Notarizations

We excel because of our attention to detail!

A signature is not just a signature.

There are thousands of variations of documents that require Notary services, and some documents may require more time or have additional requirements depending on the use, intended purpose, jurisdiction (country/province/state), complexity, and language of the document(s). Your time matters to us and we ask that you call us to discuss. We may ask you to send us the documents in advance (if possible) to make sure we set the right amount of time to meet your specific needs.

Documents we can help you with

If you have a document that has not been listed, call our office at 250-383-4100 or send us an email at hello@carternotary.com

What to Expect

We offer appointments, same day bookings, and drop-in times to meet your needs.

Please call prior to arrival for confirmation. 

Ready to get started? Here’s what you need to know

  • Bring 2 pieces of current ID (accepted ID).
  • Fill out documents completely.
  • DO NOT sign. DO NOT date.
  • Bring the entire document to your appointment, even if the Notary only has to sign a few pages.

Not all documents are the same – some take more time than others. We want to ensure we have enough time to see you. If you are unsure about your documents, you can email them to us in advance or give our office a call.

  • We return originals to you and email scanned copies (or photocopy).
  • As required, we may return scanned documents to law offices or courier. Charges apply for couriering and handing.
  • Emailing and faxing of signed documents are included in service.

Tools and Resources

Your document may be in a different language. If your document is in a different language, don’t worry. We can help you! Although we do not offer formal translation services, for many documents all we need to do is use a translation app to help us understand the document you are signing.

Let us know if you have a document in another language when booking your appointment.  We will ask you to send us a preview of your document for review.

Apostille refers to the legalization process in more than 120 countries around the world. Canada does not do apostille at this time. However, we do have an authentication process to satisfy these apostille requirements for using your documents in other countries. In our office we generally refer to this as “authentication.”

We can provide email scans of executed documents to clients and law offices. If required, we can also courier documents on your behalf to their intended destination. Emailing and faxing documents are included in our service. Courier, postage and handling fees apply to other services.

Our office specializes in in documents from the United States. We are registered with the US Consulate in Vancouver, BC. For documents requiring authentication, we provide clients with detailed instructions on how to send using the Consulate’s mail-in process. For more information on US documents, please click HERE .

There are a wide variety of documents that require Notary services, but not all documents are the same. Some documents require more time than others and may have additional requirements. For more complex documents, we ask that you send the documents in advance (if possible) for us to look over prior to your appointment.

Please see the visit FAQ page for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our base fee for simple notarizations starts at $60 for the first document and $15 for each additional document. Not all documents or packages of documents are simple or basic. Many require specialized knowledge and problem solving to complete accurately. For more complex notarizations, please call our office for a quote.

Typically, most notarizations can be completed in 10-15 minutes. More complex notarizations may take up to 30 minutes or more depending on the size and number of documents. Multiple or more complex documents require an appointment. Please call our office.

Bring all documents requiring notarization (not just signing pages), and bring 2 pieces of identification – with at least one being a government issued photo ID.

If you do not have 2 pieces of ID, you will have to bring someone personally known by you to verify your identity. Please advise us when booking your appointment.

Yes. If everyone needing to sign cannot make the appointment, we can accommodate different signing times. Contact our office to discuss your specific situation.

If some individuals are unable to make the same appointment, we can hold documents at our office to allow for all parties to sign at different appointments/times if needed. Additional charges may apply for additional signing appointments.

The role of a Notary is not to help you fill out forms, but we may be able to identify missing information. It is important that you contact the person or company who has sent you the forms and ask them on how to correctly complete them. We ask that you please complete all your forms prior to your appointment, but do not sign or date documents that must be done with the Notary.

We offer daily drop-in times for simple notarizations. For more complex notarizations or multiples of documents, an appointment would be needed. If our drop-in times do not work, we offer additional times by appointment. Will, Powers of Attorney, Executor services, and Real Estate are available by appointment only.

We do not offer remote Notarization services.

Yes, we can notarize documents in another language. Typically, we will ask you to email your documents to us prior to seeing the Notary. We use a translation software to translate the documents into English which helps us be able to identify important details. We do not offer official or certified translation services. These documents are complex and take more time. Call us to discuss your scenario.

We offer complimentary certified copies of death certificates. It is our way of giving back to our community for people experiencing grief and the loss of a loved one.

Yes. Law firms from other jurisdictions can send documents directly to us for signing on your behalf.

No. We prepare our own Wills and Powers of Attorneys on behalf of our own clients after meeting with them to get detailed information about them, their family, and the setup of their estate. BC has unique laws that make it easy for some people to dispute a Will.

