Is remote notarization legal in Canada?

Yes, in many provinces — with rules that vary by jurisdiction and document type. Remote commissioning is widely permitted, and several provinces allow remote online notarization where the notary can verify identity and witness the signature over live video. Some documents, such as wills, deeds and certain court filings, still have special requirements, so confirm your province’s and your regulator’s rules first.

Can a notary notarize documents online?

In many provinces, yes. A notary can notarize a document online when they can verify identity, confirm intent and witness the signature in a way they can record and stand behind. A live video session with identity verification and a recording is how most online notarization is done today.

How do you notarize a document online?

You verify identity, witness the signature live and record the act. In practice: the signer joins a video session and shows government photo ID, the document is shared on screen, the signer confirms they understand and intend to sign, and the signature is applied while the notary watches. The recording and session audit are kept as evidence.

What is remote online notarization (RON)?

Remote online notarization (RON) is notarization done over live video instead of in person. The notary verifies the signer’s identity electronically and over the camera, witnesses the electronic signature in real time, and completes the notarial certificate with a recording and audit trail as proof.

Do you need to appear in person for a notary?

Not always. Remote notarization and remote commissioning let a notary or commissioner serve you over live video in many provinces. Appearing in person is still required where the law or the specific document type demands it — for example, certain wills, deeds, mortgage documents and court filings.

Is online notarization legal in Ontario?

Remote commissioning is permitted in Ontario where the law allows, and the Law Society of Ontario’s guidance on remote commissioning sets out the practical duties for commissioners — verify identity, confirm jurisdiction where required, and record the commissioning. A recorded video session supports those duties. Check the current guidance and the Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act for your specific document.

How much does remote notarization cost?

It depends on the notary, your province, and the document. Traditional in-person fees range from roughly $50 to $150 per notarization in Canada, with travel and rush service adding more. Remote notarization is often comparable or slightly less because it saves the trip — and with a video signing room the recording and audit trail are built in as part of the Pro plan, not an extra per-signature fee.

Can a commissioner take affidavits remotely?

Yes, in many cases. An Ontario commissioner for taking affidavits can administer an oath or affirmation over live video when the declarant is verified on camera and the commissioning is recorded. Requirements vary by the type of affidavit and the rules of the body it is sworn for, so confirm before relying on it.

Remote Notarization Online: How Notaries & Commissioners Verify and Witness Signatures on Video

Notarization exists to prove three things: who signed, that they meant to, and that a qualified person watched it happen. For centuries that meant everyone in the same room. Remote notarization moves that moment online — the notary or commissioner still sees the person, still watches the signature happen, and still keeps proof, just through a camera instead of across a desk.

In this guide, we’ll cover what remote notarization and remote commissioning actually mean, how to notarize a PDF online step by step with the Video Signing Room, and the compliance notes to keep in mind in Ontario and across Canada.

What remote notarization and remote commissioning actually mean

Two related jobs get bundled under “notarize online.” Notarization is where a notary public authenticates a document — verifying identity, witnessing a signature, and certifying oaths, copies or the signature itself. Commissioning is the narrower job of a commissioner for taking affidavits: taking oaths, affidavits and statutory declarations and attesting that the person swore or affirmed them.

In Ontario, commissioners act under the Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act, and Ontario remote commissioning is now a normal part of practice for law clerks, paralegals, immigration consultants and others who commission documents. Both jobs need the same core evidence — identity, intent and a witnessed act — and both can be done remotely where the law allows, as long as the person holding the session can see and record what happens.

How remote notarization works with the Video Signing Room

A video signing room is exactly what it sounds like: a live video session built around the document being signed. It’s a PRO feature of EZ PDF Editor, and it maps directly onto what remote notarization and remote commissioning require:

Identity is verified on camera. The host — the notary or commissioner — asks the signer to hold up government photo ID and confirms the face on screen matches.
The document is shared live. The host screen-shares the PDF so the signer and notary are literally looking at the same form.
Intent is confirmed out loud. The notary confirms the signer understands the document and is signing voluntarily.
The signature happens on video. The signer applies their e-signature while the notary watches in real time.
The session is recorded. Recording start and stop, join and leave times, IP and device data, and the signature itself all feed the notary’s evidence file.

