🇨🇦 Toronto · Paperwork
Registration, banking and utilities in Toronto
A Social Insurance Number, a health card, a driver licence on a deadline, and a credit file started from nothing — mostly quick, mostly in person.
The thing people get wrongThe health card and the driver licence are both ServiceOntario errands with document lists that people get wrong the first time. Turning up without three separate proofs — status, residency and identity — is the standard wasted morning.
Social Insurance Number
The SIN is issued by Service Canada and is required to be paid legally, to file tax and to open most financial products. It is one of the fastest pieces of Canadian admin and can generally be done in person on arrival with your passport and immigration document. Keep the number itself private; it is requested far more often than it is legitimately needed.
OHIP and the health card
Ontario's public health insurance is applied for at ServiceOntario, and the application asks for three separate documents: proof of your immigration status, proof that you live in Ontario, and proof of identity. The former three-month waiting period for new residents was removed, though eligibility depends on your status and on being physically present in the province. Confirm current rules with ServiceOntario rather than assuming.
- Three documents required: status, Ontario residency, identity.
- A signed lease and a utility bill or bank statement usually satisfy the residency proof.
- The photo health card is the one to get; it doubles as identification.
Driving
New residents are expected to obtain an Ontario licence within a limited period of settling here. Ontario has exchange agreements with a number of countries and provinces that allow a direct swap; otherwise you enter the graduated licensing system and take tests. Bring a letter from your previous licensing authority documenting your driving history — it can reduce the wait and, separately, matters for insurance.
- Exchange agreements exist with some jurisdictions; others require testing.
- Get a driver's abstract or history letter from your old licensing body before you leave.
- Insurers rate largely on Canadian driving history, so premiums for new arrivals are high.
Banking, credit and tax
The large Canadian banks run newcomer account packages that will open with a passport and immigration document, sometimes before the SIN arrives. Credit is the slow part: a secured card paid in full each month is the standard way to build a file over six to twelve months. Income tax is filed annually with the Canada Revenue Agency, combining federal and Ontario portions in one return, and the first return as a newcomer has particular quirks worth taking advice on.
In order
- Apply for a SIN at Service Canada on arrival.
- Open a bank account under a newcomer package.
- Apply for the OHIP card at ServiceOntario with all three proofs.
- Hold private medical cover for any gap before OHIP begins.
- Exchange or apply for an Ontario driver licence within the deadline.
- Start a secured credit card in month one.
- Register for a CRA account before your first tax filing.
Rather have someone do this with you?
Your Insider has done paperwork in Toronto many times over. On Premium they do it with you, in person, rather than sending you a checklist.
Get startedNot sure which plan is right for you? →