Sending a photo of your ID in Canada: who can ask, and when to say no
Only after you have checked who is asking and why. A Canadian landlord who just needs to confirm your identity usually has no reason to keep a copy, your SIN is required only where the law demands it, and in Ontario only health providers can require your health card. Share only the required document and, if accepted, mark it for its recipient and date. Neither a watermark nor an official channel eliminates risk.
Who can insist on which document
Anyone can ask; far fewer can require. Check which rules apply to the document before you prepare a copy.
Prepare a safer copy, free. After verifying a legitimate request and confirming that the recipient accepts an edited copy, hide unnecessary details and add a watermark naming the recipient and date. Both tools work in your browser without uploading your document. Keep required fields readable.
Canadian rules draw the line differently for each card:
| Document | Who can require it | What the official source says |
|---|---|---|
| SIN | Employers, financial institutions and government programs that need it by law | Service Canada: you cannot be refused a product or service for withholding a SIN the law does not require |
| Ontario health card | Providers of provincially funded health services | Ontario’s health privacy act: no one else may require you to produce it |
| Driver’s licence | Police, while you drive (Ontario’s handbook says to produce it on request) | Privacy Commissioner: not a universal identity card; photocopying or scanning one generally goes too far for a retailer |
| Passport | Government services whose application asks for it, such as IRCC | IRCC: give a photocopy only when you are sure it is going to a trusted organization or person |
Renting is the common test. The Privacy Commissioner’s landlord guidance says privacy law does not stop a landlord asking for ID, that one who only needs to confirm your identity likely does not need a copy, and that a credit check needs at minimum your name, address and date of birth. For passports, IRCC’s fraud guidance says to share a copy or its information only with a trusted organization or individual.
Four questions before you attach anything
- Who are you? Check through a phone number or website you found yourself, not one in the message.
- What is it for? Under PIPEDA, an organization must identify its purposes by the time it collects personal information, and collect only what they need.
- Is seeing it enough? Offer to show the card in person or on a video call.
- When will you delete it? The Commissioner says landlords should not keep information longer than necessary.
If the answers hold up and an edited copy is accepted, send the required document, watermarked with the recipient, purpose and date, with unnecessary numbers covered. If you hide a passport number, cover its repetition in the machine-readable lines too, as the example shows. Some official checks need an unaltered copy. Use the organization’s verified portal when available, opening it independently.
A portal does not eliminate the risk of a breach or later misuse. A watermark shows who the copy is for, but can be edited or removed and does not prevent identity fraud. A document photo may help a fraud attempt; it does not guarantee passing an identity check.
Warning signs specific to Canadian ID
- A caller from the “Passport Program” asks for your SIN. IRCC says passport applications never require it; hang up and call 1-800-567-6868 to check.
- Someone offers to speed up a passport application for a fee. IRCC says no third party can do that.
- Payment is requested in gift cards. IRCC tells you not to pay for passport services that way.
- After a scam, someone offers to recover your money for a fee. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s advice is never to send recovery money.
If a copy already reached the wrong person
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre sets out the order. Gather the messages and receipts. Contact your financial institutions, flag your accounts, change your passwords and report the fraud to Equifax and TransUnion. Report it to local police and keep the file number, then to the Centre online or at 1-888-495-8501. For a passport, contact the Passport Program; for a licence or health card, the issuing province or territory.
Dokus cannot verify who is asking or recall a file you sent. It keeps originals encrypted and can create a separate copy with selected details hidden and a watermark naming its recipient and date. To clear loose copies already on your phone, see locking document copies on iPhone.
Sending ID: Canadian questions
Can a landlord in Canada ask for my SIN?
They can ask, but you do not have to provide it. Service Canada lists renting a property among the cases where the SIN is not required, and says you cannot be denied a product or service for refusing to give a SIN the law does not require.
Can a gym or an employer in Ontario require my health card?
No. Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act says no one may require you to produce your health card unless they provide you with provincially funded health services. Offer another document if identification is genuinely needed.
Someone from the Passport Program wants my SIN. What should I do?
Hang up. IRCC says passport applications never require your SIN and that you should not give it to anyone claiming to work for the Passport Program. Call 1-800-567-6868 to confirm who you are dealing with.
Is it safer to send a scan by email or through a portal?
A portal run by the organization you verified can avoid leaving an email attachment in inboxes and backups on both sides. It does not eliminate later misuse or a data breach. Send only the required document and details, and confirm that the recipient accepts a watermarked or redacted copy before editing it.
Does a watermark prevent identity fraud?
No. It makes the intended use visible, but the image can be edited and visible details can be copied. Verify the recipient and purpose, share only the information required and check whether an edited copy is accepted.