Commissioner of Oaths

Commissioners of Oaths are authorized under provincial legislation to administer and witness the swearing of oaths, solemn affirmations, and statutory declarations for various legal matters. They ensure that a deponent (the person signing) properly swears, affirms, or declares the truth of a document.

A Commissioner of Oaths does NOT certify the truth of the statements in the document — the responsibility for accuracy remains with the deponent or declarant.
Their role is to verify identity, administer the required oath or affirmation, and witness the signature.

Requirements

• The deponent/declarant must be physically present before the Commissioner.
• Valid ID (such as a driver’s licence or passport) must be provided to confirm identity and signature.
• Oaths and declarations must follow the format prescribed by law.

In some cases, a Commissioner of Oaths may have a limited commission, such as government employees authorized only for documents related to their office.

Types of Oaths and Declarations

1. Sworn Oath

The deponent confirms:
“Do you swear that the contents of this affidavit as subscribed by you are true, so help you God?”

2. Solemn Affirmation (no religious reference)

The deponent affirms:
“Do you solemnly affirm and declare that the contents of this affidavit as subscribed by you are true?”

3. Statutory Declaration

The declarant states:
“Do you make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing it to be true and knowing that it has the same force and effect as if made under oath?”

All oaths, affirmations, and declarations must be made in person.

Commissioner of Oaths – Services Offered

Alberta Criminal Records & Fingerprinting Services provides a full range of Commissioner of Oaths services, including:

• Acting as Commissioner for Taking Affidavits
• Administering Oaths and Affirmations
• Administering Solemn Declarations
• Affidavit for a Lost Cheque
• Affidavit of Execution
• Affidavit of Identity
• Affidavit of Service
• Affirmations Administered
• Commissioning Forms & Declarations
• Commissioning Licensing Applications
• Commissioning Single Status Statutory Declarations
• Commissioning Statutory Declarations
• General Commissioner of Oaths Services
• Common Law Union Statutory Declaration