Witness (notary public)

[etienbjel]

Hi

Has anyone had any success in getting around a "notary public" requirement outside of Canada, such as Thailand? My wife needs to get the father of her daughter to sign Form 5604 and witnessed by a notary public.

The Canadian embassy in Bangkok offers notarization services but there's no way the father will agree to travel 6 hours to Bangkok to sign the form at the embassy.

A legal website in Thailand says no notary publics exist in Thailand. However, they say it is possible to hire a Thai lawyer to witness the signing of a document and then have the document legalized at the ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the best option for us but I don't know if CIC will accept this. They explicitly stated in their letter that they will not accept/respond to any questions unless it relates to change of address/relationship. :-X

 

[Applechunks]

Hi

Has anyone had any success in getting around a "notary public" requirement outside of Canada, such as Thailand? My wife needs to get the father of her daughter to sign Form 5604 and witnessed by a notary public.

The Canadian embassy in Bangkok offers notarization services but there's no way the father will agree to travel 6 hours to Bangkok to sign the form at the embassy.

A legal website in Thailand says no notary publics exist in Thailand. However, they say it is possible to hire a Thai lawyer to witness the signing of a document and then have the document legalized at the ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the best option for us but I don't know if CIC will accept this. They explicitly stated in their letter that they will not accept/respond to any questions unless it relates to change of address/relationship. :-X

Not just any lawyer in Thailand, it must be a notarial services lawyer (they have to have taken a specific course and it's wise to sight their certificate)...this is the equivalent to a notary public.
Perhaps look for this in his region?

 

[etienbjel]

It's hard to source that information in rural Thailand. I doubt there would even be a market for lawyers with that certification up there. Certifications in Thailand are also very...unscrupulous. This is not going to be an easy task...

 

[Applechunks]

It's hard to source that information in rural Thailand. I doubt there would even be a market for lawyers with that certification up there. Certifications in Thailand are also very...unscrupulous. This is not going to be an easy task...

Yes, it does present difficulties. Good luck with it.

 

[etienbjel]

For anyone who's interested, my correspondence with CIC on this is below:

Me:
Thank you for sending the request for interview letter to my wife. We will prepare accordingly. However, I am confused and wish to make an inquiry: a "No Objection letter from father of child" is requested and as per Form 5604, a witness is required and must be a Notary Public. In the absence of Notary Publics in Thailand, can the witness be a lawyer in good standing and the document be subsequently reviewed by the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Thailand and/or the notarized by the Canadian Embassy? I would like to clarify this prior to the interview. Thank you.

CIC:
Dear Sir / Madam,
Thank you for your enquiry to the Immigration Section of the High Commission of Canada in Singapore.
You can refer to lawyers who are a Notary Public and able to witness.
We hope this information will be of assistance.

I appreciate they responded so quickly. However, I don't think they read my question. lol. Also, based on discussions with a few lawyers in Thailand, the Notarial Services Attorney certificate is very rare in Bangkok, but even more so in rural Thailand.

So, it looks like we have to convince the father to drive to Bangkok to sign some papers...