Online & virtual notary service
Single Status Affidavit
Canada does not issue a certificate of no impediment, so a foreign registry that asks for one is asking for a sworn statement that you are free to marry. We commission that statement: a statutory declaration online where the receiving authority accepts it, or a wet-ink affidavit at the office or a mobile visit when an apostille or consular legalization has to follow.
- Posted price
- $24.95 + HST
- Appointment length
- 5-15 minutes
- Where
- Online or by appointment
If more than one person is signing, an additional signer fee also applies.
Quick answer
Single Status can be commissioned online over a secure video appointment with an Ontario Notary Public under O. Reg. 431/20, or handled in person in Ottawa. The flat rate is $24.95 + HST and most appointments take 5-15 minutes.
Reviewed by Duong Quan Nguyen, Notary Public and Licensed Paralegal, Law Society of Ontario.
- Posted price
- $24.95 + HST
- Appointment length
- 5-15 minutes
- Where
- Online or by appointment
- Hours
- 7 days a week, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
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What is single status affidavit?
A single status affidavit is a sworn statement that you are not currently married and are legally free to marry, made before a Notary Public and used to register a marriage outside Canada.
Many countries issue their own citizens a certificate of no impediment (CNI) or certificate of non-impediment to marriage; Canada does not, and the Government of Canada tells Canadians marrying abroad to ask the foreign authority what it will accept instead. In practice the answer is a sworn document: a statutory declaration of single status, an affidavit of single status, or the wording on the registry’s own form, sometimes followed by a statement in lieu of a certificate of non-impediment from the Canadian embassy in that country. The document names you, your date and place of birth, where you live, that you have never married or that a prior marriage ended by divorce or death, and who you intend to marry and where. A declaration can be commissioned remotely over secure video under O. Reg. 431/20 when the receiving registry accepts a remotely commissioned document. Most registries that require an apostille or consular legalization insist on a wet-ink original, so that version is sworn in person at our Ottawa office or at a mobile appointment. We then tell you the next step: an apostille from Official Documents Services for a country in the Apostille Convention, or authentication plus embassy legalization for a country outside it.
Related services you may need:
How to get single status notarized
Straightforward process. Most appointments completed in minutes once we're face to face.
- 1
Tell Us the Destination
The country decides the format. We confirm whether the registry accepts a remotely commissioned declaration or needs a wet-ink affidavit followed by an apostille or consular legalization, and whether a translation must follow.
- 2
Prepare the Wording
Bring the registry’s form if it has one. Otherwise we prepare the standard single status text: your name, date and place of birth, residence, that you have never married or how a prior marriage ended, and who you intend to marry and where.
- 3
Verify Identity
Show your government photo ID, on camera for the online declaration or at the appointment for the affidavit. A passport is best, because the foreign registry will compare the name on the document with the name on the passport.
- 4
Swear or Affirm and Sign
You swear an oath or make a solemn affirmation that the statement is true, then sign: on secure video under O. Reg. 431/20 for the declaration, or in wet ink before the notary for the affidavit.
- 5
Seal, Then Authenticate
The notary completes the jurat and applies the seal. If the destination needs an apostille, the sealed original goes to Official Documents Services; a country outside the Apostille Convention needs authentication and then legalization at its embassy.
What to bring
Requirements to bring with you
Please ensure you have the following items when you visit.
- 01Valid government photo ID: a passport is preferred, because the document is going abroad
- 02The exact wording or form your destination registry or embassy asks for, unsigned
- 03Your intended spouse’s full legal name and the country, city and expected date of the marriage
- 04A divorce certificate or death certificate if you were married before
- 05For a wet-ink affidavit, an office or mobile appointment; for the online declaration, the receiving authority’s confirmation that a remotely commissioned document is accepted
Why it matters
Why Do You Need a Single Status Affidavit?
Every civil registry has to be satisfied that neither party is already married before it registers a marriage.
For its own citizens a country checks its own records or issues a certificate of no impediment; for a Canadian it has no records to check and no Canadian certificate to ask for, because Canada keeps no national marriage register and issues none. The sworn statement fills that gap. Because a false statement is a criminal offence in Canada, the registry can rely on it, and the notary’s seal is what lets the next step in the chain, an apostille or an embassy legalization, confirm that the document is genuine. Without it the registry has nothing to file, and couples learn this a week before the wedding.
Official guidance
Check the rules at the source
The claims on this page follow the published federal and Ontario guidance below. Rules change; the receiving authority always has the final say.
- 01Government of Canada: marriage outside Canada (Canada issues no certificate of no impediment)
- 02Ontario: authenticate a document for use outside Canada (apostille, Official Documents Services)
- 03Global Affairs Canada: authentication of documents
- 04HCCH: Apostille Convention status table (countries that accept an apostille)
- 05Notaries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. N.6 (Ontario)
- 06O. Reg. 431/20: Administering Oath or Declaration Remotely (Ontario)
Is This For You?
