You generally cannot turn “notary public” into a casual side hustle in Canada the way American videos describe it. A commissioner for oaths, or a commissioner for taking affidavits, is an appointment to administer oaths and take affidavits, usually because a job you already have needs that. A notary public has a wider power, and in several provinces that title is limited to lawyers or to a separate legal profession. Quebec is the clearest case: a notary there gives legal advice and authenticates acts, and must be admitted to the Chambre des notaires.
Rules below are from provincial government pages checked for this guide. Territories appoint under their own statutes. This page does not restate Yukon, the Northwest Territories, or Nunavut. This is not legal advice. Fee amounts are what those pages listed. Confirm them before you pay.
What is the difference between a commissioner and a notary in Canada?
A commissioner for oaths takes affidavits and administers oaths, affirmations, or declarations. A notary public can do that and, depending on the province, certify that a copy is true or act on documents meant for use outside the province. Neither role, on the pages below, is a licence to practise law, except for Quebec notaries and for lawyers who are notaries because they are lawyers.
American “mobile notary” income posts do not transfer. They describe a different appointment, in a different country, with different limits on what a non-lawyer may sign.
| Province | Commissioner | Notary | Side-hustle reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Oaths and affidavits. Non-lawyers apply for a 10-year term tied to an existing job | Also certifies signatures and copies. Not granted so you can start a new business | Not a new line of work |
| Quebec | Commissaire à l’assermentation, 3-year term, to receive a sworn statement for a Quebec document | Notary: legal advice, authentic acts, Chambre des notaires | Notary path is a profession |
| British Columbia | Appointment for existing employment or volunteer work that already involves oaths. Term described as 3 years | Separate profession. The commissioner page is not that licence | Confirm the notary path on the provincial site |
| Alberta | Cannot act as a notary. Age 18, Alberta resident, no criminal record | Can also act as a commissioner. Lawyers are notaries by status. A lay application is not a guarantee | Two different appointments |
| Saskatchewan | Administers oaths for documents used in Saskatchewan. Lawyers are commissioners by status | The same government page covers notary information. Read it before you assume the titles match | Ministry does not provide the service itself |
| Manitoba | Documents used in Manitoba | Must be a lawyer entitled to practise in Manitoba. Application fee listed at $225 | Notary is a lawyer’s appointment |
| Nova Scotia | Appointed, or automatic for some offices including lawyers | Appointments limited to MLAs and practising lawyers | A non-lawyer notary appointment is not offered |
| New Brunswick | Five-year appointment, $150 fee, exam after the handbook | Every member of the Law Society is a notary public | Commissioner is an appointment, not a shop |
| Prince Edward Island | Prothonotary may appoint a commissioner | Minister may appoint a notary, age 18 and resident, if it is in the public interest. Lawyers are notaries by status | Necessity and public convenience are part of the test |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Cannot certify true copies or act on documents for use outside the province. $100 fee for the general public | The province’s FAQ says a commissioner is not a notary | Assessed on employment or a community need |
What do Ontario’s rules say about a notary side hustle?
Ontario’s appointment page says a commissioner for taking affidavits can take affidavits and administer oaths, affirmations, or declarations. A notary public has those powers and can also verify that signatures, marks, and copies are true. Lawyers, paralegals, and some office holders are commissioners without applying. Lawyers and paralegals use a separate process to become notaries.
From January 1, 2026, a non-lawyer, non-paralegal appointment is for 10 years and can be renewed for another 10. The page says an appointment granted through that process is not a profession, not a new business, and not a new job. It exists so you can do something your current work already requires. Notary appointments are not granted to people who only need a commissioner’s powers, and they are not granted so an applicant can enter a new line of business or expand services to clients.
Fees listed on that page, payable to the Minister of Finance by cheque or money order, include $75 for a new commissioner application and $110 for a new notary application. Some government and Children’s Aid employees are fee-exempt. A complete package usually takes 4 to 6 weeks. You need a letter from the Ontario business where you already work. Remote commissioning is allowed for commissioners. The page says notaries cannot notarize remotely.
Why is a Quebec notary not a side appointment?
