Acceptable identity documents | Medical Council of Canada

Confirming your identity

We must confirm your identity before we can process any source verification requests, exam applications or other services. You need to provide:

a certified copy of primary identity document(s)
a photograph
a signature

*You need to have your identity document(s) certified by an acceptable certifying official who legally attests to your identity by seeing you and your identity document(s) in person. This is necessary to maintain the integrity and security of our services and to ensure that the copies of the identity documents submitted are genuine and belong to you.

Identity validity period

Once these identity documents have been reviewed and accepted, the identity validity period in your physiciansapply.ca account will begin. It will expire either when your primary identity document expires, or in 10 years if your primary identity document does not have an expiry date.
You can view the identity validity period’s expiry date in your physiciansapply.ca account by clicking on Documents. The Identity Expiry Date will be displayed at the top of the middle panel.

If the identity validity period has expired, you will be prompted to provide new documents (primary identity document, photograph and signature) the next time you submit a source verification request or apply for an exam.

In all instances, the MCC reserves the right to request additional identification, if necessary. Do not mail your original documents to the MCC.

Primary identity documents

Passport

A valid (not expired) passport can be used as your primary identity document. Submit a certified copy of the pages of your passport that contain the following information:

name
photograph
signature (may be located on a separate page)
date of birth
passport expiry date (may be located on a separate page)

We do not need copies of any blank pages or the pages with your visas.

Canadian citizenship card

You can submit a certified copy of your Canadian citizenship card (front and back) as your primary identity document.

A Canadian citizenship card includes your photograph, signature, and date of birth, and is an official government-issued document. Note that as of February 2012, citizenship cards are no longer issued by the Government of Canada.

Canadian or U.S. driver’s licence together with other government-issued documents

If you are a Canadian or United States (U.S.) resident and you do not have a valid passport, you will need to submit 2 primary identity documents, as we require government-issued documents that contain your photograph, signature and date of birth.

You can submit certified copies of one of the following combinations:

A valid Canadian or U.S. driver’s licence and a Canadian citizenship certificate (without photo)
A valid Canadian or U.S. driver’s licence and a Canadian permanent resident card (front and back)
A valid Canadian or U.S. driver’s licence and a Canadian or U.S. birth certificate

Your driver’s licence should reflect your current legal name.

Baptismal certificates and health cards are not accepted.

Photograph

You will be required to upload a photograph of yourself.

The photograph must be:

in a JPG format
passport quality (full-face and very clear with contrasting background)
in colour
recent within 6 months

This photograph will be visible to organizations with whom you share your identity and should be professional in appearance. Selfies or cropped group photos will not be accepted.

Signature

You will be required to upload a copy of your signature by signing a piece of plain white paper and taking a photo of it.

The signature must:

be your handwritten signature (using a black or blue pen)
be in a JPG format

What happens if I submit an uncertified copy of my identity document?

Your credentials, service request or exam application cannot be reviewed until your identity is confirmed. You will be asked to resubmit a certified copy, which will delay the review of your request.

What if my current passport hasn’t expired, but I have a new passport?

If one of the organizations registered with the MCC repository has requested that you provide a new passport, you can submit a certified copy through your physiciansapply.ca account. Click on Documents on the left panel, then on Update identity documents in the middle panel and follow the instructions.

What if my name has changed?

If your name has changed since creating your physiciansapply.ca account and you want your new name to appear on your account and related MCC documents, follow the instructions on how to make a name change request.

What if I’m a refugee and had to surrender my passport?

If, as a refugee in Canada, you no longer have your physical passport, you may submit other documents that allow us to confirm your identity.

Most often, we can accept a photocopy of your valid (non-expired) passport that was stamped by the Canada Border Services Agency or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The photocopy of your passport must be certified according to our requirements, which may require you to have it certified again. It must contain the following information:

name
photograph
signature of bearer or holder (may be located on a separate page)
date of birth
passport expiry date (may be located on a separate page)

To determine what other documents may be acceptable, please contact us to obtain guidance based on your individual circumstances.