Identification Requirements – the Who, What, When, Where, and Why
You will be required to produce two pieces of valid identification (ID) when you attend our office to sign your real estate documents. The first piece of ID must be a valid photo ID such as a valid driver’s license, valid passport or a landed immigrant card. The second piece of ID can be a social insurance card, credit card or similar. When you attend our office for your initial appointment, you will be asked to produce your ID, and our staff will photocopy it for our files. If you have any questions with regard to appropriate ID, please contact our office immediately to clarify.
Here are the answers to some questions you may have:
| What is needed? | Two pieces of valid identification (ID).
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| What qualifies as “valid ID”? | The first piece of ID must be a valid photo ID such as a driver’s licence, passport, or landed immigrant card; the second ID can be a social insurance card, credit card, or similar item.
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| What do we do with your ID documents?
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Our staff will photocopy the ID you produce when you attend our office for your initial appointment and will keep it in your file.
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| How long do we keep the information? | We are required to keep the information for the duration of our professional relationship, or for six years after completion of our work for you (whichever is longer).
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| Why do we need your ID? | The Law Society of Ontario (Ontario’s governing body for lawyers and paralegals) imposes strict rules that require the identification of clients. Requesting ID from clients is standard practice in law firms throughout Canada, whenever we are (a) being retained to provide legal services to the client, or (b) engaging in the receipt, payment or transfer of funds.
If you want to learn more about these requirements, please visit the Law Society of Ontario’s webpage on “Client Identification and Verification Requirements”.
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| What about clients that are not individuals? | If our client is an organization (for example, a private company, partnership or trust), we are required to verify its identity by consulting documentation such as a certificate of corporate status, a copy of a partnership agreement, or a trust agreement, as the case may be. |
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