SIN registration rules updated: attestation replaces wet signature, and mandatory registration now required when someone refuses to apply

Plain-language summary · AI-assisted

The rules for applying for a Social Insurance Number have been updated in several practical ways. The application form wording is streamlined ("made in the form and manner" rather than "submitted in the manner and form"), and the requirement to include "supporting documents" is simplified to just "documents." The biggest procedural change is that the old signature requirement — including special rules for people unable to sign and for the Commission's ability to register someone despite a missing signature — has been replaced with a requirement that the applicant (or their authorized representative) include an attestation in the form and manner the Commission specifies. Additionally, where someone required by law to have a SIN refuses to apply, the Commission is now obligated to register them and assign a number (previously this was discretionary). The birth-registration agreement process with provinces is unchanged in substance but now refers to the "person to be registered" rather than just "the person."

Who this affects
individuals applying for a Social Insurance Number · parents or guardians applying on behalf of a child · persons legally authorized to act on someone's behalf · provincial birth registration officials · employers or organizations that require employees to have a SIN