Adam Goodman - Toronto Notary Public

Adam Goodman is certified as a Notary Public in the province of Ontario.  As a lawyer, Adam is also a commissioner-of-oaths.  Adam is pleased to offer full-service notary public services to clients throughout the Greater Toronto Area at competitive rates.  Notary public and commissioner-of-oaths services include certified true copies (birth certificates, school transcripts & degrees, marriage certificates, etc.), consent for child to travel abroad, letter of invitation, declaration of common law union, declaration in lieu of guarantor for passport/citizenship card application, witnessing of signatures and taking of oath/solemn affirmation for an affidavit, etc.  For an additional fee, Adam will draft affidavits on behalf of clients.

What does it mean to be "full service"?  When performing notary public services, Adam does not simply seal a document but will thoroughly review the requirements for the service with his client and provide a letter confirming the service provided as well as a receipt for services rendered.

In certain circumstances it may be necessary to have the seal and signature of a notary public authenticated by the Government of Ontario or Canada.  This is the Canadian alternative to the apostilling of documents as Canada is not a signatory to the international treaty for the apostilling of documents.

Notary Public/Commissioner-of-oaths Services Offered

Certified True Copies

Various organizations (including government, academic, professional colleges, employers, etc.), usually abroad, may require copies of documents pertaining to individuals applying for some involvement with the organization.  This may include academic transcripts and degrees, marriage and citizenship certificates, confirmation of enrolment and/or completion of a professional program, etc.  Since it is not practical to send the original copy of these documents, a photocopy must be sent.

A notary public will review both the original document and the photocopy and certify, by applying their seal and signature along with a statement, that the photocopy is a true copy of the original.

Consent for child to travel abroad

When minors are traveling alone or with only one of their two custodial parents/guardians, it is best to be able to provide proof of the consent of non-traveling parents/guardians to Canadian and foreign officials.  The web site of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade states the following:  It is strongly recommended that children travelling alone or with one parent carry a consent letter for each and every trip abroad.  While having a notary public or commissioner-of-oaths certify such a letter is not a requirement, the Department does advise having such a person do so as it will help assure the validity of such a letter should it be questioned by an official before or during travel.

Recommendations from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, as well as a sample travel consent letter (which should be filled-out and brought with you prior to meeting with a notary/commissioner-of-oaths), can be found here.

Letter of Invitation

While citizens of many countries' may approach the Canadian border and request to enter Canada on a temporary basis without a visa, there are numerous countries' whose citizens require a temporary resident visa.  When applying for such a visa, it is often a requirement to provide a "letter of invitation" from a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.  This person would then present the letter of invitation to an embassy or consulate office in their home country to request issuance of the visa.  The letter must include biographical information about both the person requesting the visa and the person making the invitation, as required by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.  In certain circumstances, the letter must be notarized in Canada before being forwarded abroad.

More information from Citizenship and Immigration Canada on the requirements for a letter of invitation can be found here.

Statutory Declarations

A statutory declaration, while similar in nature to an affidavit, is taken for administrative proceedings and is not meant to be used in court, although it has a similar evidentiary value as an affidavit.  A statutory declaration must be made before an individual certified to administer such declarations.  The individual administering the declaration is not certifying that the statements in the document are true but that the solemn declaration has been appropriately administered.  Signing a false statutory declaration could carry criminal penalties. Statutory declarations are required in the following circumstances:

Declaration of common law union:  Citizenship and Immigration Canada often requires a statutory declaration from those in a common law union where a party is applying for sponsorship, permanent residence, or a temporary visa.

Declaration in lieu of guarantor:  Although the requirements for a guarantor are not as rigid as they were in the past, in cases where an individual applying for a passport or permanent resident card cannot find a guarantor, a statutory declaration must be made.

Lost, stolen, damaged, inaccessible travel documents:  Passport Canada requires a statutory declaration in cases where a Canadian passport has been lost, stolen, damages, or is otherwise inaccessible.  There are similar requirements for other types travel documents.

Taking of oaths/solemn affirmations for affidavits

Affidavits are documents used for court purposes.  They are taken under oath or solemn affirmation and have official evidentiary value.  An affidavit must be sworn/affirmed before an individual certified to administer such an oath or affirmation.  The individual administering the oath/affirmation is not certifying that the statements in the affidavit are true but that the oath/affirmation has been appropriately administered.  Affidavits may be required under the following circumstances:

Court motions/applications:  A lawyer may require an affidavit from a witness for the purposes of a motion or court application.

Independent legal advice:  Those who have received independent legal advice will often sign an affidavit stating such.

Drafting of affidavits/statutory declarations

While many affidavits and statutory declarations are standardized, often the services of a lawyer are required to draft these affidavits.  Please contact Adam for more information on this service.