Quebec’s occupation page for notaires describes people who give legal advice, draft and authenticate agreements such as marriage contracts, wills, and real-estate deeds, and act as public officers. The requirements it lists are registration with the Chambre des notaires and success in that order’s professional training program. The official job title on the page is “Avocats/avocates (partout au Canada) et notaires (au Québec).” A Quebec notary is in the same legal-profession family as a lawyer. It is not a stamp you add to another hustle.
A commissaire à l’assermentation is the narrower role. Quebec’s how to become a commissioner page says you may apply if you are 18 or older, a citizen or permanent resident, and you need to receive someone’s oath for a document destined for Quebec. The page says you cannot apply in order to certify documents, authenticate people, do a community service, or produce true copies. Those reasons are refused. The term is 3 years. Fees on the page, indexed each January 1, are $68 for a first commission limited to Quebec if you live in Quebec, and $101.75 if the commission also covers acts outside Quebec. A criminal-record check is part of the review.
What do British Columbia and Alberta require?
British Columbia’s commissioner page says a person may be appointed if their existing employment, or work with a volunteer organization, already involves administering oaths or taking affidavits. The program is under review, and incomplete applications take longer. The about page says an applicant must be at least 19, a citizen or permanent resident, and have no relevant criminal record. It describes the term as 3 years, with restrictions the Attorney General can set. The program does not itself provide commissioner services to the public. Becoming a B.C. notary public is a different profession from this appointment. Do not treat the commissioner application as a notary licence. Read the province’s notary pages before you plan a signing business.
Alberta’s commissioner page says a commissioner for oaths cannot act as a notary public, while a notary public can act as a commissioner. Applicants must be 18 or older, live in Alberta, and have no criminal record. Lawyers and students-at-law are commissioners because of their status. Alberta’s notary page uses the same age and residence tests and adds Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, plus other eligibility requirements. Judges, lawyers, students-at-law, and some elected officials are notaries because of their office. The page says filing an application does not guarantee appointment as a non-lawyer notary. The Notaries Public Advisory Committee reviews applications and meets a few times a year.
What do the Prairie and Atlantic provinces say?
Saskatchewan’s commissioner page says a commissioner administers and receives oaths, affirmations, and declarations for documents used in Saskatchewan, such as mortgages and contracts. The Ministry of Justice does not provide the service itself. Lawyers in good standing with the Law Society of Saskatchewan are commissioners because of their status. Applications go through the province’s online system. Read that page for the notary section rather than assuming the Ontario split applies.
Manitoba’s commissioner page says a commissioner witnesses signatures on documents created in Manitoba for use in Manitoba. Documents for use outside Manitoba need a notary public. Manitoba’s notary page says a notary public must be a lawyer entitled to practise law in Manitoba. The appointment lasts for life unless the lawyer is disbarred. The application fee listed there is $225.
Nova Scotia’s commissioners and notaries page says the Minister of Justice appoints commissioners of oaths, and that some people, including barristers, are commissioners automatically. Appointments as notaries public are limited to MLAs and practising lawyers. A notary may certify true copies and handle some commercial instruments. Another province may require a notary, rather than a commissioner, on a document that will be used there.
New Brunswick’s commissioner page, run by the Financial and Consumer Services Commission for the Minister of Finance, says a commissioner administers oaths and takes affidavits inside New Brunswick. The appointment lasts five years unless revoked. The fee is $150, or $300 if you ask for expedited processing, and it is non-refundable. Applicants must be at least 19, a citizen, permanent resident, or work-permit holder, and free of criminal convictions relevant to the appointment. After the application you study a handbook and write an exam. A score of 80% or higher is required. Under the Notaries Public Act, every member of the Law Society of New Brunswick is a notary public.
Prince Edward Island’s Notaries and Commissioners Act, consolidated to May 16, 2025, lets the Minister appoint a notary public and the Prothonotary appoint a commissioner. A notary applicant must be at least 18 and live in the province. The Minister must be satisfied the appointment is in the public interest and necessary for public convenience. A lawyer in good standing is a notary because of that status. Every notary is also a commissioner by virtue of office.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s commissioner FAQ says a commissioner for oaths is not a notary public. Commissioners cannot verify true copies, cannot take affidavits for use outside the province, and cannot issue deeds and contracts. A first application from a member of the public costs $100 and needs a criminal-record check from the last six months, two references, and a written reason. The province assesses whether the designation is necessary for employment or for an identified community need. Appointments run five years. Mayors and chairpersons, lawyers, and members of the House of Assembly are commissioners by virtue of office. A commissioner cannot perform weddings. That is a separate marriage-commissioner licence from Digital Government and Service NL.
