Ontario - Registering as a Notary Public

Interested in becoming a notary public in Ontario? Look no further as this article will explain how to register as a notary public in Ontario, whether you are a lawyer, paralegal, or member of the public.

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Lawyer/Paralegal Stream

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If you are a lawyer or paralegal in Ontario, the process is fairly simple to register as a Notary Public. You have to file paperwork, pay the appropriate fee, and wait (usually about 4 weeks). The government department you are dealing with is Official Document Services. Please note that the process to become a lawyer/paralegal notary in Ontario requires you to have your name on the rolls of the Law Society of Ontario. At minimum, you need to be in the 50% fee paying category in order to continue to act as a notary public. You do not need to provide legal advice or services in order to continue to be a notary. However, if you stop paying fees to the Law Society of Ontario, you must cease to act as a notary even if you have already received your Certificate of Appointment. 

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The form you need to fill out and file, can be found here!

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Steps:

1. Fill out the form. If you are having trouble accessing the form, try the following method,

   • Download the form, but open the form in your browser, do not directly open to Adobe​

   • Once open in your browser, redownload the document and save to your desktop, but before saving switch the file type to "All File Types"

   • Right click the file on your desktop and click open with Adobe, or Adobe reader (either one works)

   • The document should appear and permit you to fill in the appropriate fields

2. Once you have filled in the document, you can hit the "submit" button​

3. You must mail your payment of $145 to the following address: Official Documents Services, Business Development and Services Branch, Ontario Shared Services, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, 222 Jarvis St, Main Floor, Toronto ON M7A 0B6

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Approximately four weeks later, Official Document Services will mail you your Certificate of Appointment, however, you should not start notarizing documents. Included in this package will be a letter you need to mail in to "register" your signature and seal. Your seal must exactly match your name as it is shown on the rolls of the Law Society of Ontario (including middle name). The letter you receive will include a space to put your seal and a copy of your signature. This is a very important process as the letter registers your notarial seal with Official Document Services and Global Affairs Canada (an important requirement to legalize and authenticate documents). Official Document Services will contact you by email/by phone to tell you your seal and signature have been accepted. Once you receive this confirmation, off to the races!

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The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services appoints notaries in the province of Ontario.

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Once registered, we strongly urge you to take the training course for Ontario notaries to ensure you know all there is to know. You can click on the purchase course button above.

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Non-Lawyer/Paralegal Stream (everyone else)

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It is harder, but not impossible, to get appointed as a notary in Ontario if you are not a lawyer, or paralegal. However, it can be done, but the process is not automatic like the lawyer/paralegal stream. On average, about 100 non-lawyer/paralegal notaries are appointed each year and fill a variety of roles in private and public practice.

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Typically, non-lawyer/paralegal notaries are appointed to businesses who require extensive notary services. This type of notary would have what is called a restricted commission. A restricted commission permits you to notarize documents for a specific company/purpose. You would not be permitted to notarize documents for the general public. However, sometimes a non-lawyer/paralegal who lives in an area with a lack of available notaries can be appointed with an unrestricted commission. In addition to the regular stamps a lawyer/paralegal would use, a non-lawyer/paralegal would also have to indicate that their commission has an end date. 

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A key difference is that non-lawyer/paralegal notaries get appointed for 3 years and have to reapply and get reappointed.

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The form for non-lawyer/paralegal notary application can be found here!

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Steps:

1. Fill out the form referenced above.

2. You must also have a nomination letter which explains why you should be appointed as a non-lawyer/paralegal notary. You can sign and nominate yourself, and use the above paragraphs to inform the reason why you should be appointed as a non-lawyer/paralegal notary. The letter generally does not need to be longer than a page but should also include information on character of the non-lawyer/paralegal (are they responsible people?)

3. The letter must also have the following elements:

   • The applicant's full legal name (including middle name and any secondary or underused last names)​

   • The job title of the applicant (VP of Sales, Executive Assistant etc)

   • An estimate of the number of documents the applicant would be processing every month

   • The type of business (import/export business, manufacturing business etc), or the reason why you wish to be a notary (closest notary is 100km away)

4. You must also include a cheque or money order in the amount of $110 made out to the Minister of Finance​

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Once these elements of your application are together, you must mail your application to: Ministry of the Attorney General, Legal Appointments Office, c/o Ministry of Government Services, 77 Wellesley St W, BOX 720
Toronto ON  M7A 1N3. The wait time for a decision is typically between 4 to 6 weeks. You will be informed of the decision by mail in which you will either be denied (and a refund cheque for the application fee issued) or you will receive your Certificate of Appointment. At this time, you will be asked to submit a copy of your signature and seal to Official Document Services and must wait until they have registered you before you can begin notarizing documents.

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Remember, non-lawyer/paralegal notaries have a variety of conditions placed on their commission and it is important to know your obligations. Click on the purchase course button to get access to 4 hours of amazing content designed to help you know how to notarize documents.

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