# Notarize Document



## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

I need to get a birth certificate notarized....I called my RE lawyer and he charges $30.

Who can notarize a document (is it just a judge, jop, notary public, clerk?), and what is the going rate?


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## GeniusBoy27 (Jun 11, 2010)

Well, a notary public can do it too, or a lawyer. The price sounds about right.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

The notary in our town charges $25, so your price isn't too bad.


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## houska (Feb 6, 2010)

In Nepean (now part of Ottawa), there was a service at City Hall that notarized docs for a low fee (something like $10) for residents. That was a few years ago - but might be worth checking with your city services, wherever you are.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

You might try your bank manager. They will certify a true copy. Last time I did it the fee was zero!


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## Karen (Jul 24, 2010)

In B.C. a bank manager can guarantee a signature but cannot notarize a document. My lawyer charges anywhere from zero to $30 to notarize a document, depending on his mood! (He says this himself - it's become a joke between us.) His standard rate is $30.00, but I'm a long-time client and he often doesn't charge me for small things.

In many US states, being a notary is a totally different thing than it is in B.C. Most offices, and certainly all banks, have a notary on staff and there is no charge for their services. It's very easy - basically, you just register, provide some assurance of good character, pay a fee, and you're a notary! My late husband was American and he often received documents to do with his pension and annuity that needed to be notarized; they didn't understand why it was a big deal to us because they assumed it was free here, as it was there.

All lawyers in B.C. (maybe even all over Canada) are automatically notaries. Becoming a notary otherwise involves different qualifications in each province. In B.C., it requires a university degree, including special training in the skills required of a notary public. This qualifies them to do many basic legal duties, such as preparation of wills, settlement of estates, and property conveyancing - so it's little wonder that notaries expect to be fairly compensated for doing their job.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

in quebec, notaries seem even grander than lawyers. It's the french history. If you think back, to the novels of Balzac for example, it is to their notaries that the french always turn for counsel & assistance at every major turn in their life's path. The same is true in quebec today.

when rummaging in the history of montreal, it was entertaining to discover the huge informal financial network of notaries & rich widows that blanketed quebec - one could say smothered quebec - up to the emergence of the big commercial banks in the early part of the 20th century.

the original deed to my house, handwritten in french by a notary, shows that a forerunner of modern RE developers built it in 1895 with funds - calculated in "piastres" which i gather was slang for a buck - borrowed from a rural widow. The notary had arranged it all.

in quebc, the notaries & the widows pretty much controlled who got funds & who didn't. Although i suppose that in large & complex cases the priests had input as well.


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

pretty sure it's free at my local MP's office


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

houska said:


> In Nepean (now part of Ottawa), there was a service at City Hall that notarized docs for a low fee (something like $10) for residents. That was a few years ago - but might be worth checking with your city services, wherever you are.


Not anymore in Nepean/Ottawa. I went to them a couple of years ago, and they said their fee was now $38, but in any case they will no longer notarize documents not prepared by them. (My guess is the City's legal staff don't want the public servants competing with private sector lawyers. Although to be fair the City also incurs a liability by offering this service, and City lawyers are exceedingly keen to avoid liability, even if it means cutting a public service.)


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

kcowan said:


> You might try your bank manager. They will certify a true copy. Last time I did it the fee was zero!


As stated by others, bank managers are not qualified notaries. If you actually need a notarial copy, they can't do it. But check if whoever is asking for the document if they will accept "certified to be a true copy" by a financial institution.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

humble_pie said:


> in quebec, notaries seem even grander than lawyers. It's the french history. If you think back, to the novels of Balzac for example, it is to their notaries that the french always turn for counsel & assistance at every major turn in their life's path. The same is true in quebec today. ...


Quebec civil law is derived from the Napoleonic Code, and is different from all other provinces, where civil law is based on British common law. Notaries have a larger role in Quebec, and they do a number of things that require lawyers in other provinces. I think they do wills & real estate transactions for example.


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## Riff Raff (Sep 5, 2010)

pharmacist?

when setting up my QT they needed a "professional" to sign my documents and a pharmacist was on the list. no charge, and they're everywhere.


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