We do not sign homemade Wills or Will Kits, or documents from LawDepot, etc. for 3 main reasons:

  1. 4 out of 5 have grievous errors that will cause more headache for the Will maker and their family.
  2. We do not know the context of a person’s life, assess their capacity to make a Will, or determine undue influence.
  3. We do not sign because 1 and 2 leads to high liability. We will not take on the high liability of a homemade Will or DIY Will.

In select situations by pre-approval, we may act as an agent for another Notary or lawyer who represents you and has provided advice (i.e., you have a long-term relationship with another Notary or lawyer in a different city and want to use them, but you live here in Victoria). Contact us to review your specific situation or book a 10-minute consultation with the Notary.

No. We do not sign homemade Wills or Will Kits, or documents from LawDepot, etc. for 3 main reasons:

  1. 4 out of 5 DIY Wills have grievous errors that will cause more headache for the Will maker and their family.
  2. We do not know the context of a person’s life, assess their capacity to make a Will, or determine undue influence.
  3. We do not sign because 1 and 2 leads to high liability.

*Note homemade Wills may also be known as DIY Wills, Holograph Wills, Will Kits, Online Wills, Electronic Wills, Digital Wills, Handwritten Wills, or Wills created through an online service provider.

Notaries do not practice in family law and cannot sign separation agreements or cohabitation agreements. You will need to book an appointment with a family law lawyer to have these types of agreements signed.

For family law inquiries in Victoria BC, we offer the names of two law firms that provide unbundled services for people who are doing a lot of their own work or who have straight forward needs.  There are many good law firms offering family law and we can provide other referrals as needed.

Contact:

For information about cohabitation agreements, please see here for our YouTube interview with family law lawyer, Laurel Dietz.

An affidavit is an affirmation or sworn statement about facts as a person knows and understands them to be true. An affidavit is essentially the written version of swearing under oath to tell the truth. The document must be signed both by the person making the statement, or affiant, and a person who is legally authorized to administer an oath, such as a Notary Public. An affidavit will always be used in a court or legal setting.

A statutory declaration is a solemn declaration for a statement of true facts as they relate to a law,  regulation, or legal requirement where the truth is mandatory. A statutory declaration is like an affidavit, except a declaration will never be used in a court setting.

A commissioner for oaths is an individual who can administer oaths for affidavits and declarations. A commissioner of oaths is typically required on affidavits or statutory declarations for common documents used in real estate, court applications, pension documents, ICBC, and so many more.

Yes, our Notary is also a commissioner of oaths for BC and all Canadian documents requiring a commissioner of oaths.

An Apostille is an approval process requiring different levels of government to give their stamp of approval. “Apostille” is the name used in European, Commonwealth, and other countries. In Canada, we have a process that meets the same standards as Apostille, but we call it legalizing or authentication. Our notarizing of your documents is always the first step no matter what levels of approval (legalizing, authentication, Apostille) are needed. For example, the following are additional levels of approval:

  • BC Government
  • Global Affairs Canada
  • Country, embassy, or consulate

Not all documents require the same level of authentication or approval. Some documents can go directly from us to the country, and some cannot. Some US documents require going to the US Consulate, and some do not. Your document may require only one or two of the above government approvals.

The process can be confusing for many people. What is important to ask of the business, agency or person that is sending you the documents:

  1. Do these documents need to go to the consulate or embassy?
  2. Are there important time constraints or deadlines around these documents?
  3. What unique requirements do I need to do to make sure my document will be valid for use in that country? For example: Powers of Attorney for use in India may require thumbprints and/or passport photos. It depends on the state.

***For more information on USA documents, click here.

*** For more information on types of international documents we notarize, click here.

Yes. Many of the documents we handle are time sensitive. It is important to let us know your document timelines as quickly as possible. We offer daily drop-in times with appointments for same day signing services. We also offer overnight courier services through Maximum Express on your behalf for a variety of documents. Additional courier and handling fees apply.

We offer some Saturday services. These are by appointment only. Please call our office at (250) 383-4100 or email hello@carternotary.com for more information.

If regular business hours do not work for you, the Notary may be able to see you after 7:45am (before your work). End of days are popular and require an appointment. We offer occasional Saturday services. These are by appointment only. Please call our office at (250) 383-4100 or email hello@carternotary.com for more information.

Yes, we do offer a variety of mobile services, including business, hospital, and home visits. We have diligent Covid-19 safety practices. Call our office for more information.

There are a wide variety of documents that require Notary services, but not all documents are the same. Some documents require more time than others and may have additional requirements. Other documents have complexity and liabilities. We are highly trained specialists with expertise to deal with tens of thousands of different kinds of documents from all over the world. Please call our office at 250-383-4100 or send us an email to hello@carternotary.com if you have any questions.

Didn’t find your answer? Have questions? Chat with us via phone or email.