Why does my lawyer need to see my IDs?

When representing clients where we are involved in a funds transfer activity, such as in real estate transactions, we are required by the Law Society of Ontario to verify the identification of all of our clients, which is done by actually looking at an original identifying document from an independent source, typically government issued, to ensure that our clients are who they say they are. Two (2) forms of ID, a primary photo ID and a secondary ID, are obtained as this is often a requirement by lending institutions and for FINTRAC (“Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada”) purposes.

You should provide the front and back sides of two original pieces of identification. One of these identification cards will have to be government-issued identification that is valid and has not expired such as Driver’s Licence, a Permanent Resident Card, a Citizenship Card or a Passport. Please note that Health Card can not be accepted as a form of identification, however, you may use your credit card as a secondary piece of ID. 

Please make sure to provide 2 pieces of ID for every person who is named on the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and/or who will be going on title at your earliest convenience.

If you are purchasing or selling a property under the name of a corporation, we require a copy of the articles of incorporation and other corporate documents to confirm the identity of the directors and individuals with signing authority.