No app downloads and no separate meeting link. Everyone joins from the browser — the document on one side of the screen, the people on the other. For a full tour of the feature, see our guide to the Video Signing Room.

What a notary or commissioner needs to notarize online

Whether you call it virtual notarization, online notarization or remote commissioning, the practical checklist is the same:

Identity. Government-issued photo ID shown to the camera and matched to the person signing.
Intent. Clear confirmation the signer is acting voluntarily and understands the document.
A recording. A record of the session — who was there, when it happened, what was signed.
An audit trail. Technical evidence that backs the recording: session ID, IP address, device, join/leave times, recording start/stop, and signature timestamps.

Those four elements are what separate “a PDF got signed” from “a signature was notarized.” If you are new to e-signing generally, start with our online notary signing guide before going live.

Compliance notes: Ontario, the Law Society and PIPEDA

Remote commissioning is the clearest legal path today. In Ontario, the Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act governs who may commission, and the Law Society of Ontario’s guidance on remote commissioning sets out the practical duties — verify identity, confirm the declarant is in the right place if jurisdiction matters, and record the commissioning. A recorded video session supports those duties directly: it shows the oath being administered, the declarant’s confirmation, and the signature being applied.

For personal information in the documents and recordings, Canada’s PIPEDA governs how that information is collected, used and retained. Keep recordings and signed documents in secure storage, limit access to those who need it, and retain them only as long as your professional obligations require.

Rules differ by province and by document type. An affidavit for a court filing may have its own requirements, and some documents — certain wills, deeds, mortgage documents — still demand traditional or in-person processes. When in doubt, follow your regulator’s most recent guidance.

How to run a remote commissioning session

Here is the full workflow, start to finish:

Prepare the PDF. Upload the affidavit, statutory declaration or document to EZ PDF Editor and place the signature fields exactly where the declarant must sign.
Send it out for e-signature and schedule the video session. Send the PDF out for e-signature and pick a date and time for the live signing. Every signer gets an email with the session date and a one-click join link — no installs.
Verify identity on camera. Ask the declarant to hold up government-issued photo ID and confirm the face on screen matches. Log what you saw and how you verified it.
Confirm intent and walk through the document. Screen-share the PDF so everyone sees the same form. Confirm the declarant understands the document, is signing voluntarily, and is in the right jurisdiction if that applies.
Witness the signature live. Have the declarant apply their e-signature while you watch in real time. The signature appears on the shared document in the session.
Record the session and keep the audit trail. Start recording before the oath and keep it running through the signature. Retain the recording with the signed PDF and the session audit for your records.

That is the whole loop. The notary or commissioner stays in control of identity, intent and evidence from the first frame to the last.

Pro tip: Session Audits are your compliance audit trail

For a notary or commissioner, the recording is only half the evidence. The Session Audit that rides along with every video signing session records the technical details a journal entry usually needs: IP address, device type, when each participant joined and left, when recording started and stopped, and when each signature was applied. Keep that audit log together with the signed PDF and the recording, and you have an evidence-grade package if the signature is ever questioned.

Ready to notarize or commission online?

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Who it’s for — and best practices

Remote notarization and remote commissioning is built for notaries public, commissioners for taking affidavits, Ontario law clerks and paralegals, immigration consultants, and anyone else who witnesses signatures and needs proof that lasts. Best practices:

Verify before you trust. Require government photo ID every time, and have the signer confirm their own name and address out loud.
One document, one screen. Screen-share or use the room’s document view so nobody signs a page they haven’t seen.
Record by design. Start recording before the oath and keep it running until the signature is complete.
Keep the package. Signed PDF + recording + session audit, stored together and securely.
Follow your regulator. Law Society guidance and provincial rules change — check current guidance for your document type.

The short version

Yes, you can notarize and commission online in much of Canada. Use a video signing room to verify identity on camera, share the document live, witness the e-signature in real time, and record the session. Pair the recording with the session audit — IP, device, join/leave, recording start/stop and signatures — and you have the evidence a notary or commissioner needs. Start with the free editor, and when the paperwork matters enough to see everyone sign live, upgrade to Pro and hold your first remote commissioning session.