What is considered valid acceptable identification
Find out what documents are accepted as valid identification when applying for registration under the Indian Act or a secure status card.
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What is valid acceptable identification
The identification must have been issued by a federal, provincial, territorial or state government authority and must be valid, that is, not expired.
To be considered acceptable, the valid identification must include your:
- name
- date of birth
- photo
- signature
Which forms of valid identification are acceptable
Valid acceptable identification includes:
- passport
- an international passport is acceptable if it includes the name, date of birth, photo and signature of the applicant and, if not in English or French, is accompanied by a professionally translated version
- driver's license
- enhanced driver's license
- Canadian military identification card
- government-issued identification card
- government-issued enhanced identification card
- health card
- Canadian citizenship card issued before February 1, 2012
- Canadian permanent resident card
- U.S. permanent resident card
If applying in person, you must present original valid acceptable identification.
If applying by mail, you must submit copies of the front and back of original valid acceptable identification, each copy signed by a guarantor. To find out more, visit About guarantors.
How to apply if you don't have valid acceptable identification
If you don't have a valid acceptable piece of identification with your name, date of birth, photo and signature, you may submit multiple valid pieces of identification that, when combined, meet all of those requirements.
If you only have one piece of valid identification that meets some of the requirements, you may submit that piece of identification and find a guarantor. To find out more, visit About guarantors.