Before the appointment
Have your unsigned document ready as a PDF, and don’t sign it in advance — for an oath or declaration you sign while the commissioner watches. Have your government photo ID in hand, test your camera and microphone, and join from a quiet, well-lit place where you can be seen clearly.
Confirming who you are
The commissioner will ask you to show your photo ID to the camera and may ask you to confirm details out loud. This is the identity step; it is why the session is a live two-way video call and not just an email exchange.
Taking the oath or affirmation
The commissioner reads the oath or affirmation and you answer on the record. An oath refers to a religious text; an affirmation is a solemn promise with no religious element and carries exactly the same legal weight. You choose which one you take.
Signing and the jurat
You sign the document during the session while the commissioner watches, and the commissioner completes the jurat — the block that records that the document was sworn or affirmed before them, by audio-visual technology, on that date. For remote commissioning the jurat is worded to show it was done remotely under Ontario’s rules.
After the appointment
The completed document is returned to you — in this platform, to your dashboard to download. If it is going to an institution abroad, ask whether it also needs authentication or an apostille before you send it.
How long it takes
Most straightforward affidavits and declarations take about ten minutes. Documents with several signers, exhibits or unusual requirements take longer, and some are completed in person instead — the booking flow flags which route your document takes before you pay.