, commissioning, a certified true copy, or full authentication. Those are four different things, and the wrong one means doing it twice.
It is a two-minute question that regularly saves a fortnight. If you are not sure what to ask, tell us the document type and where it is going, and we will work it out with you.
This is general information, not advice
Canadian immigration law and policy change frequently. Nothing on this page is legal advice or a substitute for advice on your own circumstances. Confirm current requirements with us or with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada before acting on anything you read here.
Jagdeep Kailey
RCIC #R535381 · Licensed Paralegal · Notary Public
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