How to apply for a status card

Find out how to apply for a Secure Certificate of Indian Status (secure status card) or Certificate of Indian Status (status card).

COVID-19-related office closure

Due to COVID-19 office closures, you must apply by mail, not in person.

Visit Coronavirus and Indigenous communities to find out how to apply for COVID-19-related benefits.

You can now take your own photo when applying for a secure status card and submit it straight from your smartphone. To find out more, visit What are the photo requirements.

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What do you need when applying for a secure status card

To apply for a secure status card, you or the child or dependent adult must be registered as a Status Indian under the Indian Act. If you are not registered, you can now apply for both registration and a secure status card at the same time. If you are not sure if you or the child or dependent adult are registered, contact Public enquiries.

You must find a guarantor if you are:

  • applying by mail

or

  • providing identification that does not meet all of the requirements, that is, name, date of birth, photo and signature

or

  • submitting an application in person on behalf of an adult or on behalf of a parent or legal guardian applying for a child or dependent adult

or

For an adult (16 or older)

If applying in person, you must provide:

  1. a completed Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) Application for Already Registered Persons (form 83-172)
  2. photos that meet the photo requirements
  3. original acceptable valid identification

If applying by mail, you must provide:

  1. a completed Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) Application for Already Registered Persons (form 83-172)
  2. photos that meet the photo requirements
  3. photocopies of the front and back of original acceptable valid identification, each photocopy signed by a guarantor
  4. a guarantor declaration (form 83-169)

If your name has changed, you must also provide:

  • an original legal name-linking document, such as a change-of-name certificate, marriage certificate or divorce order, that links your previous name with your current name

or

  • a photocopy of a legal name-linking document and a photocopy of acceptable valid identification with the name that is on the application, for example, driver's licence

For a child (15 or younger) or dependent adult

A parent or legal guardian must have the authority to act for the child or dependent adult in legal or financial matters to apply on their behalf.

If applying in person, you must provide:

  1. a completed Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) Application for Already Registered Persons (form 83-172)
  2. for a child: a photocopy of the most recent legal documents, for example, divorce order, separation agreement, custody or guardianship order, proving custody or guardianship of the child to the applying parent or guardian, if applicable
    for a dependent adult: a photocopy of the order of guardianship
  3. photos of the child or dependent adult that meet the photo requirements
  4. original acceptable valid identification of the applying parent or legal guardian

If applying by mail, you must provide:

  1. a completed Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) Application for Already Registered Persons (form 83-172)
  2. for a child: a photocopy of the most recent legal documents, for example, divorce order, separation agreement, custody or guardianship order, proving custody or guardianship of the child to the applying parent or guardian, if applicable
    for a dependent adult: a photocopy of the order of guardianship
  3. photos of the child or dependent adult that meet the photo requirements
  4. photocopies of the front and back of original acceptable valid identification of the applying parent or legal guardian, each photocopy signed by a guarantor
  5. a guarantor declaration (form 83-169)

If the name of the child or dependent adult has changed, you must also provide:

  • an original legal name-linking document, such as a change-of-name certificate, that links their previous name with their current name

or

  • a photocopy of a legal name-linking document and a photocopy of acceptable valid identification with the name of the child or dependent adult that is on the application, for example, health card

If the name of the applying parent or legal guardian as it appears on their identity documents is not the same as on the legal custody or guardianship documents, you must also provide:

  • a photocopy of a legal name-linking document, such as a change-of-name certificate, marriage certificate or divorce order, that links their previous name with their current name

Can you apply for a status card at your First Nation or band office

Some First Nations are still issuing Certificates of Indian Status (status cards). If your band does:

If you have any questions, contact your First Nation or band office or Public enquiries.

In 2009, a more secure status card, the Secure Certificate of Indian Status, began to be issued to help protect Status Indians from identity theft.

Status Indians are encouraged to apply for the Secure Certificate of Indian Status, which has a number of security features that the Certificate of Indian Status lacks.

How do you apply

Step 1: Get the application form

Get the Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) Application for Already Registered Persons (form 83-172)

Step 2: Fill out and sign the application form

Fill out the fillable-saveable form online or write on the printable form in block letters using black or blue ink.

Check the appropriate box under "Reason for application".

