Notaries and Commissioners for Taking Affidavits | Secretariat

Commissioners for Taking Affidavits and Notaries Public at the University of Waterloo

What services are provided?

The university offers commissioner and notary services free of charge to university faculty, students, staff, alumni and retirees for matters related to university business. Some examples of matters related to university business are:

taking declarations to support financial aid applications;
taking affidavits of good character to facilitate registration of students with a professional body related to their course of study at the university;
taking declarations to support passport applications for faculty, staff and students who need to travel in the course of their employment or studies at the university;
taking declarations to support immigration/visa applications for faculty, staff and students to enable such persons to work or study at the university or go abroad in connection with their work or studies at the university;
verifying student identities for background checks requested by co-op employers;
witnessing signatures on agreements related to university business; and
certifying or taking declarations verifying copies of documents, provided the documents or uses to which the documents will be put are related to university business.

Any matter which is not related to or in support of university faculty, students, staff, alumni or retirees working or studying at the university is not university business. University notaries and commissioners are not legally authorized to perform services in relation to matters which fall outside of the scope of university business. Examples include: documentation for personal travel (passport applications, visa applications, consent to travel for minors travelling with only one parent or a non-parent); and documentation for personal legal matters (family law proceedings, real estate matters (including leasing), or personal business transactions). For matters of a personal nature, please consult a telephone or internet directory for notaries and commissioners in your area.

Where and when are the services offered?

Notary and commissioner services are offered at the following locations:

Location	Service	Contact Information	Availability
Secretariat, Needles Hall, Room 3060	Notary Public	Tracy Dietrich tdietrich@uwaterloo.ca X36125	Tuesday afternoons by appointment only. Times may be further limited depending on availability of the notary.
Graduate Studies Office, Needles Hall, Room 2201	Commissioner for Taking Affidavits	Heidi Mussar heidi.mussar@uwaterloo.ca X36745	Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Appointments preferred. Primarily for graduate students.
Office of the Registrar, 2nd Floor, Needles Hall	Commissioner for Taking Affidavits	Deborah Tales dtales@uwaterloo.ca X37481	Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., except the first three weeks of each term. Primarily for financial aid and other forms which must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
School of Pharmacy, Room 2003	Commissioner for Taking Affidavits	Kenneth Potvin kpotvin@uwaterloo.ca X84416	Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Primarily for Pharmacy students.
Needles Hall, Room 3006	Commissioner for Taking Affidavits	Donna Schell dschell@uwaterloo.ca X32207	Monday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon.
Parking Services, Commissary	Commissioner for Taking Affidavits	Sharon Rumpel srumpel@uwaterloo.ca X33510	Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Do I need a notary or a commissioner?

A commissioner for taking affidavits or commissioner of oaths is authorized to take affidavits, oaths, declarations or sworn statements. For example, a commissioner can take a declaration from a document-holder that s/he is presenting a true copy of a document held in his/her possession. A commissioner is also able to witness a signature on a document, including a letter of invitation for a Canadian visitor’s visa, unless the entity issuing or requesting the document requires it to be notarized.

A notary can certify that copies of documents are true and accurate; witness and notarize the signing of an agreement, attesting to the fact that the signature is that of the person signing; and witness and notarize the signing of passport and permanent resident card applications (where you do not have a guarantor), and letters of invitation for Canadian visitor’s visas (where the relevant visa office requires that the letter be notarized).

If you are in doubt as to whether you need a notary or a commissioner, please consult the relevant document/form for instructions or contact the entity that issued or requested the document/form (e.g., government agency, co-op employer) for verification.

What do I need to bring to my appointment?

Please bring:

all forms/documents, completed but not signed or dated
originals and copies of all documents for which you need verified or certified copies
at least one piece of government-issued, photo identification (expired identification and photocopies of identification are not acceptable)
your student or employee identification card

If you do not bring the required documentation with you, the notary or commissioner will not be able to help you. If the notary or commissioner has any questions as to your identity or identification documents, the notary or commissioner may direct you to a notary or commissioner outside of the university.