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CSA TRAVEL INFORMATION GUIDE
It is important to note that all 13 Canadian provinces and territories do permit residents to renew
both their driver’s licence and vehicle registration ahead of the normal date. Most jurisdictions permit
3 – 6 months advance renewal, with the exception of Nova Scotia which allows two months advance
renewal.
In the case of vehicle registration stickers, most jurisdictions also permit on-line renewal over
the internet with a major credit card. Driver’s licence renewals, especially where a new updated
photograph is required, will need to be done in-person before you leave.
Ontario residents subject to bi-annual Drive-Clean® emissions testing on their vehicles need to be
mindful that this is a unique in-province program with no authorized testing facilities outside Ontario
let alone outside Canada.
For further information on renewing your provincial driver’s licence and/or vehicle registration sticker:
BC (800) 950-1498
AB (780) 427-7013
SK (800) 667-9868
MB (204) 985-7000
ON (800) 387-3445
QC (800) 361-7620
NB (888) 762-8600
PE (902) 368-5200
NS (800) 898-7668
NL (877) 636-6867
NT (867) 873-7406
YT (800) 661-0408
NU (867) 975-7840
Social Insurance Number (SIN) Abroad
Created in 1964 to serve as a client account number to administer the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
as well as other employment insurance programs, the Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN)
was adopted in 1967 by what is now known as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for tax reporting
purposes.
While many organizations inside and outside of government may ask for your SIN – as a quick and
convenient way of not having to set up their own unique client numbering system – there is no
legislation that prohibits an organization from asking for it. You are just not obliged to give it.
It is important to remember that your SIN is a confidential number that is restricted to income
reporting purposes in Canada. Examples of this would be an employer collecting it in order to prepare
Records of Employment and T-4 slips for wages paid; a financial institution collecting it to report
interest-earned on investments and your various deposit accounts; and certain federal, provincial and
municipal assistance programs whose benefits result in reporting for income tax purposes.
When travelling to the United States, it is important to remember that your SIN is a uniquely
Canadian number that cannot – and should not – be used as a substitute for a U.S. Social Security
Number (SSN), especially when opening U.S.-based bank accounts, applying for a U.S. credit card or
arranging to set-up and pay for utilities for your vacation property.
It is equally important to note that a Canadian SIN and American SSN contain exactly the same
number of digits, thereby making it impossible to differentiate on quick examination. If you, for
example, apply for a U.S. credit card or try to arrange for local utilities for your vacation property, and
the clerk processing your application unwittingly inputs your Canadian SIN into their computer in
the same data field reserved for an American SSN, and then attempts to run a credit history check,