Section 1: Information on person to be issued a Secure Certificate of Indian Status
Provide personal information on the applicant, including permanent address and mailing address, if different.

The name under which the applicant is registered for Indian status, that is, the name on the Indian Register, will be printed on the secure status card. Names that are not on the Indian Register, such as cultural names, can be printed in the alias field of the card.

Section 2: Parent/Legal guardian information
Complete this section only if applying for a child or dependent adult.

Section 3: Identity documents for adult applicant or parent or legal guardian
List the identity documents you are including with the application. Identity documents must be acceptable and valid.

Section 4: Name-linking documents
List the name-linking documents you are including with the application, if applicable. If a name-linking document was provided with a previous application for registration on the Indian Register or for a status card, you don't need to provide one again.

Section 5: Photo and signature to appear on the Secure Certificate of Indian Status
The signature inside the box will appear on the secure status card. It must be the applicant's usual signature . The signature must not touch the borders of the box.

The signature of the child or dependent adult is not required.

Section 6: Declaration and signature
The adult applicant or the parent or legal guardian of the child or dependent adult must sign and date the declaration. Failing to do so will delay the application process.

Section 7: Indian Registration Administrator
If an Indian Registration Administrator assisted in completing the application form, the Indian Registration Administrator must complete and sign this section.

Step 3: Submit or send the application

Before submitting or sending the application, make sure you have:

  • filled out all relevant sections
  • signed and dated the form

You can:

or

  • send the application by mail to:
    • National SCIS Processing Unit
      Indigenous Services Canada
      10 rue Wellington
      Gatineau QC  K1A 0H4

To avoid a delay in receiving your card, you must complete all relevant sections of the application form and submit all necessary documents.

Where do you submit or send the application

You can mail the secure status card application and required documents to:

You can also submit the application and required documents in person at any of the following locations:

Before you go to a regional office, it is best to call ahead and make an appointment. If you are travelling to ISC headquarters in Gatineau, Quebec, no appointment is necessary.

Some band offices continue to issue Certificates of Indian Status.

For more information, contact your First Nation or band or Public enquiries.

Can you submit an application for someone else

Third-party applications, that is, applications submitted by a person other than the applicant, are accepted for secure status cards. For a child or dependent adult, this third person is any person other than the parent or legal guardian.

When submitting a third-party application in person, you must provide:

  1. a completed Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) Application for Already Registered Persons (form 83-172), signed by the applicant
  2. photos of the applicant that meet the photo requirements
  3. photocopies of the front and back of original acceptable valid identification of the applicant, each photocopy signed by a guarantor
  4. a guarantor declaration (form 83-169)
  5. a written statement providing consent to submit the application through the third party, signed by the applicant
  6. original acceptable valid identification of the third party

How to renew your status card

COVID-19: Expired cards and TCRDs

  • Indian status does not expire. Your registration number confirms your status and can be used to access some services and programs.
  • During this time, service providers should accept status cards or Temporary Confirmation of Registration Documents (TCRDs), with identification, even if the renewal or expiry date has passed, until offices re-open.

The secure status card is valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children and dependent adults.

The renewal process is the same as when first applying for a secure status card. Fill out the same application form and check "Renewal" under "Reason for application".

You can renew your current secure status card up to 6 months before the renewal date or up to one year after the "Renew before" date on your card.

If you are applying a year after the date indicated on your secure status card, fill out the same application form as when first applying for a secure status card and check "Replacement (lost, stolen, damaged SCIS)" under "Reason for application".

What to do if your status card is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed

If you have lost your Secure Certificate of Indian Status (secure status card) or if it has been stolen, damaged or destroyed, you must report it by calling Public enquiries right away. The call agent will:

  1. cancel the lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed card
  2. issue, on request, a Temporary Confirmation of Registration Document

The replacement process is the same as when first applying for a secure status card. Fill out the same application form and check "Replacement (lost, stolen, damaged SCIS)" under "Reason for application".

If you have lost your Certificate of Indian Status (status card) or if it has been stolen, damaged or destroyed, contact your First Nation or band office to apply for a replacement card.

What to do if you find a status card

If you find a status card, please drop it into a mailbox and it will be returned to ISC.

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