If you are someone who no longer drives or travels, you might be inclined to let your government issued picture identification (“ID”) expire. One may think it does not make sense to put energy into renewing ID when you do not use it. So why would I recommend you renew your ID anyway?

I have come across clients without valid picture ID so often that I had to dedicate a blog post to bring awareness to the issue. Majority of the time it is seniors or individuals with disabilities who only have expired ID. When someone contacts me for the first time, one of the questions I ask in the initial conversation is do they have valid ID? If the client responds no, I unfortunately cannot assist them until they renew their ID, even if they need something urgently done. I do not feel good when I have to turn a client away for this reason, especially when it is someone elderly or with a disability. The client endures additional stress as whatever the client needs done urgently is delayed until they have valid ID. Common examples of what clients need from a notary public are: verifying their identification for their pension in another country, having a statutory declaration or an affidavit sworn, needing to make or re-make estate and personal planning documents such as a will, enduring power of attorney or a representation agreement. Other areas where you will need to provide valid ID is when you renew your mortgage or if you are buying or selling real estate. In order to do any of these, the first thing I must do is verify the clients ID to make sure I am seeking instructions from and signing with the person whom they say they are.

One of the main ways to identify someone is through their valid government issued picture ID. This means the ID cannot be expired. Common ID’s most clients have are their driver’s licence, passport or BC Identity Card (BCID). Other acceptable forms of government issued picture ID are health card with photo, firearms licence, Nexus card, Canadian Permanent Resident card and Secure Certificate of Indian Status card. In BC we have the option to combine our health card with our driver’s licence. While this is convenient so you do not have to carry extra ID, it only counts as one ID so it is better to keep them separate. By having individual cards for driver’s licence and health card, you have two pieces of ID, which is useful in situations when you have to provide a lawyer or notary public with two pieces of ID. In situations where you are required to provide two pieces of ID, majority of the time only one needs to be a picture ID and the other ID can be without a picture, such as an unexpired credit card, birth certificate, or a Canadian citizenship card.

Keeping your government issued picture ID valid, not expired, allows you to get legal matters done in a timely manner without any delays. When something urgent comes up, you do not need to wait weeks for your ID to be renewed. You may not have to use your ID for years, but when you do, it is good to have it ready to go.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me!