Apply for an appointment

You may apply for an appointment as a commissioner for taking affidavits by following the application instructions below. A person applying for a subsequent appointment (has been appointed before) must follow the same application process. See Apply for a subsequent appointment for more information.

On this page:

• Who can apply for an appointment as a commissioner for taking affidavits in B.C.?
• When to submit an application for appointment
• Application instructions
  1. Read the Information and Instruction Guide
  2. Complete each section of the application form and examination:
     1. Personal information
     2. Employment/volunteer information
     3. ​Purpose of appointment
     4. Certification
     5. Employer/volunteer supervisor verification
     6. Review your information
     7. Examination
     8. Choose a payment option
     9. Print or save as PDF
  3. Provide the $50 appointment fee
  4. Submit your completed, signed and dated application

Who can apply for an appointment as a commissioner for taking affidavits in B.C.?

An eligible applicant must:

• Be at least 19 years of age
• Have Canadian citizenship, landed immigrant or permanent resident status
• Have no relevant criminal record

Even if you have been appointed a commissioner in the past, all applications (new or subsequent) are subject to the same review and approval process.

When to submit an application for appointment

During normal operation, our office strives to review and assess applications (new or subsequent) within 12 weeks (3 months), and applications may be approved or declined.

Processing times are dependent on volume of applications received and will take longer if we need to contact you about your application package.

An application for a subsequent appointment will not be considered if it is submitted more than 12 weeks (3 months) before the expiration of your current appointment. See Apply for a subsequent appointment for more information.

To avoid delays in processing, follow all instructions below carefully when preparing your application and ensure that your completed, signed and dated application package is submitted correctly.

Applications with incomplete, illegible or missing information will be declined. See Review and approval process for more information and common issues with applications.

Application instructions

All applicants must complete, sign and date, and submit the application form, including a detailed explanation of the Purpose of Appointment, a successfully completed examination, and the applicable appointment fee.

1. Read the Information and Instruction Guide
   This guide contains important information on the roles and responsibilities of a commissioner and will assist you in preparing for the examination.
2. Complete the Application for Appointment as a Commissioner for Taking Affidavits form
   As of January 2024, a new application and examination form (with a new option to pay online) replaced the previous PDF application form and examination:
   • Use a desktop/laptop computer (do not use a mobile device/phone)
   • Upgrade your web browser to the most recent version

     Internet Explorer is not supported. Please use other browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari.

     Required fields are marked with a red asterisk* and must be completed before proceeding to the next section of the form.

     Do not close the browser until you have completed the application, examination and payment option, and have been prompted to save/print the entire form. It is recommended to prepare your answers offline before starting this application. If you close your browser, changes you have made will not be saved and you will have to start again.

     
     In order to complete this application form, you will need to supply the following information:

   1. Personal information

      • Full legal name

      • Date of birth

      • Contact information

      • Whether you are a Canadian citizen, landed immigrant or permanent resident

      • Whether your application is for a first-time (“new”) appointment or a subsequent (“renewal”) appointment

      • If you have ever been convicted of a criminal offence

   2. Employment/volunteer information

      • Position

      • Employer/volunteer organization

      • Business contact information (email, phone, address) 
        Our office may email you at your business email address if there are any issues with your application

   3. ​Purpose of appointment
      Applicants must clearly demonstrate a legitimate need to perform commissioner functions as part of their existing employment or work with a volunteer organization, including:

      • Industry affiliation or profession

      • A detailed description (minimum 100 words) of how your existing employment or volunteer activities involve providing commissioner services, that explains:

        • what documents you intend to commission (if available, please provide blank forms or redacted document samples)

        • whose signatures you will be witnessing on those documents (i.e., employees, officials or clients of your organization)

        • how commissioning of these documents is relevant (i.e., what are the steps in your workflow that require commissioning?) and necessary (please list any relevant legislation that permits, authorizes or requires these documents to be commissioned) to your existing work or volunteer duties.

          Your appointment will be restricted in accordance with the information you provide. Complete and accurate information in this section helps ensure that, if approved, the appointment will meet your needs. 

          You may enclose supplementary material with your application.

           

   4. Certification
      Confirm that, after you have completed all sections and saved/printed this form, you will sign and date Part 4 – Certification of the application.

   5. Employer/volunteer supervisor verification (or reference if self-employed)

      • Confirm that, after you have completed all sections and saved/printed this form, your employer or supervisor will sign and date Part 5 – Employer/volunteer supervisor verification of the application, or

      • If you are self-employed, you must instead provide contact information for 1 reference to confirm your employment status who is not your relative and who has known you for at least 2 years.

   6. Review your information
      Review your information and make sure each section is filled out correctly before proceeding to the examination.
      You can return to previous sections to make changes by clicking “Back” and “Next” at the bottom of each section, but do not close the browser as your changes will not be saved.

   7. Examination
      This examination is to ensure that applicants understand the scope of a commissioner’s authority and how to perform these duties properly. You must successfully complete the examination to be considered for an appointment.
      Confirm that, after you have completed all sections and saved/printed this form, you will sign and date Part 3 - Certification of the examination.

   8. Choose a payment option (all applications must include payment of the $50 appointment fee. See Appointment fee) 

      Section 58 of the Evidence Act exempts some applicants from this appointment fee. If you are identified as exempt, we will notify you and refund your online payment or return your cheque or money order to the mailing address provided on your application form (as applicable).

      • Pay online with Mastercard, Debit Mastercard, Visa, Visa Debit, or American Express, or

        If you select “Pay Online,” you will be automatically redirected to online payment.

      • Mail fees with application: Accepted mail-in payment types are cheque or money order for $50.00, made payable to the “Minister of Finance”. Cash is not accepted.

   9. Print or save as PDF:
      After selecting your payment option (and paying if you chose to pay online), you will be prompted to either print or save as PDF your completed form.

      If adding information after printing, please type or print clearly. Incomplete, altered or illegible forms will not be processed.

       

3. Provide the $50 appointment fee

   • ​​If you paid online, the completed application form is your confirmation of online payment. Your credit card statement will include the text "Province of BC - Commissioner Appt Fee"

   • If you did not pay online, include a cheque or money order for $50.00, made payable to the “Minister of Finance”

4. Submit your completed, signed and dated application
   Remember to sign and date your completed application form and examination:

• You must sign and date Part 4 – Certification of the application
• Unless you are self-employed, your employer or supervisor must sign and date Part 5 – Employer /Volunteer Supervisor Verification of the application
• You must sign and date Part 3 – Certification of the examination

After signing and dating in all places, submit your application as directed: 

• If you paid online, you may choose to print and courier/mail in, or email your signed and dated application form to us directly at BCCommAff@gov.bc.ca as a single PDF attachment, with the email subject: [Last name, First name] – Commissioner Application 
  
  To do so, you may either sign and date your completed PDF form electronically, or print, sign and date, and then scan as a single PDF to attach to your email submission.
   
• If you did not pay online, you must print, sign and date, and courier or mail your completed application form, examination and applicable fee to:
  
  Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Program
  Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General
  PO Box 9280 Stn Prov Govt
  Victoria, BC  V8W 2C5