Old Age Security: Identity and Relationship Rules

Summary#

These are final changes to the Regulations Amending the Old Age Security Regulations that set what documents the government can ask for when verifying age, identity and married or common-law status for benefits. The rules take effect on January 1, 2026 (registered November 21, 2025, published December 3, 2025).

What it does#

• Updates how the government checks a person’s relationship to a spouse or common-law partner:
  • For married people, it confirms the government can ask for a marriage certificate or a copy.
  • For common-law partners, it allows a statutory declaration (a signed statement) or other evidence of the relationship.
  • If a copy looks suspicious, the government can ask for the original document.
  • If no marriage documents are available, the government can rely on a statutory declaration or other evidence.
• Changes how age and identity are verified for benefit applications:
  • The government will normally use a birth certificate, a copy of one, or an act of birth.
  • It can also use information provided by the Canada Employment Insurance Commission.
  • If a copy of a birth record is doubtful, the original can be required.
  • If no birth documents are available, the government can use other evidence of age and identity.
  • If those options fail, the government may use information from Statistics Canada.
• Sets rules for asking Statistics Canada for census records:
  • Requests must be in a form set by the Chief Statistician of Canada, include the applicant’s signed consent, and give the specific details needed to search records.
  • Any information supplied by Statistics Canada must be kept confidential and used only to determine age for Old Age Security (or the Canada Pension Plan).

Who's affected#

• People applying for Old Age Security benefits who must prove their age, identity, or their relationship to a spouse or common-law partner.
• Applicants who do not have standard documents (for example, no birth or marriage certificate) and may need to provide a statutory declaration or other evidence.
• The agencies involved in checking records, including Statistics Canada and the Canada Employment Insurance Commission.

Why it matters#

• The changes make clear what documents the government can ask for and when it can accept signed statements instead of original papers.
• That can help people who lack original birth or marriage records still qualify for benefits, provided they can give acceptable alternative evidence or consent to a StatsCan search.
• At the same time, the rules let officials require originals if copies look unreliable, which may affect applicants who only have photocopies.