What mistakes do people make when they treat this as a gig?
- Using an American video as the rulebook. The appointment, the fee, and the limit on certifying copies are provincial.
- Calling a commissioner stamp a notary stamp. Alberta says a commissioner cannot act as a notary. Newfoundland and Labrador says a commissioner cannot certify true copies.
- Applying in order to start a business. Ontario says that is not what the appointment is for. Quebec refuses commissioner applications whose purpose is to certify copies.
- Commissioning your own document, or signing something you do not understand. Provincial instruction booklets tell you to refuse documents that are false, misleading, or incomplete. Alberta states that in its code of conduct.
- Advertising legal advice. A commissioner appointment is not a law licence. In Quebec, legal advice of the kind on the notaire occupation page belongs to notaries and lawyers.
There is no national earnings figure for this work, and this guide will not invent one. The Ontario page’s point is that the appointment is not a business. If a job you already have needs a stamp, the fee tables above are the cost of the appointment, not a revenue forecast.
Which tax rules apply if you are actually paid for this work in Canada?
If you are paid for services as a self-employed person, that pay is generally business income reported on Form T2125. An appointment fee you pay because an existing job requires it may be an employment expense instead, which is a different form and a different test. This page does not choose the form. GST/HST registration follows the $30,000 small-supplier test if you are making taxable supplies. Read how to report side hustle income only after you know you are running a business. Many of the appointments above are not that.
This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Which guides sit next to notary and commissioner rules in Canada?
Provincial paperwork that does apply to ordinary side hustles is Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec. Admin that is actually a side hustle, such as bookkeeping for other people, is freelance bookkeeping. Pitches that dress up a regulated act as easy money are in overhyped side hustles.
What are the common questions?
Can you be a notary as a side hustle in Canada?
Usually no. Ontario says a non-lawyer notary appointment is not a new business. Manitoba and Nova Scotia limit notary appointments to lawyers, and in Nova Scotia also to MLAs. Quebec notaries are legal professionals who join the Chambre des notaires. Confirm the rule on your province's page.
Is a commissioner for oaths the same as a notary public?
No. A commissioner administers oaths and takes affidavits. A notary can usually also certify copies or act on documents for use outside the province. Alberta says a commissioner cannot act as a notary. Newfoundland and Labrador says a commissioner cannot verify true copies.
Are Quebec notaries the same as commissioners?
No. Quebec's occupation page describes notaries as people who give legal advice and authenticate acts, and who must join the Chambre des notaires. A commissaire à l'assermentation is a separate three-year appointment to receive oaths, and the province refuses applications whose purpose is to certify copies.
How much does a commissioner appointment cost in Ontario?
Ontario's page lists $75 for a new commissioner application and $110 for a new non-lawyer notary application, paid by cheque or money order to the Minister of Finance. Some public employees are exempt. From January 1, 2026, those appointments are for 10 years.
Can a commissioner for oaths perform weddings in Canada?
Not on the strength of the commissioner appointment. Newfoundland and Labrador's FAQ says a commissioner is not a marriage commissioner and cannot officiate weddings. Marriage licences are a separate process. Check your own province.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- Becoming a commissioner for taking affidavits or a notary public (non-lawyer and non-paralegal) — Government of Ontario
- Notaires — Gouvernement du Québec
- Être commissaire à l'assermentation — Gouvernement du Québec
- Commissioners for Taking Affidavits — Government of British Columbia
- About commissioners for taking affidavits appointments — Government of British Columbia
- Commissioners for Oaths — Government of Alberta
- Notaries Public — Government of Alberta
- Commissioners for Oaths — Companies Office, Manitoba
- Notary Public Appointment for Manitoba — Companies Office, Manitoba
- Commissioner for Oaths — Government of Saskatchewan
- Commissioners of Oaths and Notaries Public — Government of Nova Scotia
- Commissioner for Taking Affidavits — Financial and Consumer Services Commission, New Brunswick
- Notaries Public Act, RSNB 2011, c 197 — CanLII (New Brunswick statute)
- Notaries and Commissioners Act — Government of Prince Edward Island
- Commissioner for Oaths frequently asked questions — Government of Newfoundland and Labrador