Frequently Asked Questions
Every question below comes from real clients. Answers are short and honest; where a topic deserves depth, the answer links to its full guide.
What does a notary public actually do?
A notary verifies identity, witnesses and attests signatures, certifies true copies and administers oaths, then applies a seal institutions can rely on. The long version, including how a notary differs from a commissioner, lives in my comparison guide.
Are you a real lawyer?
Yes. Notary By Lawyer is the trade name of Syed Zain Ali, Barrister and Solicitor, licence Class L1, Law Society Number 79231O, verifiable in the LSO public directory. Every appointment is with me personally.
Does notarization make my document legally binding?
Not by itself. Notarization proves who signed and that formalities were observed; the document’s legal force comes from its own contents and the law that applies to it. That distinction surprises people weekly.
Can you give me legal advice during a notary appointment?
Notarial appointments are for notarial work, and this website is general information, not legal advice. Because I am a lawyer, advice and drafting are available as separately identified services with their own quotes; the two are never silently mixed.
My ID shows my maiden name and the document my married name. Problem?
Solvable one. Bring the linking document, usually a marriage certificate, and where the recipient requires it we add a one-and-the-same-person declaration in the same sitting.
My ID is expired. Can I still be identified?
Primary ID must be valid. An expired passport alongside a valid secondary piece sometimes works for certain acts; text me the specifics before travelling to the office and I will give you a yes or no.
Can someone sign for a relative who cannot attend?
Only with legal authority to sign, such as a valid power of attorney, and the document has to be executed in that representative capacity. Signing another person’s name without authority is forgery regardless of good intentions.
Do witnesses need to bring ID too?
Anyone I am identifying, signers, deponents, witnesses whose signatures I attest, shows government photo ID. No exceptions, including people I have met before.
What does a notary cost in the GTA?
Here, $45 for the first seal and $39 for the first sworn document (placeholders, confirm), with additional documents discounted in the same visit. Around the GTA you will see anything from $17 kiosks to $60 downtown offices; the fee table on my Pricing page shows every number I charge.
How long does an appointment take?
Ten to fifteen minutes for a routine document once ID is checked. Passport copy sets, multi-signer packages and apostille bundles run twenty to forty.
Do you charge HST?
Fees are subject to HST; receipts itemize it either way.
Can I get something notarized over Zoom?
No. Ontario permits remote commissioning of eligible affidavits and statutory declarations by video under O. Reg. 431/20, and I offer exactly that. Notarial seals, certified true copies and anything destined for an apostille are in-person acts, full stop, and recipients of sworn documents sometimes insist on in-person too, so we always check first.
Which documents qualify for video commissioning?
Affidavits and statutory declarations where the receiving court, agency or institution accepts remote commissioning. IRCC declarations commonly qualify; some courts and lenders vary. Send the document and the recipient’s name and I will confirm eligibility before you pay anything.
How far will you travel for a mobile visit?
The whole GTA on posted zone fees, Mississauga through Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Vaughan, Markham, Oakville, Milton and Burlington, with farther destinations quoted on request.
Can you apostille my document?
Nobody in private practice can. Apostilles come only from Official Documents Services in Toronto for Ontario documents or Global Affairs Canada for federal ones. I make your document apostille-ready, wet-ink notarization, correct certificate wording, complete ODS package, which is the part people actually get wrong.
My document is going to a non-Hague country. Now what?
Then the older chain applies: notarization, authentication, then legalization at that country’s embassy or consulate. I prepare documents for that route too; tell me the country and I will map the steps.
The person signing is elderly and has good days and bad days. Can this work?
Often yes, with planning. I schedule for their sharpest time of day, speak with the signer directly, and proceed only when they understand the document that day. Where they do not, I stop, and I will help the family think through lawful alternatives rather than force a signature.
Can you refuse to notarize something?
I am required to. Documents I cannot verify, signers who do not understand or appear pressured, and anything that smells of fraud get declined, and I will tell you why. It protects everyone whose name touches the paper, including yours.
My document was rejected even though it was notarized elsewhere. Can you fix it?
Usually. Bring the rejection letter and the document; nine times out of ten the defect is a wording mismatch, a missing exhibit stamp, or the wrong act entirely, commissioned where notarization was required. We redo it correctly against the recipient’s actual instructions.
Can my company set up a standing arrangement?
Yes. Brokerages, clinics, dealerships and builders book recurring visits or priority same-day access with monthly invoicing. One conversation sets the terms; email info@notarybylawyer.ca with your volumes.
Do you sign NDAs for corporate document work?
Where a matter requires it, yes, though note a lawyer’s professional duty of confidentiality already covers everything I see, which is usually the stronger protection.
Do you keep a copy of my document?
I keep the records the law requires a notary and commissioner to keep, which is a register of the acts performed and, where appropriate, copies supporting them, held confidentially. Your original leaves with you.
Can I email my documents before the appointment?
Please do, to info@notarybylawyer.ca. Advance review is free, catches problems while they are still cheap, and often shortens the appointment to a formality.