Who Needs This Service
This service is commonly needed by the following groups.
- 01
Couples Marrying Abroad
A civil ceremony in another country almost always needs sworn proof that each partner is free to marry, filed with the registry before the date.
- 02
Canadians Marrying a Foreign National
When the wedding happens in your partner’s country, the local registry or the Canadian embassy there will ask for a sworn single status document because no Canadian certificate exists.
- 03
Divorced or Widowed Applicants
A second marriage abroad needs the earlier one stated and proven, so the statement and the divorce or death certificate travel together through apostille or legalization.
- 04
Fiancé(e) and Spousal Visa Applicants
Some visa files and foreign marriage registrations ask for sworn confirmation of single status alongside the identity documents.
- 05
Families Registering a Marriage Overseas
Registering in Vietnam, the Philippines, India or elsewhere often means the registry’s own form, sworn here, then authenticated for that country.
What's Included
- Statutory declaration of single status, commissioned online where the receiving authority accepts it
- Sworn affidavit of single status in wet ink, ready for apostille or consular legalization
- Wording matched to the destination registry or embassy checklist
- Divorced or widowed? The earlier marriage stated the way registries expect
- Both partners sworn on one appointment, one seal each
- Certified copies of the passport, divorce certificate or death certificate on the same visit
- Same-day appointments, seven days a week
Common Uses
- Marrying abroad where the civil registry asks for proof that you are single
- Answering a request for a certificate of no impediment (CNI) that Canada cannot issue
- A destination wedding in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia or Italy
- Registering a marriage in Vietnam, the Philippines or India, where the registry or embassy names its own form
- A fiancé(e) or spousal visa file that needs sworn proof of single status
- Supporting a Canadian embassy statement in lieu of a certificate of non-impediment
- A religious marriage abroad that asks for proof of no earlier marriage
- Remarrying after a divorce or the death of a spouse, with the earlier marriage stated
Pro tips before your visit
Quick tips to make your appointment go smoothly.
Ask for the Country’s Checklist
Each registry names its own wording, language and supporting documents. Get the list in writing from the registry or the embassy before you book, so the statement is sworn once and accepted the first time.
Mind the Freshness Window
Many registries only accept a statement sworn within the last three to six months, and the apostille and translation must fit inside that window too. Time the swearing to the marriage date, not to the day you first hear about it.
State the Earlier Marriage
If you were married before, say how it ended and when, and bring the divorce or death certificate. Registries reject wording that only says you are single today.
Wet Ink When an Apostille Follows
Ontario’s Official Documents Services apostilles wet-ink originals. If your destination needs an apostille or embassy legalization, choose the in-person affidavit; the online declaration is for registries that accept a remotely commissioned document.
Office
8056 Jeanne d'Arc Boulevard North, Ottawa, Ontario. Walk in by appointment; same-day slots most days.
Mobile visits
A notary comes to your home, hospital, care residence or office across the Ottawa area for one travel fee per trip.
Online
Affidavits and statutory declarations that qualify under O. Reg. 431/20 are commissioned over secure video from anywhere in Ontario. Certified copies and signature witnessing stay in person.
Transparent pricing
$24.95 + HST. Every fee shown before you pay.
The price you see is what you pay at the counter. HST applies. If more than one person is signing, an additional signer fee also applies.
Booking online instead? Online appointments add HST plus a small card processing fee, shown in full before you pay.
See the full price breakdown, HST and card fee includedPricing details
- $24.95
Single status declaration, online
Per seal + HST; commissioned remotely where the receiving authority accepts it
- $24.95
Single status affidavit, wet ink
Per seal + HST; sworn in person at the office or a mobile visit
- $24.95
Second declarant
One seal per person, so two partners is two seals
- $24.95
Certified copy of a supporting document
Per seal + HST; passport, divorce or death certificate
- $60
Mobile visit travel fee
Charged once per trip, Ottawa area; not charged at the office or online
Ready when you are. Same-day slots available 7 days a week.
Canada does not issue a certificate of no impediment. A sworn single status affidavit or statutory declaration is the document foreign registries accept in its place, and making a false one is an offence under section 131 or 134 of the Criminal Code of Canada. The notary commissions your oath or affirmation; the receiving country decides the wording, the freshness window and whether an apostille or consular legalization must follow, and no notary can guarantee acceptance abroad. Apostille and authentication fees are set by the issuing government office and are separate from our per-seal rate.
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FAQs
Common questions about single status
If your question is not here, .
Related services
View All ServicesThe step after the seal: an apostille for a country in the Apostille Convention, or authentication and embassy legalization for one outside it.
The same sworn format used for name changes, common-law status and lost documents, when the registry wants a declaration rather than an affidavit.
Certified copies of the passport, divorce certificate or death certificate that travel with the affidavit.
Book today
Ready to book your single status?
$24.95 + HST. 5-15 minutes. Book online, with same-day slots available 7 days a week.
Single Status
$24.95 + HST · 5-15 minutes