The Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act empowers municipal clerks and other officials to take various types of declarations and to administer oaths. The City Clerk's Office provides the services of a Commissioner for Taking Affidavits (also known as Commissioner of Oaths). A Commissioner is not the same as a notary public. A commissioner has authority only to administer oaths and take affidavits.
The Clerk, or designate, will first review the document to determine if the document meets their specification. We reserve the right to refuse commissioning services of any document.
Since the nature of documents varies greatly, it is strongly recommended that you contact the City Clerk’s Office prior to your visit to confirm that your documents can be commissioned.
Appointments Required
Commissioning services are available by appointment only at the Clerk's Office located on the ground floor of Stratford City Hall. Please call 519-271-0250 extension 5237 to schedule an appointment prior to your visit.
| What to Bring |
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| Your Responsibility |
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If you are signing a legal document that requires your oath, the content of that document is your sole responsibility. When you are making an oath, you are known as the "deponent" – the person whose signature is being commissioned to ensure the content of the affidavit. As a deponent, you must understand the details in the document to which you are attesting – and you must understand that, by swearing an oath, you are attesting that those details are correct. If you are signing a legal document that requires your oath, the content of that document is your sole responsibility. When you are making an oath, you are known as the "deponent" – the person whose signature is being commissioned to ensure the content of the affidavit. |
| Documents that will be Commissioned |
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The following is a list of documents that will be commissioned by the Clerk's Office:
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| Documents that Cannot be Commissioned |
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A Commissioner for the Taking of Affidavits or a Commissioner of Oaths is not a Notary Public. If you require a document to be "notarized" as opposed to "commissioned" the person who administers the oath or affidavit is a Notary Public - generally a lawyer and not a Commissioner of Oaths. The City does not have a Notary Public. A Notary Public is a person who is authorized under the Notaries Act to commission documents, certify or notarize documents as true copies and to verify signatures. The requirements to become a Notary Public are more stringent than for a commissioner and most are lawyers or judicial officers. The City Clerk’s Office does not provide services related to affidavits to be filed in court proceedings. These may be sworn before a court official authorized to take affidavits where the documents are to be filed. Often a fee is required. The following documents will not be commissioned:
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| Location |
City of Stratford |
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Commissioning Fee |
$25.00 per document, payable by Cash, Debit, or Credit Card (fee increases with additional signatures) |
For more information please contact the City Clerk's Office at 519-271-0250 extension 5237 or by email.